|
 In this piece on the ‘Who' and ‘What' of fixing Pakistan, enlightened moderation emerges as a possible solution.
Pakistan needs a break desperately. Our beloved country has been ravaged by terrorism, nepotism, corruption, mismanagement, discrimination which is slowly eroding its foundations. How does one go about fixing such a damaged state? To fix any problem an age old advice is "First Who... then What." Before we can think of ‘What' to do, we must first decide the ‘Who', i.e. who will do it? Sadly, genuine leadership has been missing in Pakistan since its inception. Most of its leaders have sought power for the sake of power and not to help the nation. There has been no sincerity to develop Pakistan. In the context of character and personal traits of the country's current leaders, the only one who makes the grade is former President General Pervez Musharraf. One may not agree with some of the decisions he made, but his incorruptible and morally upright character has never been questioned. Leadership is ultimately about character and he has openly regretted some of the decisions he has made. Many of those were heavily tainted by the influence and recommendation of the team he had gathered around himself. In the business world there is a famous saying (credited to Jim Collins), that leaders must "Get the right people on the bus in the right seats," which means that they must select the right people to make heir teams and then place them in the right positions where their skills and capabilities can be suitably utilized. Regrettably Musharraf did not do a good job on that front.
After a capable and committed team is in place, comes the ‘What' question. Musharaf's vision back in 2000 was clear and his focus on economic development, poverty alleviation and eradicating corruption was spot on. He delivered an impressive turnaround in all these areas. A comparison of pre and post-2000 economic data tells the story. From 1993 to 2000, per capita income eroded while it grew by an impressive 8.1% per annum during Musharraf's era. Poverty levels, which had worsened pre-2000, improved by 30% during Musharraf's time. Transparency International improved Pakistan's ratings from the 11th most corrupt country to the 41st. Similarly GDP grew 4 times faster and inflation was 40% lower when Musharraf was in power, compared to the preceding 7 years of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Having noble intentions and actually delivering them are two different things. Not everything was hunky dory while Musharraf was around. He failed miserably in eradicating terrorism and extremist elements. There was too much tolerance and lip service but no real action; the Lal Masjid incident and the encroachment of Taliban sympathizers in Swat are two such instances. One presumes when leadership is not being brutally honest about reality then such problems surface.
Today Muslims are torn between their magnificent past, a miserable present and an uncertain future. The key challenge is to rein in the intolerance and ignorance afflicting Muslims everywhere. Pakistan, created in the name of Islam, must go back to the basics and re-enlighten itself on Islam and its teachings. Islam teaches moderation in everything.
The life of the Holy Prophet (SAW) who personified compassion, justice, and spirit of sacrifice is full of examples of tolerance and moderation. He feared God but was no fanatic and would tell his followers "Woe to those who exaggerate." His famous saying, "A Muslim is he whose tongue and hand do not harm another Muslim" says it all. He was a role model and when he conquered Mecca where his enemies resided, he forgave everyone. Taking anyone's life was an unforgivable crime; he stated this in his last sermon by saying "regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust" and "hurt no one so that no one may hurt you." The Prophet (SAW) also professed pursuit and search for enlightenment and was a sponge for learning. He enlightened the world to Islam, its teachings and its way of life. Why don't then Muslims strive for enlightenment today?
To fix the problem of intolerance, extremism, and illiteracy, the only solution is adoption of the path of moderation and enlightenment. The only statesman or politician who has professed this path is Pervez Musharraf through his message of "Enlightened Moderation," though, unfortunately, the people were led into ignoring it. It must be remembered that Muslims are being given a bad name as militancy was not suggested by Islam and is simply an explosive combination of poverty, ignorance and political disputes. In this context, Musharraf made an apt plea when he professed "Enlightened Moderation" to save Pakistan - and Muslims around the world.
While Musharraf made mistakes, he also learned some hard lessons. The burden lies solely on his shoulders for filing a reference against the Chief Justice and treating him as guilty even before the trial or on compromising his principles when he allowed corrupt politicians to re-enter Pakistan. In the latter instance, what stunned many was how he buckled down under western pressure when earlier he had successfully guided the nation during his first three years, using nothing but his gut feeling and instincts. Economic development is clearly a cure for many ills, including eradicating poverty, improving living standards, enhancing literacy and stamping out extremism. The time is running out for Pakistan and it desperately needs an incorruptible and morally upright leader who will exercise absolute power to keep the politicians' frivolous disruptions at bay and not be restricted by an inept and corrupt establishment. He must single-mindedly focus on putting the nation on a progressive growth path.
Pakistan's illiterate masses unfortunately have a short memory and a virtual inability to see through and properly evaluate claims made by politicians. They end up bringing to power the same people, time and again, who rule without a clear road map, with no vision for the future and with no strategy to tackle problems. The educated middle class must now take charge and demand the leadership to share its vision for Pakistan, by outlining clear goals and timelines and also making themselves accountable for the results.
Musharraf is the only leader from the recent past, who has created a vision for Pakistan, shared it, deployed it and delivered it with some degree of success. Discounting errors in past judgments, he is also the only eligible candidate who displays bright intellect and no-nonsense attitude and professes the path of "Enlightened Moderation" to lead the country out of the current quagmire. He has delivered before and he can do it again. 
|
Show/hide comments
Show/hide comment form
