Straight Talk – A leader is born? (Part 1).
After wandering in the wilderness of Pakistan’s murky politics for the last fifteen years, Imran (Inkelab) Khan has finally emerged onto centre stage as a leader who can perhaps change the destiny of this nation which has been at the mercy of corrupt, ‘Self Above All’ leaders for the last six decades.
After the late, charismatic ZAB and BB, IK is the only leader who has been able to mobilize the youth and the masses of this country on a national basis, rather then on ethnic and religious grounds. Something that we had witnessed in the restoration of the CJ of Pakistan and the Go Musharraf Go campaign.
The thousands of citizens, who had participated in the julsa at Minare-e-Pakistan, were from all walks of life and all parts of Pakistan. They were young and old, sick and crippled, rich and poor, the educated and the privileged and the only reason for them to be there was, that they saw in Imran a ray of hope and a leader who could perhaps change the destiny of this fragmented and divided nation.
The Julsa was not just a huge success, but through the massive turn out, it sent a strong message to the world that, we Pakistani’s can also stand united as a nation, provided we have a leader who is honest and sincere and whose politics are not based on lies, deceit and ethnicity, but are for the nation.
As one young participant had put it: ‘For those few hours, I felt my ethnic, provincial, and even professional identity being subsumed by my national one. It felt good to be a Pakistani. There was a sea of people shouting, clapping, laughing, dancing and waving flags’.
‘They came in waves and kept on coming. Men, women, teenagers, children, a teeming multitude, that blended into one massive, pulsating mass of synchronized humanity’.
‘As the lights of Minto Park ignited, there was a deafening roar, thunderous drumbeats and booming motivational music. The air was infectious and the mood contagious, mesmerizing and electrifying’.
The size of the crowd stunned everyone, including Imran and his party workers and shocked our opposition leaders and put them on notice, that there is now a new kid in Pakistan’s politics, who could finally break the strangle hold that they have had on the nation for six decades.
The citizens have finally realized that our leaders are not honest and sincere and sing the mantra of democracy, only to have the freedom to amass wealth for themselves and loot and plunder the nation.
Our leaders and even the nation have forgotten the teachings of the Holy Quran that warns us that, ILLEGAL WEALTH IS A CURSE, AS IT DESTROYS THE SOULS OF ALL WHO — — USE IT. As such, the virus of corruption has also destroyed the soul and morals of the nation.
IK has taken on a mammoth task, as changing the mindset of a nation which lacks ethics and moral values, is not going to be easy. It will be a tough and up hill task for him to pull the nation out of the quicksand that has been sucking it into its dark depth for the last six decades.
As such, my humble suggestion to Imran Khan would be:
Your time has come, so use it wisely and with a positive mind set. Do not waste your energy in talking about bad governance, corruption, hidden assets, etc., of our leaders, as the entire nation, including the SCP is aware of it. Leave that now to the courts and the TV channels.
Do not join the Gold Rush like others, by demanding early elections, as you too will be accused of being a power hungry leader who derailed democracy. Leave it to the other parties and use the remaining months to consolidate your team and prepare PTI’s Manifesto.
It will not be easy to dislodge the ‘Professional Politicians’ and their jyalas, who have been running this country as their personal fiefdom and using the citizens as their dispensable pawns in their deadly chess game to retain a hold on power.
The present lot of horses and mules who manage our institutions, will also not allow you to bring in the reforms that are needed to improve the system of governance.
They will use every dirty trick in the book to malign, shame and embarrass you and your family. Even your party members will not be spared, as you are a threat to them, their illegal wealth and their survival. They will need just one corrupt person or a scandal in your team of advisors to destroy your credibility, for as they say, one bad apple can spoil the entire barrel.
Avoid the politics of confrontation, protests, dahrnas, strikes, etc., as they hurt the already crippled economy and each strike costs the nation Rs 30 billion a day. Avoid hollow slogans, false promises and playing to the galleries.
Instead, urge the nation to work hard to rebuild the country’s economy and urge the youth of the country to be good, honest, hard working, responsible and disciplined students and give their best.
Choose your team of wise men and women with extreme care. They must be chosen on the basis of honesty, merits and must be experienced and competent in their respective fields, with a proven track record.
Form your shadow government and concentrate on how you will establish good governance, the rule of law, transparent, impartial, across the board accountability and rebuild the nation’s destroyed institutions and collapsed infrastructure.
Ask your Council of Elders to prepare strong anti-corruption and accountability laws, with a zero tolerance policy, that will cleanse the termites that manage and run our ministries and institutions.
Let them work independently and tell them to draw up the nation’s major policies and on how to improve the quality of lives of the Forgotten People of Pakistan, the poor, uneducated and the underprivileged citizens, who are the real stake holders of this country.
Prepare policies on judicial and police reforms and those that will strengthen the pillars of good governance and democracy, so that by the time the date for the elections are announced, you have a manifesto to present to the nation.
There is already a ‘Get Imran’ campaign. However, some of the questions that are being raised are quite valid and shared by many citizens, including myself and need to be addressed, so get your act together.
But more on Questions to the Great Khan next week.
Hamid Maker. (Email: [email protected]).
