Talking Seriously

With less than a dozen days left to the polls  – May 11^th - the electioneering fervor is on its peak. The party leaders are frantically holding public meetings – at times thrice a day – and promising moon to the innocent and naïve masses.  They claim to eradicate poverty, power and gas load shedding, unemployment and joblessness and offer better and free education, healthcare, interest free loans and what not else, if they are returned to the power. This is a big IF, as the writing on the wall for ALL to see is that  NONE of them will have a comfortable majority to form the government to carry out its so called promised programmes.  At the best it would be a hung parliament which would force them to form a coalition to rule.  And, we all know what happens in a coalition government.  Firstly a battalion of ministers, ministers of state and advisors to accommodate all coalition partners. Then each coalition partne r depending upon its election manifesto has a different agenda and policy to pursue with the result that none of those can be accomplished due to the varied interests of the partners. Lastly and most importantly, the coalition is all the time on its toes to avert dissolution and for that has to appease and pacify the dissident partner, which needless to say breeds CORRUPTION of the first order and the end of good governance.

Must we, therefore,  have the elections to ultimately have the coalition?  Isn’t it a fact that the coalitions are the most inefficient and corrupt governments, where imagine the Maulanas are entrusted with the task of attracting foreign tourists in the country?! Of course, the politicians would jump to the skies hollering the derailment of democracy and what not bla -- bla --- . But, don’t we know it that in reality they cry for the democracy ONLY and ONLY for themselves to be in power?!!  They just make fool of the people by promising all power to them.  Power to them, my foot!  We have had interim and care taker govts. at the centre and the provinces for some time now and the heavens have not fallen during this period. Why can’t we have some really good CARE taking govts. comprising of the real capable, dedicated and honest professionals and masters of their respective fields to govern us for some time (not the like of some who p romote their sons out of merit) instead of putting us once again at the mercy of the same good-for-nothing and visionless plunderers and looters?  Right now Pakistan cannot afford the luxury of having nincompoop and corrupt politicians to rule it further for five years.  There would be nothing left of it after that.

Just think of it seriously, please.

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)