QUALIFICATION FOR THE CANDIDATE IN ANY ELECTION

Election is election whether for the Union Councils, National and Provincial Assemblies or for the President, Prime Minister or Chief Ministers etc, the purpose is to pick out the best one amongst all the available candidates. This is the point, which needs to be discussed.

                        Before 2002 elections, the qualification of every elected person is not hidden from the nation. At present, it can safely be said that all are the University Degree holders in the National and Provincial Assemblies in addition to their personal enhanced qualifications and any topic can be given to them and they can conveniently discuss the pros of cons of that topic.

                        Now, when no qualification is prescribed for the candidate in the election and the only criterion is the nomination of a person either by the Political Party head or by the board of a few selectors who are authorised to give party tickets to the candidates based not on any qualification but on the basis of his wealth both in case and land, then how it can be possible to prevent the way of unwanted and incompetent persons to get access to the Assemblies to lead the Country?

                        The voters and workers of every political party are as much helpless as much can be expected and are used as tools for bringing the influential ones of the party into power and to give them the mandate to do whatever they may like till the next general election in the Country. So far the result of every election has shown us this much.

                        At present, qualified but poor persons in every political party are ignored, deprived and rusted and they prove to be the flowers of desert where no one comes to see their bloom and smell their fragrance. They often act as personal secretaries, clerks and speech-makers for the influential leaders of the party and thus act as catalyst in increasing the glory and popularity of that party leaders and in return he is given nothing such important which may bring his role to the fore front of the party. This is the character and role of a qualified person in every political party so far noticed.

                        If all the qualified and big degrees holders in every political party joined hands, it is possible for them to bring a pleasant change despite every thing contrary to their ambitions. Party is comprised of individuals and in democracy when more persons are convinced to a certain way of thinking then it is possible to bring a change. Allama Mohammad Iqbal has already notified to us the significance of the individual in his exalted poetry and political thinking. It is up to us to adopt that and act upon it regardless of opposition. When our elders exhort us to act upon the sayings and deeds of our fore fathers who got this nation for us then the elders let us to act upon those advices in letter and spirit for the future of this Country.

                        In every Country, Politicians happen to be very clever persons, wish to tie the hands of everybody else behind through legislations of various nature without letting anyone to tie their own hands and that is why they vehemently and zealously prescribe qualifications for everyone from Scale 1 to Scale 22, without prescribing restraints for themselves.

                        The framers of the Constitutions, Civil Service Laws and regulations and other kinds of laws were all Politicians. What they have done is evident from the bulk of legal books. Politicians have deliberately exempted under the Constitutional laws and other laws the President, Prime Ministers etc; from any liability in the Courts of the Country. It means that when you elected him, you have freed him from every restraint. Now I do not want that they should be accountable in the Court of law but my point of contention is that how an unqualified person can be given so much liberty to do whatever he may like and the intellectuals and qualified person under compulsion should be silent spectators of the drama being played by those unqualified persons.

                        It seems to me and to every sensible person, very strange that every person whether in the Government service or in the service of a private institution should be a qualified person and should get through the processes of thorough scrutiny while a person who leads the Country or makes decisions for the future of the Country should possess only qualifications of being a citizen of the Country and should have got the majority of the votes in the election for that post!

                        The study of the Holy Quran has shown me two qualifications for the leadership, one "Knowledge" and the other "Physical Fitness". Now "Knowledge" is so vast a word, which encompasses all the qualifications of a person manifested through the prevalent degrees and his personal character. Knowledge among other things includes "Competence" which is evident from the degrees which he achieved through hardworking for the years, his "Honesty" which is evident from his role and character played in a society for years, his "Dynamism" which is evident from his efforts done for the years in a political party for the welfare of the people. The above stated qualities are of such nature, which distinguishes a person not only in the society but also in the political party.

                        Now it depends upon the activeness of the qualified persons to compel such a one among their folds to come forward and play his role of leadership.

                        If this were the criterion then the teachers of Universities, Colleges and Schools are the most learned segment of society.

                        If deputation from one Government department to another Government department or transferring from one Government Service to another Government Service is admissible then the amendment of laws should be made so that to facilitate the contesting of election by these people for various kinds of places.

                        When the teachers have the ability to educate the young ones and are often called "Builders of Nation" then they should trusted for the discharge of functions as the Head of State or Government or other posts. Parliament is sovereign in bringing this enlightened segment of society in addition to persons from other qualified and learned professions.

                        The Lawmakers and those who lead the Country should possess extraordinary qualification and talent because the previous experiences have brought the present results, which in my view should not be repeated for the sake of the future of this Country.

                        The qualification for the candidates in the Local Government Institutions is also essential because they do not know their duties and rights. The implementation of land revenue laws relating to the duty of the land revenue officials is a main problem to them. The land revenue officials do not perform their duty, which is binding on them under the Laws of Land Records Manual. General Musharraf erected a Super-Structure of Local Government System through General Naqvi but totally ignored to prescribe high qualification for the Members or giving them high salaries, privileges and powers like those of the National or Provincial Assemblies. They cannot compel even the Patwari, a lowest person in the hierarchy in the land revenue department, to perform his duty in the Union Council. The majority of the Members have no independent sources of income especially the Women Members of the Council and that is why they have no importance in the eyes of the general public nor any attention is given to their any application for the resolution of a matter by the Officials of the State.

                        People have voted to both kind of Members, one kind of Members are ruling the country, enjoying salaries, allowances, privileges and supreme powers while the condition of those of other kind of Members is before everyone need no further comment. People have voted to both, both have been democratically elected by the voters. Please let me know why the difference?

Manzoor Ahmad

Marghuz Balar Khel, District Swabi, N.W.F.P. Pakistan.

Mobile: 0345-9503142.

Dated: Monday, 21 April 2008