Answers to questions no one dares to ask

(Published 9.7.2009)

http://www.dailynationalcourier.com/national_courier/jul2009_daily/09-07-09/artical/artical1.htm

Nobody likes to talk true, none wants to listen the truth
Shouting becomes a must amidst such deafening indifference
(Couplet Zakia Ghazal)

No body seems to ask the most basic questions that have turned every single institutions of this country into termite eaten structure that may look good from far but actually is far from good. Questions that need to be asked and answered honestly are not asked altogether and even if asked are meant primarily to score a point, put up a face or personal glorification. On the other hand, these questions are never answered with seriousness and honesty that they deserve almost always wrapped in thick layers of intentional academic, philosophical and intellectual gibberish. This column/article intends to highlight issues of utmost importance that genuinely matter to exploited, abused, taxed-to-death, hungry, tattered and roofless masses of this ideological state carved out sixty-two years ago.
Why most have nothing? Because a few have everything in this country. Where else not only the peoples' representatives but their hangers on live in such luxury that could shame the rulers of the developed world? Can you imagine a US General retiring to life of immense luxury overseas on the pretext of financing the purchase of expensive mansion from lectures? Can you imagine what kind of public backlash would the most powerful man on earth, the US president, would have to face for foreign trips compared to incessant foreign tours of our rulers even if half as expensive? Most has nothing because few have so much. Luxury of a few and misery of poor is the unwritten law in this land of ours where the later share among themselves all of the wealth and richers of the land but shoulders none of its burdens.
Who pay taxes? As a rule rich, influential, landed aristocracy, rich stock market brokers, law makers, bureaucracy are exept from paying tax. Only the subjects pay the taxes even if it means going hungry and tattered. Besides shouldering almost the entire burden of taxation the subjects also serve another useful purpose of casting votes whenever general elections are held in this country. The art of fleecing the people to the point of mass suicide, which is making rounds en masse to the total indifference of the rulers, who occupy treasury and opposition benches in five parliaments and the Senate, have been honed by the successive governments. We are perhaps the only country in the world where money flows from bottom to top against all norms of economic theories. The people and the government may be poor but rulers are extremely rich. The burden of taxes is limited to salaried class.
But don't you have democracy? More like a façade, a shadow, a silhouette, a mirage of democracy that begins and ends with elections after which the elected representatives of the people; occupying treasury or opposition benches, are free to pursue their agenda no matter how personal, unethical, immoral, illegal it may be. Politics has long become a business, a trade, a profession, an investment aimed at ensuring heavy returns no matter how ill gotten it be. Former US President was heavily indebted when he left the White House but such examples are alien to this land of pure.
Can't you really do without world's largest cabinet? Of course we could but why even if our economy is in tatters because rulers say it is necessary to accommodate partners in the coalition government. Totally unconvincing as it the justification has never been questioned forcibly by the media. America, the economic power engine of the world, with double our population, almost 11-time the land area and 90 times our economy ( $ 14.3 trillion GDP compared to just $ 160.9 billion: 2008 estimated) can do with a cabinet that comprises the Vice President and 15 executive departments- Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General- headed by Secretaries, equivalent to what we call ministers here. We, however, shame both the US and India- which has over 7-times our population and almost 4-times our land area- has just 30 ministers with an army of around 100 federal ministers and advisors.
You call this democracy? Yes we do simply because human body is weak and can not bear simplest of the tortures like pulling of nails with nose-plier; getting disappeared without trace for saying or writing things about issues that ruling despise; declared enemy of the system no matter how reactionary, exploitive, repressive or inhumane it is. Even if the system is sub-human life is precious, particularly of those whom you loved the most in the world including your wife, children, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, etc.