Afia Ambreen
The ongoing summer finally witnessed the sunset of PML-N’s five year rule in Pakistan. In 2013, the PML-N took over the government in the midst of major challenges that included loadshedding, growing external debts, international isolation, bad governance, and a deteriorating security situation. Ironically, the said challenges were more or less the campaigning slogans of the PML-N that brought them to power. On the other hand, Quaid of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said that in Pakistan’s 70-year history, sanctity of vote was never upheld. However, he vowed to make it the fundamental principle of the PML-N campaign for general elections of 2018 and win public vote on this single point agenda. When stripped of his power, Mian Nawaz Sharif coined the slogan ‘vote ko izzat do.’ This slogan is very catchy to beguile people and win votes. However, while in power, the worthy ex-prime minister neither cared nor respected vote or the voter. He rarely attended parliament sessions, meet the lawmakers, or listen to issues of public.
The strange thing about our political parties is that, they blame everyone other than themselves, for governance failure. On the military rule in the country, the former PM said that “In 38 years, there have been 20 PMs and none have been able to complete their tenure.” On the other hand, he added, “four dictators ruled the country for a span of 32 years and each military rule invented a separate doctrine of necessity to come to power.” “We have all seen the way civilian governments have been treated. Z.A. Bhutto was sentenced to death, Benazir Bhutto was martyred, while I was termed a hijacker and sent to the Adiala Jail. But now, we have to put an end to this political chaos,” the former premier said. However, he said the time has come when we will have to decide about the turn-coats.
It indeed is a clever move by the PML-N to demand respect for votes without respecting the voters’ genuine expectations from their representatives. How are voters disrespected? One, when both the education and health sectors are kept expensive and moth-eaten, so that the masses remain stuck in the vicious circle of poverty. Two, when the people are not provided with the basic amenities of life: the citizens of Karachi are running from pillar to post to get one glass of clean water and one Megawatts of electricity. The same is true with many cities of Pakistan, including Lahore. Three, when the promises made during elections are not fulfilled and the constituents are hardly looked back at once the election is over. Four, when people are induced to sell their votes against petty rewards. Five, when taxpayers’ money is used on unprecedented perks of the military-judicial-civil complex, businessmen turned politicians and absentees landowners, when more than 60 per cent of the people in country are leading a sub-human life. Six, when the poor are taxed through indirect taxation system that amounts to two-third of the total tax collected, and the rich are given amnesty, as is given recently. From 35 per cent, the tax on ultra-rich has been brought down to 15 per cent, through a Presidential Ordinance, on April 8, 2018. However, the crushing sales tax on the general masses that ranges from 18 to 35 per cent has not been touched. It is a total misguide that Pakistanis do not pay taxes. The whole truth is that the poor, the middle-class, the salaried people, are the victims of the oppressive tax regime, whereas the ruling elites those demanding respect for the votes are flourishing on the taxpayers’ money.
The comprehensively corrupt and heartless governance of the recent past is being publicly exposed. It is important to mention that in more genuine democracies, elections are a choice between representatives of the people. In fake democracies, they are a choice between leaders. Democracy assumes that people are free. Leaders and guardians feast on the unfree. There is palpable rage among a deceived people. They know that they are infested by political fakes posturing as leaders and protectors. They know that Pakistan’s much-vaunted private charity is a substitute for their right to good governance and doesn’t restore their broken and stolen lives. They vote for leaders as they would for film stars who merely act out their dreams.
In a nutshell, every government is judged by two functions: Rule of law and tax collection. With the existing performance in both these areas, do our politicians really enjoy the liberty to demand respect for vote.
