The Chernobyl syndrome
01/05/2007
Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur
Dictatorial and unrepresentative governments can never be transparent and forthcoming on any issue, be it social, economic, military or political. They intrinsically suffer from what may be termed as the Chernobyl syndrome; all must be remembering the clumsy Soviet attempt to deny that the catastrophe had even occurred, hoping that the invisible fallout wouldn?t be noticed.
Unrepresentative regimes in Pakistan too never acknowledge responsibility and moreover try to sweep under the carpet their disasters and sordid activities, hoping that no one will notice them, not realizing that the fallout of these as in the case of Chernobyl could be fatal and terminal.
The history of this country is replete with instances of cover-ups of catastrophes, disasters, scandals, scams and violations, which include the catastrophic debacle and atrocities in East Pakistan, the atrocities, outrages and injustices in Balochistan, the Kargil disaster, the freezing of foreign accounts, the writing off of the debts of crony politicians and businessmen, the allotment of plots, the Defence societies, the dubious privatizations, the Ojhri Camp, the questionable concessions to foreign firms, the capitulations at a single phone call, the enforced disappearances of people in Balochistan and Sindh, the Damadola and Bajaur bombings, the frontal assault on the Supreme Court in the last dispensation and the present self-inflicted judiciary crisis and so many more.
The list is long and shameful and no one has ever been held accountable. There has been no self-examination leave alone any reckoning for the crimes and misdemeanors committed in the name of ?national interest?, simply because the people at the helm and their cronies were responsible and they were beyond censure.
The other facet of this syndrome is that the government thinks if it refuses to acknowledge a problem, the problem, feeling insulted at not being given due recognition, will disappear into oblivion. Problems however, are as thick-skinned as the rulers here and refuse to leave until shown the door.
The problems of inflation, the suffocating poverty, the galloping rich-poor divide, ubiquitous power shortages, the poor state of human rights, the lack of clean drinking water, illiteracy, near non-existence of health facilities, the law and order situation, the rife and rampant corruption, the ever-increasing internal and external debt burden, the increasing Talibanization of society, etc., are all denied by the rulers in face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Their logic is simple. If Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report is not published, then probably the Dhaka debacle didn?t happen. If the denial about missing persons is consistent, then they are not missing.
If you say things are fine in Balochistan, then they are fine. If you say people want the Kalabagh dam, then they want it, and to hell with the resolutions against it in three provincial Assemblies. The idea behind this stone-walling is that the Establishment probably thinks that by denying problems and catastrophes long and strongly enough, they can make the people forget and overlook the harsh reality they have to live in and contend with in their everyday lives.
If we seek the underlying reason for these illogical and irrational denials of reality and refusal to accept responsibility, i.e. the Chernobyl syndrome, all fingers point towards the illegality of the rulers as the root cause.
This illegality emanates from being in power due to rigged elections or simply due to the usurpation of power by brute force of arms. Dictators, being insecure in their illegality, are more concerned with their survival and image rather than the problems and their solutions.
This insecurity leads to a warped perception of reality, which compels them to increasingly depend on a limited group of cronies and advisors. This in turn completely divorces them from reality and they begin viewing reality as is presented to them by their spineless spin doctors.
They begin believing the ?mirror on the wall? that they are indispensable and infallible. The delusion that they are infallible and indispensable makes them resort to further deception and falsehoods. The denial of mistakes stems from their warped assessment of their capability and importance.
The illusory misconception about their role and status in the Universe is responsible for all their blunders. If it weren?t so, why would attempts be made to solve the problems of the Middle East when unsolved problems abound here? The other equally dangerous perception with equally disastrous consequences originates from the misconception about the historical role and importance of the armed forces here.
They are seen in a historically glorified form as the sole inheritor of the Glory of Islam and as its bulwark. This is far from reality as our armed forces have hardly even been able to defend our frontiers. Moreover, this concept has nothing to do with the conditions and needs of today.
The delusion that the armed forces are infallible, invincible and indispensable, has resulted in people being burdened with unwanted and unwelcome military dictators and in needless conflicts with neighbours, both having disastrous consequences. This delusion has led to an ever-expanding role of the armed forces in the civilian and economic sectors of life. This has created a very unfavourable atmosphere for the establishment, and the chances of the development of democracy. Although Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has demanded the death penalty for ?abusers of the armed forces?, the undefined term ?abuse? is open to interpretation in innumerable ways.
One has to speak one?s mind about the armed forces because we are answerable to our conscience and these threats will not deter us from speaking up. The military and civilian dictators have been the major source of this blighted country?s misfortunes and this has been compounded by the active connivance and collaboration of the timeserving politicians, politicians of easy virtue professing promiscuous politics, who change loyalties with the slightest shift in the winds of fortune.
I need not recollect the names of the pseudo-dynasties and individuals who have perfected this art and have thrived at great cost to the poor and helpless. Wherein lies the solution and how will the misery of the people end is the question everyone asks and demands an answer to. It has no easy answers and no ready-made solutions.
The present set of rulers or those who wait impatiently in the alleys to replace them or to join hands with them cannot be expected to change the present warped political system because they are the ones who benefit from and thrive in this system.
They won?t sign the death warrant of their own system. The people will have to wake up from their indifference and lethargy to challenge the present unjust system and bring about a change in their own fate and the fate of this country, which certainly deserves better rulers and a better deal than has been its lot so far.
The people will have to strive in a long and arduous struggle to set the long history of injustices right. The people should succeed if they are led by honest leaders. Once that happens; all those guilty of the disasters, catastrophes and corruption should be taken to task. I suppose not many politicians and generals here would escape the accountability process. Those found guilty should be held accountable for the same.
A complete revamping of all state institutions will have to be carried out. Unless the revamping is thorough and institutionalized, there can be no hope of any progress on any front and this country will continue to wallow in the quagmire of disasters and catastrophes. Tailpiece: Need I say that in this country elections have hardly ever been representative of the people?s will and have invariably been won by those who have the wherewithal, i.e. the money, the clout and the backing from proper quarters (read agencies) and also have the knowhow to manipulate the electoral machinery.
I think that if the General-President gets himself elected by this very lame duck and wishy-washy parliament and that too with the help of ?democracy loving? Benazir, then this election will prove to be the death knell and will be long remembered as ?The Stepmother of all elections?.
The writer has been associated with the Baloch national struggle |
