Daily Times

A few weeks ago a person set himself alight, right in front of a government building in Tunis, to protest against the corruption and high unemployment prevalent in the country. This was the trigger that gave rise to widespread protests by the people of Tunis. Even though President Zine el-Abidine Bin Ali promised not to seek office in the next election, the protests continued and this gesture to appease the public perhaps was too little too late. In the face of the rising unrest, the president fled the country and the government collapsed.

Since most of the Middle Eastern countries have been run by autocratic and indolent rulers for a long time, this change in Tunisia happened so abruptly that it encouraged the people of Egypt to do the same. The intensity and enormity of such resentment has increased in Egypt over the last 30 years. However, the final outcome of this people’s movement remains to be seen. This is a very interesting development for all those living under oppressors and corrupt regimes where unemployment is rampant and economic growth is stagnant.

As a result of this chain reaction, now such protests are being seen in Jordan, Yemen, Algeria and Albania. Since Egypt has been a close ally of the US for many decades, this political unrest is being monitored with keen interest in some quarters and with trepidation in others. The US government has not clearly favoured any side, though it has asked both parties to refrain from violence and has asked the Egyptian government to listen to the voice of the people and take timely decisions. In the 9/11 commission report and other such reports, the US think tanks came to the conclusion that the real reason for increase in terrorism in the Arab world are the oppressive governments and lack of democracy. Therefore, really controlling this movement would mean liberalising and democratising the political and social systems in the Muslim world.

The recent WikiLeaks documents have clearly revealed that such Muslim rulers, in spite of their domestic failures and inadequacies, lend a friendly hand to the US, much friendlier than they would like to publicly admit. In Pakistan’s case, the Musharraf government repeatedly denied the fact that Pakistani bases were being used by foreign forces, but it later turned out to be true. Also, the government denied that it had allowed the US to carry out drone attacks on Pakistan’s soil, but it has now become obvious.

The recent events in Egypt are very testing for US diplomacy; it cannot withdraw all support for Mubarak because if the uprising fails, it will lose his trust in future, neither can it alienate itself by supporting Mubarak against a popular movement, which will make it difficult for the US to deal with the future government of the people in case they do succeed. So, for the US, it is a wait and watch game and it will ride the high tide at the right moment. The US is keenly aware of its mistake in Iran’s case by betting all the chips with the Shah of Iran against a popular revolution and the price it paid by losing regional influence for over a quarter century and the end is still not in sight.

There are very important lessons to be learnt for those who are in control and for those who have been marginalised and have no stakes in shaping the future of their land and the quality of their lives. Corrupt and self-indulgent rulers who are not able to deliver to the desperate millions, have to face the wrath of the hungry and wretched of the earth. And, for those who want to rescue the system from such oppression, they can make it happen spontaneously. Technology and the internet are playing a very important role in organising and advertising efficiently and cost-effectively.

The situation in Pakistan is not much different. Unemployment, power outages, commodity prices and lawlessness are rising. The ruling class needs to pay attention to the real concerns and genuine aspirations of the people. The opposition in Pakistan is not creating the roadblocks it has tried during the past two PPP administrations, so this goodwill gesture must be quickly utilised to bring institutional reforms to create good governance and to end corruption. There is a dire need for short-term and long-term plans for power generation, employment, plans for economic growth consistent with population growth and master plans for mass education to eradicate illiteracy. Also, social and economic inequalities must be reduced significantly as such disparities on the scale that they exist in Pakistan are the real threat to the security of this country.

We should not try to look for an external enemy; we must try to identify the enemy within. These are the issues, addressing which is essential for the security and integrity of this country. Therefore, bold bipartisan initiatives must be taken to keep Pakistan a viable state. If the government provides sincere leadership, no self-respecting and patriotic opposition would oppose such initiatives.

To think that there is no challenge and that people are not clamouring for change and there is no leadership to steer this palpable restlessness may prove to be wrong. In Tunis and Egypt, there was no movement; it was business as usual. It just suddenly erupted with a little trigger and then swept away a government that seemed insurmountable. During the 1968-69 movement against Field Marshal Ayub Khan, sugar prices had been going up by only a few paisas but the public was so enraged that they pushed Ayub Khan out. Today’s problems are a hundred times worse. So watch out, as it is always calm before the storm!

The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at azhar4feb@hotmail.com