Daily Times

The 2008 film Swing Vote was not a box-office success. It was also panned by critics in equal measure. Even after all that, one line from the script stuck with me. Before I get to that, some context. The movie revolves around a fictional US presidential election where the fate of the vote comes down to one state, one district and one person! Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) is a beer-slinging loser who doesn’t take the electoral process seriously but it is his one vote that will decide the presidency! While both candidates scurry around to find his favour, the national and international media also descend upon his rural home. In the final scenes, Bud sits across the two presidential hopefuls and reads out letters from people all over America – people struggling in their daily lives. Ring a bell? Finally, he says,

“Tomorrow, one man’s vote is going to make a difference…’cause tomorrow we’re gonna have a President. And not just someone to fill a chair in Washington. We need someone who’s bigger than their speeches. The kind of President we learned about in school. America needs a big thinker. You know, like a giant, really. Someone who has the good sense to get in front of our problems. Somebody who has the wisdom to lead to us a place where we’re at peace with ourselves and the world.”

Striking, isn’t it?

Although elections in Pakistan may not be a going certainty – even after the Election Commission has announced the schedule – the election season is at least upon us. Sooner or later (pun intended), elections will happen. That is the reason almost all hopefuls are jousting for position with speeches galore but to be honest, we need leaders who are bigger than their speeches! Every election cycle, promises are made and promises are broken. Every election cycle, speeches are made, speeches are forgotten. Pakistan deserves better, Pakistanis deserve better!

Every election cycle, promises are made and promises are broken.

In Pakistan, power politics is the going mantra. Almost everyone wants to win the election and form the government just to remain in power. For the lot, it is all about filling a chair at the top of the pyramid. The underlying reasons can be many. One, power is a great aphrodisiac hence no one wants to let it go. Two, power comes with privileges no one wants to sacrifice. Three, power allows manipulation of the system that no one wants to forfeit. Four, power lets past legal woes remain in cold storage thus ensuring longevity of clout and avoidance of jail time. Take your pick, these reasons are a dime a dozen! If – and that is a big if – leaders can become bigger than their speeches, they also have to change this notion of power politics on its head and move to a paradigm of service politics. That is, politics in the service of the people, by the people and for the people!

By default, Pakistani leadership focuses on small aspects and ignores the large canvas. This may be down to the state of the electorate, which expects leaders to do their bidding in fixing water pipes, carpeting roads, obtaining gas connections, getting admission to educational facilities, acquiring jobs – the list goes on. But the electorate is not only to blame! I have written previously that the poor state of the electorate is also down to these same leaders who have reduced the thinking of the voting population to a state where they can only think about the rudimentary things in life. The mismanagement of the country by the same leadership has proven that in the absence of basic facilities today, the electorate is right to be concerned about these fundamental necessities! Still – while the current crop of leadership must tactically fix these crucial aspects for the people, they also need to start looking at the bigger picture. Focus on institutions, not individuals. Think global, not local. Imagine the possible, not the impossible. Aim for consensus-building, not fractured thinking. It is a tall order, I know, but these are drastic times which need drastic adjustments!

Although strategic changes are important, tactical fixes are even more so. There are problems everywhere and we need leadership which can roll up its sleeves and get to work. There is a time for talk and then there is a time for action. Trust me – this is only a time for action! A time for the leadership to get in front of the problems quickly. The way the country has been run for the last 75 years is untenable and it is paramount that acknowledgement come pretty fast! Only then there will be a shift towards new ways of thinking and a consequent pursuit of crisis-level action.

There is also a widening political divide in the country. Politics has been bitter and acrimonious for years now and this is also manifesting in the broader society. We need to have leaders who are willing to let bygones be bygones and focus on uniting and healing the country. A country about to come apart at the seams is not good for anyone! Particularly for the hapless population. We need to be at peace with each other so that we can also be at peace with the world around us. If we are at each other’s throats, how will it play in front of the world audience? If we can’t even allow others to express their views, how will our international brethren view us? Befittingly, I am reminded of another quote from the movie The American President, where a fictional US president says,

“You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing centre stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours”.

This is not easy, but we must endeavour to be a better version of ourselves and acknowledge people with differing ideas with honour and dignity.

What I have described is a doctrinal shift in thought and admittedly, it is not easy. But what choice do we have? Change or die? Evolve or perish? Much has been said about this election cycle and much will be said, but ultimately, we need leaders who are bigger than their speeches!

The writer is Director Programmes for an international ICT organization based in the UK and writes on corporate strategy, socio-economic and geopolitical issues.