There are multiple control regimes all around the globe to control and stifle dissenting voices, especially if the voice is too powerful enough not to be ignored in any way. Management and control of voice may be a necessary tool for the health of society and to ward off the evil mongers and the enemies but then while doing so, we tend to ignore the much-needed voices also. For example, the voices come from healthy, highly trained, highly qualified and experienced and the most sane and sage minds. So, it is not always wise to stifle all voices which entail at least the voice of the intellectual, professor, and the sages should not only be left uncontrolled but rather should be encouraged to speak.
The universities are the very places of all such categories of power voices. There is no denying the fact that professors are the most qualified people in any country because their job description demands that they constantly keep on enhancing their level of education, even beyond PhDs. These professors are always engaged with research projects which aim to find solutions to socio-political issues. Their research sometimes yields interesting workable solutions to sociopolitical issues and hence is followed, especially in advanced countries. They are the ones whose research is not only presented at multiple fora but are also discussed, debated and critiqued and the process of rectification, revising and improving keeps active in the whole process. Therefore, the opinions of such people cannot be ignored and, so, must be listened to.
Professors are intellectuals and so when they speak, they speak for their people, never against them. They criticize the governments only for the benefit of the people, not for their benefit. So, instead of keeping these intellectuals under threat of the consequences of speech, they must be encouraged to speak, write and appear on Media screens. The more intellectual voices appear the more and more diversified solutions of the social issues come forward. So, the universities should be converted into breeding grounds for intellectual voices to be heard and pondered upon. The civilized nations make these intellectual voices part of their policies.
The best plan is that the opinion offered must be debated and evolved for the best interest of the nation.
The world is now engulfed by the flames of intolerance, hatred and wars only because we listen to some voices and love to keep others stifled. When a voice is silenced, the good opinion refuses to come forward. The famous philosopher Bacon believes that the voices of all people must be listened to because if they are correct, surely the benefit will go to the whole nation and if the whole opinion is wrong, it will be wiped out completely. So, when these intellectuals are allowed to speak, we get a bulk of diversified opinions, which can be filtered out easily and consequently, only the best opinion survives.
The best plan is that the opinion offered must be debated and evolved for the best interest of the nation. It means that the debate, dialogue and speech must never stop because it is the best way of developing an evolution of the opinion. Universities, being the epicentres of knowledge, skill and research, can serve as the best forums for intellectual debate and can provide society with the best possible minds who would love to spread the message of success instead of hate, dislike and intolerance. So, half of the solution to human problems lies in the opening up of the doors of intellectual agency. This has another benefit of developing the think tank pools of intellectuals which can further the same sociopolitical agenda of the solution of humanity issues so easily and quickly, but the approach must be multidisciplinary so that all the departments of social set-up may participate in the social dialogue to provide a healthier social set up to the upcoming human generations.
Another area for which almost every higher authority of Higher Education has been emphasizing the development of critical thinking skills among students the professor teaches. Freedom of voice can prosper in such a culture where every class would become a centre for the development of critical thinking. So far, our system of teaching has been dependent upon a laid down policy and content matter on which no debate was possible. So, the students and scholars also followed the same tips always and a healthy critical opinion could never evolve out. Most of the time the act of blame game kept on developing. So, it is high time that the professors of the universities must be free to voice their opinion and to lend an agency to the academics of the same nature and style. Countries like Pakistan are in much need of listening to the voices of the intellectuals for the establishment of harmony, integrity and national cultural ties not only within the country but also without the country.
The writer is a professor of English at Government Emerson University, Multan. He can be reached at zeadogar@hotmail.com and Tweets @Profzee