Not content with their humdrum job of making laws for the largest province of the country by population and keeping a check on governance standards, the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, has unanimously adopted a resolution demanding that showbiz celebrities be stopped from appearing in Ramazan shows on TV.
The resolution moved by Maulana Muawia Azam, the member from Jhang, says the federal government must instruct the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to ensure that no TV channel is allowed to include people associated with showbiz in its Ramazan transmissions. For several years now, it notes, special transmissions are aired by most Pakistani channels in Ramazan. Sadly, it says, the shows are hosted by people who promote song and dance on other days or are otherwise related to showbiz. The resolution says the Ramazan transmissions ought to be hosted by people associated more closely with religion. It regrets that the hosts are apparently picked on account of their popularity with the viewers and not their devotion to religious teaching or preaching.
There are several issues here.
First, who are the intended beneficiaries of the intervention? At first glance it would appear that the mover wants a lucrative job to be taken away from a class of people he has no hope of being able to join and reserved for a class of people he himself comes from. That alone is bad enough as most people would call it nepotism if not self-promotion. However, contained within the language of the resolution there is worse mischief. In no uncertain terms the resolution condemns showbiz celebrities as people unworthy of talking in public about religious sentiment and practice, even during the holy month of Ramazan. By implication it also excludes the layman. Only people of the mover’s ilk, says the resolution, ought to be allowed. What is next?
Second, what is wrong about going by the ratings while picking talent for TV? Have the channels not been forced by very same viewers to produce the special shows and suspend routine programming to make way for it? Finally, have the honourable members of the august assembly not been sent to the house by popular vote? How quickly do they start doubting the judgment of the common man as soon as they gain some prominence – even if it is he who bestowed it upon them?
Third, mover aside, what were the rest of the members thinking when they said “aye”?
Four, what happens if another provincial assembly passes a resolution asking for more of popular content on TV and less of the teacher preacher?
Asked about it, a PEMRA official later told the BBC, it awaited instructions from the government.
Interesting times. *