Daily Times

“In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions,” said Abraham Lincoln, in the summer of 1958. Lincoln’s statement is relevant even today, and rightfully so. Indeed, Public opinion holds immense importance in a country so much so that it can probably be regarded as the backbone of democracy. It refers to the collective sentiments of the people of a state on a particular issue, and democracy requires to give due consideration to it as it derives its authority and political power directly from the public. It is this voice of the people which forms the foundation of legislation and policy-making in democratic societies.

While the importance of public opinion cannot be denied, it is also imperative to consider the fact that the power of public opinion can be both, a blessing as well as a threat to a nation’s progress, stability, and security.

If misguided and manipulated, public opinion can even be a threat to the internal as well as the external security of the country

On one hand, a well-informed and well-constructed public opinion can alter the future of nations in a progressive manner, as it plays an important role in attracting the attention of the government towards issues of national importance. It also affects the media agendas which further push the government towards taking actions for the desired change. Therefore, citizens all across the world have been taking to the streets or making use of the social media platforms to utilize their voices to push for change. History, as well as the contemporary world, contain a myriad of examples of the positive use of public opinion like the American and the French revolutions, the Feminist movement, Nuclear non-proliferation regime, Climate change activism, Human rights activism, and whatnot. Pakistan is no exception to this. Like the rest of the world, the growing participation of Pakistani citizens in political, economic, and religious matters through various platforms has been witnessed recently. The most constructive change bought by the increased public involvement is the nonpareil process of accountability in the country. Likewise, recently the unprecedented number of street protests and the meaningful social media activism of the common people in the aftermath of the unfortunate Lahore Motorway incident not only pushed the government to take immediate measures for punishing the culprits but also to initiate the formulation of the necessary legislation to tackle the persistent rape culture in the country.

On the contrary, if misguided and manipulated, public opinion can even be a threat to the internal as well as the external security of the country. It can easily be used by anti-national elements to their advantage for causing unrest in the country and forcing the government to take actions which may prove to be harmful to the well-being of the nation. It may also be used to ruin the international reputation of the country. Additionally, in case of sensitive issues like religion, the public can even resort to criminal behavior to promote their cause. The most recent sectarian protests in Pakistan fall under the pretext of destructive use of public opinion. They have been orchestrated by anti-national elements to fulfil their treacherous aims by manipulating the public opinion through social media and violence by some proxy groups. Government’s incompetence and lack of dedication towards the issue added fuel to the fire. Previously, such similar protests coerced a Provincial Assembly to pass a controversial bill that upheld a dominant sect’s interpretation of Islam as the only acceptable version in Pakistan, making some religious practices of other sects fall under blasphemy – a crime for which people have been murdered in our country based on plain allegations even before their trials are concluded. It was surely not a well-thought or a democratic move on the behalf of the government.

Unfortunately, in the case of Pakistan, the constructive utilization of public opinion has been very hard, while the manipulation of the public opinion has always remained a common practice. Pakistan is an extremely heterogeneous country, consisting of a population divided into various groups based on socio-economic classes, level of education, regions, religious beliefs, age groups, gender, and ethnicities, each having a different perspective and facing different challenges. As a result, the masses in Pakistan are typically moved not by their power of reasoning but by their feelings of affiliation with a particular group; thus, they can be easily enticed by politicians, religious leaders, or the external elements for the accomplishment of their vested interests. Subsequently, the importance of public opinion in Pakistan, instead of being captured by the adage “Voxpopuli, vox Dei” (the voice of people is the voice of God) is more accurately captured by the adaptation of the adage – “voxpopuli, vox humbug” (the voice of people is the voice of the deceived and unthinking herd). Certainly, this does not augur well for the strength and stability of democracy in Pakistan.

It is high time that the policymakers of the country devise a comprehensive plan of action to forestall the abuse of the power of public opinion and let it be a positive and effective tool for the people to bring a progressive change the country. Our politico-religious must also stop influencing the public opinion in matters concerning the national security; otherwise, the whole nation would have to pay the cost of their actions. Similarly, the electronic and print media of the country must also play a pivotal role to construct a reliable public opinion on issues of sensitive nature. Last but not the least, the greatest responsibility falls on the shoulders of the enlightened lot to start using their voices constructively to create awareness among the ignorant masses about using their power in a way that woulddrive our country on the path of stability and prosperity.

The writer is an active researcher of International Relations & holds a post-graduate degree in Economics from Pakistan Institute of Development economics (PIDE)

The writer can be reached at sabajawaid.warraich@gmail.com