Daily Times

The power of people perhaps weighed on the mind of Edmund Burke when he exhorted his countrymen, “when bad men combine, the good must associate.” The question bothering me is why good men of my Sindh don’t do so and remain indifferent to their land’s devastation by Tatars. The dilemma of the Sindhi masses is not too complex to be understood. It has been identified many a time. Thousands of words have been written; battles fought in legal chambers and court decisions obtained on urgent matters. All this has failed to loosen the grip of the modern Tatars on the populace. Why?

Firstly, Sindh has been colonised by its elite – landlords, tribal chiefs, pirs, sajadahnashins, shaheeds, politicians and religious factionalists – all its sons and daughters – firmly allied in a vicious nexus to suck the blood of their fellow Sindhis. They have systematically enslaved their minds; reducing them to pathetic resignation, sufferance, subordination, poverty, ignorance, powerlessness and hopelessness. They deny them the right to education, healthcare, dignified living. In turn, Sindhis are deprived of their sense of being and existence to be counted as citizens of this land; as humans; as a living mass of flesh and soul and co-sharers of this land and its resources. Their right to live and move freely without the fear of the police, goons of the landlord and the fanatic devotees of pir and sajadahnashin is nowhere to be found.

Secondly, our new colonial masters have swifter minds and surpass their ancestors in the subtle exploitation of their fellow citizens. Their ancestors plundered this land but left lasting legacies behind – Lloyd Barrage of Sukkur, canals, bridges, postal service, railway, telephones, Irrigation Bungalows, Circuit Houses, revenue record, ports, developed cities with architectural wonders. They were aliens and their purpose remained to explore new lands and grab resources. They needed privileged gangs to support their power. Thus, they created this motley crowd of the landed gentry, tribal chiefs, sajadahnashins, political and religious leaders. They returned to their land; leaving behind these monsters determined to grab power. They kept growing in their monstrosity, viciousness and greed in the past seven decades.

For reforms, we have to wait for a Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a Lee Kwan or Mahathir Muhammad

Thirdly, they are quicker than chameleons in changing colour, swifter than jugglers in adopting new guises, more shameless than liars, thugs and fraudsters. They are as comfortable in partnership with dictators, autocrats, plutocrats as feigning great democrats. They do plea bargain in the court and raise victory signs outside. They amass illegitimate wealth, live in palatial houses, and spend billions on the marriages of their children, and still have the audacity to talk of the woes of the underprivileged. The poor see all this and do not react. They do not recall the power they possess for they are unable to see the erosion of their rights. They need to be taken out of this stupor, this sense of helplessness and hopelessness; they are to be made aware of their power to be masters of their destiny.

What is the way out of this sorrowful state? How to shake the people out of this utter apathy and resignation? Democracy is a good system of governance if the voter is educated and aware of his power and rights. Our democracy is weak and vulnerable; based on seeking and casting votes. We have a workable Constitution. If followed in letter and spirit, it can ensure good governance. The courts are the custodians of the Constitution. They can enforce the constitutional clauses admonishing, warning and punishing the deviant rulers and bureaucrats promoting norms and practices of good governance. But the lord judges, as evident from their salaries, pensions and privileges, are also beneficiaries of this rotting system.

Civil society has played wonders in promoting good governance in developed societies. Here, civil society is not so developed and strong. It is weaker in provinces, particularly in Sindh, because of the well-entrenched tribal traditions. A well-developed media could be an effective check against misgovernance. The electronic and print media is beholden to the heartless rulers for patronage. The national media is almost indifferent to the woes of Sindh. And the media, as a whole, has been unable to resist the coercion or inducements by the regimes.

All this leaves us with fewer options – a) constitutional, political, economic and administrative reforms; b) mass campaign for public education and awareness to throw out the modern Tatars in a democratic way; c) keep shaming them in an organized way by all conscious sons and daughters of Sindh by written and spoken word, seminars, workshops and conferences attacking the factors, myths, clientele politics, ignorance and fear.

For reforms, we have to wait for a Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a Lee Kwan or Mahathir Muhammad to emerge. The present lot of politicians has already squandered their chances to have laurels as builders of this nation in the footprints of these legendary icons.

The second option needs all the political factions – nationalists, liberals, leftists, and reformists – to join hands in a new political party and launch an intensive campaign for public education and awareness. The question is who will bring them together!

The third option is relatively easy and could be sustainably carried out with the help of the conscious sons and daughters of the province. Given the political divide in the province, these two options are even daunting and require resources, struggle, political battles and courage to face coercion, arrests and jails. However, this will not be a heavy price for the sake of this land.

The last option is that of apathy. We lay back and watch with impotency the sorrowful plunder of this land. This option costs nothing but, in its wake, will bring unbearable regret, self-laceration, shame, sorrow and a mortifying sense of guilt for being disloyal to this land and its people. The choice is with us to be the true son of Sindh like Hosh Muhammad or the traitor Naomal collaborating with and facilitating the modern Napiers.

The writer was a member of the Foreign Service of Pakistan, and he has authored two books