BEING NOBLE IN POLITICS

Hello all,

Politics was once an interest of intellectuals, having a big reputation and many people played a leading role in it. That was the time when politicians achieved milestone decisions and repute themselves with name and honor. They also got recognized by rulers for being noble and consistent. It was an understanding that the elite class having money from generation would participate in politics and other classes were far away from this interest. These great politicians not only tried a lot to set their nations free from occupied powers but also provided a platform for them with their concrete decisions.

Being a Pakistani, how can I forget the great names like Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Liaqat Ali Khan, Johar brothers, Fatima Jinnah, Begum Raana Liaqat, Sardar Abdul Rab Nishtar who took part in politics for a noble cause.  Worldwide personalities like Abraham Lincoln, Mao Zhe Tung, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela are also role models for political students.

Unfortunately, with the passage of time, some bad elements included in politics and made it a platform to humiliate others. It has now become an international trend for opposing parties to fight ruthlessly in parliament sessions. People even throw chairs at each other now.  Personal life is no doubt important to judge someone to represent the public but we are now getting too personal. Even families are not being spared and they have been exploited just to get one’s target.

In Pakistan, the tradition to point out someone’s female relatives is one of the very old dirty tricks. People normally provoked each other by relating some shameful allegations about their women like sisters, wives, etc. This has been a successful attack to let someone down and to destroy one's reputation. At a high level, it all started when Fatima Jinnah was disgraced just to defeat her. Many other powerful women like Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Mariam Nawaz, etc. were also successors to her and not spared. The reason was their popularity in public.

The situation is worsening in Pakistan; personal grudge is leading our politicians to spoil other’s personal relations. Nobody is left, although, politicians are always equipped with their weapons and counter-allegation to protect themselves it is really disgusting to abuse someone’s sister. Recently, it happened with two of our renowned politicians and one of them used abusive language to the opponent’s sisters. Afterward, the situation got complicated when the culprit apologized for his statement and then again denied it on T.V. talk shows. He pleads that “the opponent tried to harm me and showed me a fist”. It is not only one incident; there are so many.

According to me and every sensible citizen, that fight was between two people within the parliament corridor and it should have been sorted out within them. Whoever is guilty, it does not matter because usually there must be some cause behind this all. The point is that fighting and abusive language does not suit anybody more than ever, public figures.  A harsh or abusive language against anyone’s family is a very shameful act and it disgraces the personalities. Especially, in South Asia where it is highly despised to hear anyone talk loosely about one’s female family members. And there are countless instances of these acts concluding in bloodstained rivalries over generations. We should learn from our descendants for being polite and noble. We can make someone realize by showing grace in our character and forgiving others for their mistakes.

Etiquette has always been an important factor to make one’s repute. Especially, in this era when the world is like a global village, a little mistake can tarnish one’s image forever. And when a public figure acts this way, it projects a very dirty image of his entire nation globally.

Just hoping for a change in impatient behaviors not just in Pakistan but globally……

Best regards.