BEING NOBLE IN POLITICS

Hello all,

Politics was once an interest of intellectuals, with a big reputation, and many people played a leading role in it. That was the time when politicians achieved milestone decisions and built a reputation for themselves with name and honor. They also got recognized by rulers for being noble and consistent. It was understood that the elite class, having money from generation to 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 occupying 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, Liaquat 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 have entered 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 at one’s target.

In Pakistan, the tradition of pointing out someone’s female relatives is one of the very old dirty tricks. People normally provoke each other by making 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 were not spared. The reason was their popularity in public.

The situation is worsening in Pakistan; personal grudges are leading our politicians to spoil others’ personal relations. Nobody is left; although politicians are always equipped with their weapons and counter-allegations 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 toward 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 every sensible citizen and me, that fight was between two people within the parliament corridor, and it should have been sorted out between them. Whoever is guilty, it does not matter because usually there must be some cause behind all this. The point is that fighting and abusive language do not suit anybody, especially public figures.  Harsh or abusive language against anyone’s family is a very shameful act, and it disgraces the personalities. Especially in South Asia, 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 to be polite and noble. We can make someone realize this by showing grace in our character and forgiving others for their mistakes.

Etiquette has always been an important factor in making one’s reputation. 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 behavior, not just in Pakistan but globally……

Best regards.