September 08, 2006

Other Side of Extremism

In August 1954, Pakistan cricket reached its zenith at the Oval. In August 2006, it may have touched its nadir at the Oval.
It would be less than fair and an over-simplification of the issue to single out and scapegoat the PCB Chairman, Mr. Shaharyar Khan – a decent person who was entrapped under unexpectedly indecent circumstances.
What has happened, however, cannot be conveniently compartmentalized and viewed as an isolated incident. Indeed, the malaise goes much deeper and points to a larger socio-political problem.
There is palpable lack of fairness in Pakistani culture and society, which has led to the repeated fiasco of the unqualified occupying positions of responsibility and authority just because they have the ear of the powerful. Whom they know matters more than what they know.
But Pakistan does not have the unlimited luxury of making and repeating errors on the national and global stage. The constant bypassing of merit and integrity has taken its own heavy toll. The end result is that quality is compromised. There is the shameful specter of unqualified people holding plum positions and powerful posts – not earning it, but instead getting it on a platter. The wonder is that those who have been so placed in these positions refuse to be embarrassed. Then, too, there are repeated stories of delegations going abroad and cutting a sorry figure, or getting awards and decorations without deserving them.
Who foots the bill for all of the above? It is the nation. If the national exchequer pays, then it follows that there has to be a national purpose. But that is the theory. In practice, whims prevail. Who has lobbied the most, who has pressed the most pressure buttons, who is favored by the high-ups, become the criteria for upward mobility. Predictably, this is how the meritorious are decapitated and the inept are crowned.
Team interest, therefore, is superseded by personal interest. On the national and international stage, many just causes have been mismanaged because of poor preparation, poor presentation, and poor personnel. Competence and confidence do not emerge out of thin air.
It is this improper placement of men which may partially explain why Pakistanis and Pakistan are an easy target abroad and Islam is denigrated with impunity. In this connection, those who select these men and place them in positions which cause embarrassment to the nation have to share in the blame.
The results are now obvious. This policy is now in shambles. An impression is left that perhaps the power elites may not be interested in the long-term well-being of the country.
While the issue of extreme violence is often and justifiably discussed, extreme compromise in the name of pragmatism and so-called ‘ground realities’ is seldom discussed. There is extremism in obliging favorites at the national expense, extremism in yielding and in succumbing to pressure, and extremism in rewarding the undeserving. This is one of the key reasons that the power elites have little izzat on the ‘street’. The shortage is not of leaders, but of leadership.
Amidst the ruthlessly changeable world of Pakistan polity, two recurring facts stand out. No captain of the cricket team has ever made a graceful exit, and the same goes for the captain of the ship of state.
What is to be done? The time may have come for strategic re-thinking of priorities. But it can only take place if initially two small steps are taken. First, let there be more resistance to sycophancy. And second, let there be a little less hypocrisy.
Finally, how to avenge the Oval humiliation? Make it the national mission to win the World Cup of 2007.