The Politics Of Self-Interest – OpEd
Evidently, throughout history, political leaders have made the best use of their power to project their influence to pursue their individual interests. Their political interactions with such power left a lasting impression that served as the standard by which history has assessed them. Their leadership style can be determined by how deeply their footprints have affected people’s lives. Whether such changes were for the better or worse qualifying them as the worst leaders, or those who can only lead when supported by forces more potent than the institution of leadership itself, they may not have been able to have any significant impact at all.
Furthermore, history remembers the good and the bad both ultimately being recalled, whether it’s about politicians in general or Pakistani politicians. Meanwhile, talking about the politicians we assume good leaders are those who made an impact by changing the world with their outstanding performances as honest leaders. At the end of the day, a leader is known more for his devotion and honesty.
When it comes to Pakistani politicians, we have some prominent figures as leaders whose names are remembered and whose efforts are appreciated. A leader like Quaid e Azam, a selfless, top-notch politician, and devoted to his work changed a dream into reality by making Pakistan. We might never find a leader like him anymore. In today’s Pakistan, the narratives of being a leader have changed thoroughly. It is all about power and greed for power, of course with rare exceptions. When it comes to self-interests and self-obsession unfortunately the list fills with Pakistani politicians. As for leadership, a leader must foster a strong bond with every individual because he is supposed to empower and influence them. Whereas, a narcissist is a personality trait surrounded by lavishness, superiority, and low self-esteem. Ostensibly, the majority of Pakistani politicians are ironically motivated by their lavish needs and lust for power, rather empathetically concerned about the constituents and institutions they lead.
The people of Pakistan are naïve that they easily trust the alleviated deceptions of politicians. In every election campaign, we witness politicians working really hard to win the elections, presenting themselves as common person (Aam Awaam). They make lofty claims of serving the public and ensuring their fundamental rights. Contrary to their claims, when they come into power, they forget all those said promises. How pathetically, people still do not get the lessons from the past. The protocols, Pakistani politicians have while coming out of their castles, the luxurious cars, and the grand expenses they have, surely the Aam Awaam cannot afford them. No politician in the world lies openly or so brazenly as the Pakistani politicians do to the sad country of 21 million.
When it comes to the development of the country, the poorly rich land of Pakistan is yet to witness a sign of real development. Pakistan is facing a serious economic crisis for decades. There is still widespread poverty and unemployment. According to the Model, the incidence of poverty is anticipated to be 42.5% in 2022–2023. As a result, the additional number of people who will live in poverty this year may be close to 18 million. Again, the absolute growth in the poor population is probably unprecedented. Furthermore, the indicators of health and education show that these key areas have not been prioritized. The current literacy rate in Pakistan is 63% which means 60 million people in Pakistan are illiterate. And unfortunately, The current life expectancy for Pakistan in 2023 is 67.79 years, a 0.23% increase from 2022, which shows clear negligence in the health sector.
The majority of the country’s population still does not have access to clean drinking water, whereas narcissist politicians send their children abroad for better livelihood and education. A great number of our politicians have remained insincere and ignorant of the needs of common citizens. A person living in a magnificent palace cannot understand the pain of a common person who suffers from daily livelihood burdens.
The reason why people vote for their representatives is so that their voices may be heard in the upper house. The politicians are the legislators; they legislate new laws and make sure that such laws are implemented. In retrospect, no reforms have been made by our representatives in terms of raising the country’s GDP, innovating the education sector, prioritizing the health sector, and creating job opportunities for youth. It is said that Action speaks louder than words. However, in Pakistani society, it is observed that they rely most on words; politicians are such great debaters. They possess the best convincing skills but zero work action. Unfortunately, our politicians are fooling the masses with their mere philosophical lies. The current political scenario in Pakistan is turbulent due to these narcissistic politicians. Even in these hard times, politicians have made sure to cash out any incident or moment for their own benefit.
In a nutshell, civil society must be aware enough to confront their representatives and hold them accountable for every unfair act while keeping in mind the current situation. In Pakistan, elections are held after every five years, giving the populace the chance to voice their opinions. However, it is the duty of the populace to make wise leadership choices. Pakistanis have a long history of regret and poor decision-making; a wise decision is preferable to regrets. People in this democratic era support democracy which means placing our trust in a candidate who deserves our votes. A country’s fate is determined by the leaders they choose. Pakistan’s populace must value their votes in order to break the shackles of ignorance. If not, then we must be prepared for another five years of disparaging government, where narcissist politicians will not be held accountable but Aam Awaam will be held responsible.
Naz Dana is working as Assistant Research Fellow at Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN).