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Once upon a happy time, public office was considered the last refuge of the incompetent. Not any more sire. It is now the only El Dorado we set our eyes upon these days

Somehow the Western film industry has developed a fixation with Om Puri in representing Pakistani characters. Right from General Zia’s role in Charlie Wilson’s War to less important characters in East is East and My Son the Fanatic, he is everywhere. While Mr Puri is an excellent actor, repeatedly seeing him as a Pakistani on the screen, that too in diverse roles, does little to complement the subject matter of the films. I personally find it exceedingly dull and often offensive. Regardless of his acting skills, Mr Puri is no Marlon Brando and even if you take appearance alone, his face cannot represent 170 million cheerful and vibrant citizens of this country, ad nauseam. Can it be dubbed as what Edward Said once called Orientalism? At the risk of being considered shallow, I do think that the western popular culture does want to view Pakistan only as a part of the problem and not even remotely a contributory to the solution. Stereotypes then of course help.

But are we Pakistanis also to blame for such a stereotypical representation? Surely we are more than Mr Puri’s pockmarked visage. It is here that one has to admit that we are indeed a confused nation. I say confused because we often flatter ourselves with the notion that if we can do something good, we can do everything good. Here we often forget that if we try to be jacks-of-all-trades we end up being master of none. Consequently retired generals are seen managing cricket boards, retired cricketers running for public office, bankers and generals ruling the country, and media gurus trying to dictate the national agenda. It is as if there are no boundaries in disciplines and fields of expertise.

Frankly, in our country there is hardly any niche for an expert. Ever wondered why the Musharraf regime left this country in such an abysmal mess? Because when a dictator rules the country his word is considered law. From economics to politics, culture and sociology, he is considered the expert on everything and the coterie of sycophants around him do everything to convince both him and us of that. I think I will be wasting your precious time if I think I can put it any better than Habib Jalib in his famous poem Musheer. Consequently the world can see one face and one face alone at a time and all the time.

In any case as a nation we need to sort out our priorities. As things stand today it seems we do everything for the sake of politics. We get rich to enter politics, we become famous to enter politics, and we acquire power to enter politics. I have absolutely no interest in seeking to depoliticise your minds but frankly folks, too much of everything is also bad. Why waste your energies and considerable ingenuities in seeking something that is an absolute burden?

This misplaced ambition is so powerful that if an average Pakistani living abroad is given the choice to be the head of a janitor’s association or to accept a distinguished post in academe, he may opt for the former just because it offers a measure of political power and clout. I know exceptions are everywhere, but why not talk of India where these exceptions make the rule? We always complain that Mr Om Puri’s country is accorded a preferential treatment all over the world but we forget that Indians love knowledge, the arts, literature, science and humanities as much as we love power. How about Rabindranath Tagore’s Geetanjali, the Chandrasekhar Limit in physics and Dr Amartya Sen’s exploits in development economics? India worships knowledge, music, chess, diplomacy, theatre, cinema, literature, and practically everything worth mentioning. We too once had a Nobel laureate called Dr Abdus Salam. We were so offended by his cheek in pursuing anything other than power that we declared him a non-Muslim and sought to delete the word Muslim even from his epitaph. Consequently no one else has plucked the courage to win the prize again. Similarly, even some of our musicians consider their profession a sin and try their best to live with it.

Once upon a happy time, public office was considered the last refuge of the incompetent. Not any more sire. It is now the only El Dorado we set our eyes upon these days. And usually this ambition resides in the subconscious or unconscious part of our minds. Hence many people who would at a later stage enter into politics will not even confess to such an ambition. At times it seems that Macbeth was a Pakistani citizen too.

Forgive me if I concede that I have never been able to comprehend the efficacy of politics. Being a stubborn anarchist, I hope that one day the world will have no boundaries and absolutely no need for governments. As long as I can read, write and indulge myself in some regular evils, I am good. No doubt there was a time when I considered politics a noble profession worth a try, yet it has been ages since I grew out of it. Many it seems have not.

And even in politics we fail to do justice to our responsibilities. Politicians hardly do any homework before coming to power. You do not see too many shadow cabinets working when parties are not in power. Most of the parties that usually champion the cause of democracy lack in internal democracy and transparency. And who cares even two hoots about actual policies when there are better sports possible like transferring favourite bureaucrats and scoring political points.

Consider this: If you are rich and hence dedicate some part of your fortune to philanthropy, you are an angel. If you are famous and lend your popularity to a good cause, people give you a home in their hearts. If you are powerful and contribute something to the betterment of society, you are a champion. But if you are a politician and step out of power, people distribute sweets, and when the final moment arrives, people shrug their shoulders and carry on with their lives unaffected.

But political ambition is visible even at the most unlikely places. Why on earth are the Taliban waging this ridiculously silly war against you? To gain power and rule you according to their perverted worldview of course. Why do so many media pundits exceed their bounds and start dictating terms to the government? Because they have an active interest in power; when not being the king then at least to be a kingmaker. Why do politicians indulge in corruption? To be rich enough to stay in power forever. The common man’s obsession with the news media these days is also due to this obsession with power.

While I do not have any qualms about anyone’s personal ambitions, I do believe that it is an awful waste of nature’s gifts not to look anywhere other than the power echelons for solace. I believe that this country can produce great musicians, dancers, novelists, playwrights, producers, sportsmen, scientists and researchers. But for that we will have to stop trying to be jacks-of-all-trades and strive to be masters of one. Let us hope that one thing is not politics though. I know that day will finally come. I only wish that I can see it with my own eyes.

Originally appeared in Daily Times on Sunday, December 6, 2009. Click here to see the original.

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