Musharraf’s Enlightened Moderation, My Foot

Ref: A Plea for Enlightened Moderation
By Pervez Musharraf
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/arti cles/A5081-2004May31.html

General Pervez Musharraf brazenly missed one of the major menacing ailments in his not-so-enlightening piece: political dictatorship across the entire Muslim world. The complete lack of democracy due to “leaders” like him who have neither popular mandate nor political legitimacy inevitably resulting in disenfranchised and disillusioned Muslim population is most probably the lead cause of the prevailing extremist tendencies in the Muslim world.

Likewise, he doesn’t have the courage to concede that Islam is not only perceived as a religion of intolerance, militancy and terrorism but by now has also come to stand for egoistic despots. The moribund, impotent Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) he wants to infuse new life into has always been nothing but a chattering club for a few dozens visionless, self-serving tyrants. By any civilized definition of the term righteous as many as 45 out of 56 head of member states of the OIC have no fair right to represent their respective countries. Their sole credential is self-assumed indispensability. Perpetuating themselves at the helm, by every possible mean, is their only goal.

Very true, Muslims are probably the poorest, most uneducated, most powerless and most disunited people in the world. You know why? Because there is no rule of law and there is no rule of law because people with guns are squatting at the helm strangulating political movements and discouraging decent mode of government to evolve.

The callously huge disparity between national resources apportioned for defence and social sector in many Muslim countries, Pakistan toping that ignominious list, missed his attention. And here I mean basic most education and health facilities - nothing sort of Scandinavian style social security provisions - versus exorbitant defence expenditures.

Yes, Mr Musharraf as you very correctly state, “we need to understand that the root cause of extremism and militancy lies in political injustice, denial and deprivation.” Please, remove these hurdles in Pakistan by either gracefully vacating the presidential palace [and COAS slot] or legitimising your presidency as per constitutional requirements without playing around with that sacred document.

We have to show resolve and rise above self-interest for our common good -- in the very spirit that Islam teaches us. Bravo. Mr Musharraf, as a starter, for God’s sake try to understand, yours personal and military’s corporate concerns are not equivalent to national interests.

He, furthermore, dishonestly overlooks another tragic fact that the main culprits for prolonging, at least in our region, “the militancy that was sparked in Afghanistan -- which should have been defused after the Cold War -- was instead allowed to fester for a decade” were none else but his own erstwhile colleagues and seniors in Pak army.

In my country, Pakistan, military generals have overtly and covertly run the show for most of the time since independence. My humble suggestion to Mr Musharraf therefore would be to begin this noble preaching from the upper strata of the military in Pakistan before pretending “enlightened moderate” for rest of the world.

Hence, the strategy we need to start with is the one that banishes dictators of all hues and colours, not hollow and hypocritical sermons. What Muslim folks lack first and foremost is the political atmosphere where rulers are held accountable, opposition is not brutally hounded around and people can vent their displeasure without taking up arms and where at the least fundamental human rights of the citizens are not routinely violated. It is preposterous to expect “enlightened moderation” amid gross social inequalities and in total absence of non-politicised judicial venues for getting justice, channels to convey one’s viewpoints without fearing official reprisals.

And finally, kindly stop quoting nonsensical “environmental contradictions”, poverty, illiteracy and “peculiar cultural attributes” – a classic camouflage for covering dishonourable political moves -- for manipulating political process in the country. India, right next door to us, is a nice refuting example to such idiotic arguments. If they can have thriving democracy in almost analogous circumstances, we too can, aforementioned constraints notwithstanding.