The
life of a nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful and
virtuous –Frederick Douglass
The
phrases, ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Amin’ are echoing in the whole country especially in
Islamabad these days. Sadiq and Amin are part of the constitution under Article
62 and 63, applicable on public holders and it explains the criterion of
“qualifications for a member of Majlis-i-Shoora (parliament)” and its clause
(e) reads: “Has adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practices
obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstains from major sins”.
The
law under Article 62 also states that he who shall be elected a Member of
Parliament should be sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and ameen,
there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law. But today, it
disheartens the soul to see public office holders including politicians and
officials taking cover behind these words – Sadiq and Ameen – and openly being
dishonest in their actions and deeds.
People
who are to work for the betterment of this country are selling their dignity
and changing their moral standards. For what, pocketing a few rupees?
Politicians are manipulating the needs of the working class, promising a
brighter tomorrow and after getting votes, they betray their people.
One
can only wish to have seen a person who was Sadiq and Amin in the true spirit
of the words in all walks of life. Only then could have we witnessed a brighter
Pakistan.
Each
Muslim should always actively endeavour to sincerely follow the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) to the best of his/her individual capacity. However, exploiting the
exalted name and character of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for selfish political
interests is absolutely deplorable.
We
can rebuild our nation, provided we as a nation become truly Sadiq and Ameen.
But the big question is as to how should we become Sadiq and Amin in the truest
sense?
There
are yardsticks which can keep this nation in line. The biggest one is fear of
God and the second one is man-made law, particularly which concerns
accountability. The accountability stick is required for good governance. And
good governance cannot be achieved unless accountability is looked for in the
bureaucracy, executive and judiciary. These three pillars of the state are
correlated and are integral in connecting the public with officials.
The
rights of the people shall be provided to them via elected members of the
parliament who must be Sadiq and Ameen, because honesty and faithfulness must
trickle down from top to bottom. If we hold leaders accountable then there can
be no way that deceitful individuals are elected again as members of the
parliament. The accountability of individuals holding office can only be
executed through law. And it is also very important to note that those who are
the guardians of justice; the courts of Pakistan, must pursue the cases without
any discrimination and discrepancies.
The
legitimacy and credibility of a leader is established through the amount of
trust people put in him and it must be integral for him to not break it.
Similarly, the trust formed must not just be through words but also through
actions.
In
short, a leader with low moral character who lies, cheats and is unfaithful can
never work for the betterment of his country and its people. A notable example
is of American congressmen, who back in 1978, were approached by undercover FBI
agents as Middle Eastern businessmen working for a fictional Sheik offering
millions of dollars in order to check their loyalty to the country. Six of the
congressmen and several other officials took the money to fulfil the Sheikh’s
political demands. They were later charged for taking bribe and had to spend
many years in prison. My point being, that in a country like America where
everything is shown to be fair and impartial, also has some incongruities
because the system is made up of people and not everyone can be honest and
truthful.
Sadiq
and Ameen are very much related to rule of law whereas our history bears
witness that Article 62 and 63 of the constitution was inserted by General Zia
ul Haq in order to get rid of some politicians and subsequently another
dictator General Musharraf, added a number of additional sections which made it
far too unrealistic and subjective. We need to revisit these two articles to
quantify the deeds and character of public office holders according to the
situation of the country. More specifically, making the law more pragmatic is
important, leaving no room for culprits to escape.
Furthermore,
Pakistan has witnessed corruption engulfing every institute, adulteration
touching new heights, poor being deprived of their basic rights, fake medicines
being sold out or hoarded, ever-rising street crimes and extortion, religious
sectarianism and the justice system becoming a tragedy for this nation. There
is an imbalance in the distribution of resources. The poor are getting poorer
and the rich are getting richer.
The
reason we lost East Pakistan is that our nation lost its grip on national
affairs because of the ethnic divide, thus denting the unity of both sides.
Even now, our nation is suffering from a lack of good governance. The lust for
money and so-called status levels is destroying the very fibre of honesty. We
realise that the level of dishonesty always starts from the little gains. For
example, the use of official transports for private work. And unfortunately, a
majority of high ranked officials use government resources to make their outstation
tours i.e. to attend private functions and marriages. And nobody holds them
accountable, why? Because the people of our nation are immune to lies and
dishonesty.
These
are small things in which indulgence has become a norm of life especially in
public offices where the basic principles of being Sadiq and Amin are being
ignored and violated every minute and second. The ideology of this country was
based on Islam; one wishes that one day, our leaders and their followers
realise the importance of being Sadiq and Ameen. Just imagine the day when each
one of us becomes Sadiq and Ameen. All the problems of this nation will be
defunct, leaving a prosperous and a peaceful nation.
Let
us hope and pray that we become Sadiq and Amin as a nation to serve our country
without the fear of worldly punishments, but because of the fear of God. Ameen!
Each
Muslim should always actively endeavour to sincerely follow the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) to the best of his/her individual capacity.
The article has been published in “THE
NATION” on July 28, 2017.
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