Sirajuddin Aziz
AS a young adult, many moons back, I had written and kept on my study table, the following words of John Ruskin, “for no human actions ever were intended by the Maker of Men to be guided by balances of expediency, but by balances of justice. He has therefore rendered all endeavours to determine expediency futile forever more. No man ever knew, or can know, what will be the ultimate result to himself, or to others, of any given line of conduct. But every man may know, and most of us do know, what is just and unjust act”. In this land of pure, I have grown up with three slogans, firstly, (God Forbid) my religion is in danger (Khatra mein) and has been in danger since 1947; secondly, the country is passing (perpetually!) through a “Nazuk daur ( critical & delicate ) ; and thirdly, the final Royal proclamations (There are many of them I have read and heard), “all that has happened uptill now is no good; I (the new ruler) have arrived, now everything will be good’. The last of the slogans was always to the accompaniments of commitment and promises of pursuing ‘ruthless accountability’, which over time converts to “friendly (expedient) acceptance”, of all irregularities of omission and commission. Add to the above slogans, the fact that I have also grown up with the institution of “Commission and inquires”. Since corruption of all types spreads like Covid-19, the need for a Commission of inquiry, grows in propensity. Here the word commission is not being used for representation of any financial implications, but, commission, as say a powerful Board of Directors, representing honesty, competence and independence, of its members.
I am not certain, if it is properly archived in Government records, of the number of “commissions” that have been enacted, formed by ordinances or otherwise, since the birth of the nation (1947). It is however, without a doubt that these must be numerous; in fact may be countless! We have great propensity to form judicial and non-judicial Commission of inquiry at the drop of the hat. Every person, political or apolitical, makes demand, for its creation, knowing fully well, it will not achieve anything. I believe the pleasure of mud-slinging is more joyous than what Ruskin, thought, about unjust and just acts! The Commission formed to identify the assassins of Liaquat Ali Khan to the more recent sugar and IPP related inquires, have one thing in common, their fates, are proverbially “sealed”. No action is expected, nor desired. Regardless of the nature or severity of crime, ranging from petty theft (Buffalos are stolen), highway robbery, loot, plunder, financial corruption, rape, sedition, break-up of the country, we have had a “Commission” constituted, to undo and unravel the ‘mystery’ of why an “event” of the type and nature, defined earlier, ever took place? On one end of the spectrum, we had a Commission (Judicial!) on ‘Agartala Conspiracy case’ and then later, on the other end, we also had the Hamoodur Rehman Commission to identify and place responsibility, upon those, who made, for making the Agartala conspiracy a resounding success!
In view of the ever growing political polarization in our beloved land, there have been demands, from all shades of politicians for the establishment of a :”Truth and Reconciliation” Commission, on the lines, as successfully, done in South Africa. Me, being a thorough bred compatriot of yours, my dear readers, I share your doubts and apprehensions. In fact, I will put to bet that the proceedings of such Commission, if it is ever formed , will lead to ‘prevalence of falsehood’, instead of ‘ Truth’ and as replacement to “Reconciliation”, we will, most likely witness, more plantations of ‘seeds of discord! We yet, do not have the mettle, for such luxuries of freedom of thought. Of late, we are being fed with a spate of inquiry reports. These are dissected, threadbare on the idiot box, each night, by experts to suit their sense of justice. Who created wheat and sugar shortage? Who promotes price hike? Does conflict of interest, needs corroboration? And of such, the most delicious icing on the cake, we have now is the enquiry report on the Independent Power Projects (IPP) . . .. . . legally sanctioned by law has been an ROE of 20% in US Dollar, yes, that’s the currency in which the State has guaranteed the Patriotic producers.
The beauty, however lies in the fact that no Commission completes its task as per its TOR’s(Terms of Reference); or even if it does in a few cases, then its report is sent with no glamour or recognition to the graveyard of files, upon which layers of dust gathers. These reports become the staple diet of vermins, rats, mice etc: if these remain unconsigned to the furnace. Archaeologists and historians must direct some of their efforts here, instead of be-labouring on the ruins of mohenjo-daro and Harrapa! The ‘Commissions of inquiry ‘ have operated in practice by a rule that contradictions in principles can always be set aside; the ignorance and avoidance of applicability of any principles relating to ethics and morality, actually has ensured the existence of the practical politicians, bureaucrats, teachers, professors, students …… you name it! In June, 1960 in an article published by the New York Herald Tribune, Richard Harkness wrote, “what is a committee (Commission)? A group of the unwilling, picked from the unfit, to do the unnecessary”. The TOR’s of most Commissions formed, not only embraced this thought, but also reverently adhered to it. We are not as a nation given to learning from yesterday or today’s judgments, for a better tomorrow. Conscience is always a back-bencher, while expediency sits in the first row, reserved for violations of principles of justice, ethics and morality. And over time, we have become accustomed; thoroughly immunized with the thought that practice and its acceptance, adapts so beautifully and conveniently to expediency, of all sorts.
— The writer is a Banker & freelance columnist based in Karachi.
