The Politician's Dare
An article I had written back in 2008... probably applies to the currently situation in Pakistan more than before.
Nowadays in Pakistan, politicians talk about anything under the sun to get elected. In their speeches they refer to the problems faced by the common man. Problems like hunger, lack of education, utilities, health care and so on and so forth. But sometimes it makes me wonder, how is it possible for someone who has never been a common man to feel the problems they face? It just doesn’t make sense.
These are the people who don’t leave their homes without having escorts around them, cars pilling over one another to protect them and roads actually being closed down until they zoom by. How can someone who has never faced a power shortage, food shortage, education deprivation, financial issue in his/her life talk about the problems of the common man? Would someone please explain that to me?
You can exile these people as much as you want, but the truth of the matter is you’re not really taking anything away from them and yet we keep asking for them back; year after year. They play with our sentiments, with our lives and for what, a mere chance at glorifying themselves and satisfying their egos?
I’ve had enough of all this illogical blabbering by our so-called leaders. I might not be one to step out on to the streets and protest but I want to use the power of words to actually get my point across.
I have a challenge for all these so-called leaders who talk of the common man. How about you get down from your mount Olympus and actually live like a common man.
I dare any leader to give up what luxury s/he has for a month and live like the rest of us! I swear if you can actually live in the situation we people live in on a daily basis for just a month, I’ll be impressed and Ill offer you my vote the next time you come knocking on my door. Oh wait you don’t need to come knocking on our doors because you already have the poor illiterate ‘common man’ selling you their dreams in the form of their votes for a chance at a real life made up of their dreams, that you promise them in your speeches!
So here’s the challenge, give up all your luxurious life and live with us, amongst us in our homes, face the issues, the torments, the problems, the shortages, the anger, frustrations, the hunger, the different forms of pity we feel when our family can’t get what they deserve as human beings! You’ve pushed us further back then even the cave man! At least the cave man had clean drinking water, fire and something to eat all the time, we on the other hand have a leader who tells us to eat chicken now because it’s cheaper than our other staple diet! You don’t deserve to give these statements until you yourself have a chance to live like us.
Try making ends meet like the rest of us for a month and you have my respect, but until then, don’t you dare tell us what we need and how you’re going to give that to us!!
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Businesspeople at Lectern Holding Puppets
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