Time to lookout for our ‘Imran Khan’

Published : 29 March 2012, 03:30 PM
Updated : 29 March 2012, 03:30 PM

I ended my last opinion piece with a wish that democracy would re-emerge and that there would be a way out of the perpetual impasse caused by two-party politics. You may be wondering how? And where would we find a messiah, who would help us to end our misfortune?

Specially when we had already made enormous sacrifice and endured the loss of many innocent lives – to get Bengali as our national language, to gain independence and to re-establish democracy – only to realise that our leaders are less than capable and demonstrate the usual nepotism and vendetta as we continue to be caught in perennial political quagmire.

In such a dystopic situation, perhaps we ought to take inspiration from others, and right now there is an individual in our region who is trying his best to break a vicious cycle of entrenched two-party politics, ridden by military interruption and despotic leadership.

His metamorphosis would surpass that of many others: from being a legendary cricketer he became a philanthropist and a social worker, and then a revolutionary politician. He has shown courage and imagination and displayed an extraordinary level of self-belief in the dogged pursuit of his visions. He brought the country's only World Cup glory, built a
free-for-poor world class cancer hospital and constructed a rural college modelled on Oxford. Now he has founded a non-dynastic grassroots political party that aspires to govern and lead a crippled nation out of its economic, social and political misery.

As in his cricketing life and during his ambitious project to build a cancer hospital and research centre that provides free care to thousands of indigent cancer patients, he struggled for nearly 16 years to establish his political party with a central slogan – Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem. Its vision is stated to be the establishment of an Islamic welfare state where people can have political freedom, economic opportunity and social justice.

Instead of building an obscene amount of wealth or resting on his laurels as he could and many would, he is working relentlessly, and against cynicism, to change his country, in his words: "to turn the rich and powerful into taxpayers, to establish equitable education, health and justice systems, to end the violence and war by stopping the country's debilitating dependence on foreign and especially American aid".

The election is not due till late 2012 or early 2013 and despite holding massive rallies in late 2011, some reported to be attended by over one hundred thousand people, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to convert this street juggernaut into votes. His critics, however, remain unconvinced – "His popularity shows the delusional state of the nation. He is feeding the youth with impossible and unachievable dreams. The army is supporting his party quietly. He would not have support in rural regions. He is not yet ready to lead a government. At the very best his party would be third in the polls or get about 20% of the votes".

Besides, as already evident by the long wait to gain noticeable traction, it will be quite a task to defeat long surviving, tough and seasoned candidates from established parties in many constituencies – some of these candidates are known for their special (read dishonest) ability to win elections.

However, Imran Khan would not have been what he is, had he accepted 'NO' for his goal. Regardless of whether he can ultimately transform the country to prosperity, as he professes to be possible, his incessant efforts and dedication to his country and its people and his courage, imagination and extreme determination make him an ideal candidate.

You could think, however, that playing with peoples' expectations and promising a rosy future are some of the basic spill for any politician – despotic or otherwise. It is disguised in many isms, but it always appears with the same assurances – the betterment of the impoverished and the establishment of law and order.

But imagine, where politics in the sub-continent has hitherto been for the shrewd and for the members of political dynasties, wouldn't an educated, earnest and determined individual, using wisdom and popularity to engage youth, and to stir the general public to improve the lives of ordinary people and to strengthen the country's institutions be far better than the alternatives available in the form of minority parties which anyway become allied with the major parties?

Further, if it can be implemented, some of the solutions advocated such as collecting fair share of taxes from the rich, investing more in education and health, and reducing dependency on foreign aid should improve the situation.

Yet, as in cricket, in politics legends are born infrequently and almost impossible to replicate. While we have had our share of legendary politicians, we need another one, to rescue us from this quandary.

Our brightest minds are busy with their own goals and unlikely to invest time and resources to mobilise people, or toward a countrywide movement for another revolution – and in the prevailing conditions they limit their efforts to individual levels. After all, what is the point of being a martyr attempting to solve a diverse set of obstacles – political, social, economic, religious and cultural?

But they did it in the past. Intellectuals, technocrats and scholars came together to lead our Liberation War when we had to fight for our existence – and some of them still choose to stand up for a 'just cause'.

Amid the suffering, it may feel that we do not have a 'Imran Khan', right now, but there could be one any time, since we have an abundant supply of young, educated, talented and honest individuals. We need to be on the lookout; maybe it is a matter of time before we find that someone special.

To use another cricketing analogy, think of the pride and joy that infuses the nation each time we win, however infrequent that may be – and while our progress has seen unexpectedly slow and sometimes despondent performances (although not in the recent Asia Cup), each win unites us in our euphoric outbursts. If a good performance of our cricket team can generate so much positive vibe, imagine what an honest and committed leader can achieve, because we can be as spirited and as engaging as s/he fancies.

Hope is one thing that keeps us going, as individuals or as a collective bunch and in this context, it is appropriate to quote Ghandi:

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always".

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Irfan Chowdhury writes from Canberra, Australia.