Discipline in public life
Discipline in public life ensures peace and harmony, which in turn drives the forces of progress and prosperity. No country, large or small, can afford to play duck and duck with the dirty discipline called. Any conversation about equity or social justice becomes a cry in the desert or a pompous promise if the existing powers do not understand and execute the dictates of discipline at all costs and in all situations. With discipline as a way of life, all plans, policies and programs are destined to bear fruit. Whenever people in public life or in private business dilute the demands of discipline, most aspirations and achievements deviate, leading to failure and frustration on various levels. Discipline for countries like India, which are on the threshold of economic breakthrough and a stupendous pool of opportunities, are the most immediate and urgent prerequisites. The discipline of rules and regulations is an essential ingredient if we are serious in the field and factories.
The recent outbreak of plague and the misleading signals that this “limited epidemic” sent around the world was not an act of God as some would have us believe, but the unfortunate result of unforgivable negligence on the part of civic authorities. The regrettable way in which routine calls of duty and discipline were given a chance by paid civil servants is a source of shame to all. Piles of garbage in towns, cities and subways rotted and their disposal was left to the lag pickers, which speaks volumes for the callous attitude towards discipline and devotion to duty. It’s about time we sat down and got a serious heart exam.
The ease with which state and opposition sponsored “gangs” organize in our country is another cause for concern. With discipline in public life under a cloud, all socioeconomic momentum comes to a complete halt. When such is the sadistic approach to discipline, there is nothing that can come to our rescue if some major calamity befalls us in the future. The remedy for so many economic ills that afflict us today does not lie in talking, but in restoring discipline in public life. Discipline is the only route that can lead us to our rightful place in the community of the nation.
The indiscipline of constant slipping between the elected representatives of the people is manifested, most of the time, in the state legislatures, where less light and more heat is generated on issues of public interest. At some point, the drama of the absurd is portrayed in such a way that all the decency of debate and deliberation is thrown into the air and only the lung power of muscular power becomes the norm of procedure. Desertions, crossing floors, and kidnappings are a painful indicator of the near collapse of discipline in public life. Even worse things happen at election time. Instead of problems, voter intimidation, and instead of performance, the pressure becomes prominent. Vituperations, vituperations and even violence become the modus operandi of those who should have presented themselves as an example of discipline and decorum. Such is the sad scenario that one has to witness from time to time, under one pretext or another.
Germany and Japan have become economic airs, having been reduced to ashes after the Second World War, it is not something that we can attribute to any chance. Both countries have come to occupy their current economic supremacy due to the tireless deed of their rulers and ruled on the golden principle of hard work and discipline in their private and public life. In Pakistan, we have vast human power, technological expertise, and natural resources. If we make discipline an integral part of our psyche and our daily relationships, there will be nothing that we cannot aim for and achieve. Short of ripping the stars out of the sky, we can change the face of Pakistan if we sincerely and seriously apply the pristine principle of discipline in all walks of Pakistani life, without fear or favor. Those who sit in the middle of affairs, as well as those who exercise state power, must become role models of perception and performance, concept and behavior. There are no shortcuts to development and no substitute for discipline. Indeed, their combination may leave us far behind in the race for economic independence and political stability. All such discipline should be the order of “public life, without conditions or objectives linked to it.”
