Here are a few articles I read in today's newspapers that cover most of the highlights of the week. Zardari is busy launching his son's career while his country, or rather the country of which he is the President, drowns in heaps of flood water. There is no sympathy, no empathy, no vision as the head of a state in Zardari to show to his countrymen at this dire hour of need. Shouldnt he be busy organizing relief activity around the country, visiting people ravaged by floods and reassuring them that help is at hand? Whose fault is it that we as a nation have stooped to such a low level that our heads shame us in front of the whole world in a manner utterly despicable. How can we even ask for donations when the people we look up to for governance (kill good governance for now) are not even in the country they govern.
Lets move ahead to excerpts from the articles now!
Out of Sync by Fakir Ayazuddin: The presidency is the symbol of unity of the federation of Pakistan. It demands everyone's respect, including the occupant's.
Pakistan has not yet recovered from the trauma of the air crash, and is in the midst of probably the worst flood disaster in our history. It is certainly not the time for a birthday bash, a coronation or any celebration. It is time to mourn. As president, Mr Zardari must respect the feelings of the people. For him to ignore their feelings, over the advice of his sycophants, would be extremely imprudent. The people of Pakistan are a very sentimental bunch, and Mr Zardari should know it, for he is a beneficiary of the people's sympathy too.
The good in all this by Ayaz Amir: True, we never expected much from President Zardari. Just as some leaders are victims of high expectations -- we expect too much from them -- President Zardari was always a victim of low expectations. We expected nothing from him. We just marvelled at his good fortune and we asked ourselves what we had done to deserve him. Even so, the least he owed Pakistan was to keep his head below the ramparts. The timing of his present visit apart, the revelation about his French chateau is less an embarrassment for him as it is a discomforting thought for Pakistan that it is blessed with such leadership. To suffer injuries is one thing. We are used to this. But to have salt poured over open wounds is an unnecessary exercise.
Don't we have enough on our plate? We are being hit by terrorism and we have been hit by the worst floods for the last 100 years. And Karachi is in flames. President Zardari would have done nothing had he remained at home. He hasn't once visited the frontlines where our soldiers have fought and died. It is too much to expect he would have done anything to ease the plight of the flood-hit. But at least he could have spared the nation's feelings.
The good thing is that he has also made himself more ridiculous in the process, the only silver lining in a very dark mass of clouds.
Where will the messiah come from by Shafqat Mahmood: by It also came as no surprise that Mr Zardari took off on a leisurely trip around Europe while hundreds of his compatriots were drowning in the raging waters. The damage to livestock and property is also incalculable. Millions have lost all their worldly possessions.
Yet, the highest office holder in the land, the symbol of our federation, the commander-in-chief of our armed forces, the receiver of indemnities and protections in our Constitution, was 'helicoptering' in to relax at a French chateaux acquired by his father in the nineties.
Nearer at home, the president's disappearance at a time of national emergency reflects the vision he holds of this office. He obviously has not understood that leadership is not just about honour and privileges. More than anything, it is about empathy with the people and responsibility.
But, this realization cannot be forced. It is either there or not. And within our democratic culture, it is rare. The reason is simple. While our dictatorships are forcible occupation of power by army generals, our democracy is another form of elite capture.
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