Abuse as political weapon

Our society has never been quite free of the penchant to abuse but, of late, one has witnessed a phenomenal increase in this indulgence, particularly in the domain of politics. The more one hears them talk, the more one is shocked at the felicity with which invective is resorted to ever so often as a political weapon.

On the one hand, this speaks of the lowly calibre and culture of the people who have taken up politics as their profession and, on the other hand, it is also patently reflective of an abominable deterioration in the ethical benchmarks which society espouses or is coerced into accepting. This phenomenon is not new. It has been occurring for a while, but it has now made inroads into our daily life.

This is one among many maladies that we are so gravely afflicted with, and which seem to be progressively digging deeper into our psyche. Nothing, it appears, is considered potent enough unless laced with invective, at times of the most debasing variety. Instead of feeling ashamed of one’s conduct, ever more ingenious alibis are cited to justify their continued use. In the process, the conversation is degraded to a point which no honourable person would associate with.

The negative role which the media has played in promoting this wicked culture is particularly disappointing. One often witnesses guests resorting to the vilest form of abuse about other people without being checked either on the bar of veracity of comments made or the language used. It all passes in the name of politics as the anchors plunge back in their seats, gleeful smiles painting their faces. It is almost as if they are appreciative of the conduct of their guests and would rather encourage them to come back for another episode.

This culture of abuse is often on full display inside the parliament house. There is no sensitivity shown to the presence of women legislators as the violators go on a wild rampage in using the choicest of words to degrade their political opponents. And the cycle goes on from one session to the next without a break and without a shred of shame or remorse. This demeaning feature appears to have become an integral component of the political jargon that has been cravenly invented to hide weaknesses in their narrative.

At a different level, this culture of abuse is also reflective of the increasing frustration of some who have nothing to show by way of performance and delivery during their many stints in power. So, they resort to an abundance of the invective by way of hiding their failures. The fact that some of them have taken to physically assaulting the courts and the accountability bureau to avoid their appearance before them for investigation speaks volumes of a mindset that is not amenable to law. The excessive politicisation of crime on the part of these leaders is indicative of their desperation to escape the clutches of punishment to save their pelf and political careers.

But then, things are not conducted like this in civilised societies. If we don’t want to degenerate further to become totally dysfunctional, steps will have to be initiated to correct this malady and start living by benchmarks which are essential for a democratic polity – that of separating crime and politics.

Crime, if committed, must be punished. Politicians, by virtue of being the potential leaders of the people, should present themselves for accountability without the slightest hesitation. They should set an example for others to follow and must not indulge in glorifying crime and defending it by hurling a plethora of abuse simply because they may be unwilling to be held accountable for their misdemeanours. This practice, if upheld, would turn the country into a bastion of crime where no one would accept the writ of the law. That would nullify the very rationale for the state to exist.

An important reason why this culture of abuse is gaining ground is the failure of the institutions to fulfil their innate responsibilities which, in turn, casts aspersions on the seriousness of the state in addressing the grievances of its people, most notably of the marginalised segments. There are mafias galore that are instrumental in blocking the working of these institutions. Unfortunately, their favourite weapon is the one they have acquired by stripping the state of its assets: the weapon of money which they use with guileful generosity among all who may be occupying a seat of power, thus rendering them amenable to their cause. This is how the entire system is hijacked by a few of its criminal-minded beneficiaries.

The role of the media is critical in this context. One routinely sees the presence of these abusers in a number of programmes, indulging their vile penchant without even a single word of censure or reprimand by the concerned anchor. In fact, the expertise of these charlatans in the domains of hollering and abusing may be a qualification for why they are invited to these programmes with disdainful monotony. But why is it that an institution which is meant to generate awareness among the people by disseminating fact-checked and credible information is engaged in doing the opposite – misleading people by passing on false and fabricated data laced with licentious remarks?

The foremost reason for this grave travesty is that most of the media has been excessively politicised and they have linked their futures with the success of one or the other political party. It is a coincidence that, at this juncture, most of these media houses are beholden to some such political leaders who have already played multiple innings and who are now being held accountable in a host of corruption-related cases. Instead of fighting them legally at appropriate forums, they are engaged in agitating them in the media so as to ingratiate support among the public. It is a misfortune that the media has allowed itself to be used as a vehicle to promote the dubious messages of under-investigation corrupt political leaderships.

From indulgence in massive corruption to initiation of cases to inordinate delays in completing investigation to agitation in the media to mishandling of cases in the judiciary to resorting to violence and invective in a bid to escape punishment – such is the pattern of abuse being used as a political weapon in the country. Virtually every state institution is guilty of playing a role in this mayhem which will inevitably result in the dilution and ultimate abrogation of the writ of the state. Tragic!

The writer is the special assistant to the PM on information, a political and security strategist, and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute.

Twitter: @RaoofHasan