Election Process and Leaders for Tomorrow

University elections are right around the corner and there is great hype all around campus. Election processes in Pakistan have never been as they should be. In fact, the political sphere has only dilapidated over the years. Any citizen will attest to vote-rigging and harassment at polling stations. We pride ourselves over being the top business institute of Pakistan, we pride ourselves over producing the country’s top politicians, businessmen and bureaucrats. It therefore becomes a matter of concern when the future leaders of Pakistan at IBA indulge in all manner of unethical practices to win elections.

The struggle to succeed and the desire to lead, like no other intoxicant, have taken students by their charm. My concern is how far that desire will take our students. Even if we discount the importance of friendship there are so many other good character traits that now mean nothing to us. Loyalty, we have to come to a standpoint when no one can trust anyone because everything is a lie. There is no honour code, integrity, believability, accountability- nothing. The first month of every academic year wears everyone out, because everyone is too busy cutting out every other student, friend or peer. Summers mark a time of long hours on campus, prediction and planning, students designing schemes to win the elections.

It is no surprise to us when we come to figure that elections in Pakistan are a farce, who gets to win elections is decided long before the first vote is cast. To think that such is the case even in university elections is disappointing. Some members hold the stakes, they decide among themselves which three societies are to be the top three societies. I realize what I am suggesting here is exactly in line with our ideals – the passionate few find and fight their way to the top. My issue is the unethical aspect of it all. Students indulge in foul play, lie, cheat, fool and deceive. Students indulge in dirty politics instead of fair practices. So, I am raising two important questions: Are these the kind of values we want to inculcate in the future leaders of Pakistan? Why then do we blame our politicians when they only do what institutes have taught them to do?

Even if producing leaders wasn’t our concern, is this the kind of corporate environment that we want to see our students create, anywhere and everywhere they go? Power groups come with one particular characteristic – they serve their own interests. If power groups were to have complete control over every society, why have elections at all? If every power group comes to serve its own interests and every contestant is really just contesting for the sake of a fancy resume then all these societies will go to waste.

In serving their passion to lead, they lose their passion to work dedicatedly in one field of interest. Everything thereafter is just role-play. We forget that societies are designed to encourage student activity, because in reality they are revenue generating excuses for events. Perhaps, even that is understandable given that we are a business institute – but is it not the top priority of every business institute to produce top-quality products? Why then, are our societies and their events of pitiable standards? Students who know nothing about drama are on the stage simply because of a bargain of votes, it is an insult to the name of art and literature to present dances on stage where there is so much potential for much more. What do we loose? We loose potential, we loose talent, we loose participants, quality and popularity – all that and more to slipshod performances, irresponsible and uninterested event managers.