PARTLY FACETIOUS: Gen Zia’s referendum

“Ah I am reminded of 18 December 1984.”

“Refresh my memory.”

“Ziaul Haq held a referendum in the country and asked voters if they supported his proposals to amend several laws in accordance with Quran and Sunnah and whether they supported Islamic ideology…”

“Yes indeed, and need I point out that 98.5 percent voted yes and 1.5 percent voted no and the turnout was 62.2 percent as per official figures.”

“As per official figures!”

“Hmmm, anyway we are faced with a similar situation today where the choice is between good and evil – The Khan is telling us every day that he stands with good and the other Three Stooges…”

“Evil is not to be ridiculed, evil is to be feared…”

“What?”

“The epithet The Three Stooges is tantamount to ridicule but evil is not funny or…”

“Oh stop taking things so literally. The brainy never take things literally, they operate in the realm of…of…”

“Non-literal sphere.”

“Well yes and stop ridiculing me because I will provide your particulars, you know where you live, where your children go to school, your daughter’s in-laws…”

“Stop right there — let me quote Gandhi to you, a pacifist like The Khan: Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.”

“I don’t see…”

“Another saying is by Abraham Lincoln who said: nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

“If you dare to challenge…”

“I challenge no one, I merely place a few proverbs attributed to great men for example James Byrnes, an American judge and politician said: Power intoxicates men. When a man is intoxicated by alcohol, he can recover, but when intoxicated by power, he seldom recovers.”

“Isn’t that true of The Three Stooges!”

“And my favourite is the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu who said: Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.”

“And The Khan said three mice are out to hunt him and he will hunt them instead and clean bowled them with one ball.”

“Okaaay.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022