Author Topic: From manifestos to casual objectives  (Read 2118 times)

Offline iram

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From manifestos to casual objectives
« on: May 07, 2008, 07:12:31 PM »
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From manifestos to casual objectives

By Muttahir Ahmed Khan

As heated debates, addressing the issue of student unions, are in full swing, there is another aspect dealing with the same issue that must be pointed out. The fact that students’ organisations, factions or political groups are still surviving and working, at large, in our educational institutions, even though such activities and entities have been banned since 1984 requires serious attention.

The answer to this subject will probably be a complex of diverse thoughts. First, we have to refer to the students’ psyche in relation to our schools’ environment and culture. A student’s life up to at least ten years of education is full of restrictions, fears and meekness. It is because of this that when our adolescents experience freedom and independence at a higher seat of learning they begin to react in a forceful and dominating manner, being unaware of the actual meaning and importance of this newfound freedom. Therefore, without any mature thought of political concern and party’s manifesto, they join the party or association that already has its roots deeply penetrated into the institution’s soil. By making this move, they endeavour to assure their security and power over others. The incidents, related to thrashing bus drivers and conductors, and taking out violent processions, are a few examples that lay bare their crude ambitions to dominate others and to show their valour and integrated strength. It does not involve any political or intellectual insight on the behalf of the students. So, it is not fair to blame the revival of students unions for the acts of such so-called political students’ organisations.

With the volatile national situations and changing socio-political approach of the citizens, the reputations and the vote banks of all the political parties have to face ups and downs. Quite surprisingly, we are bound to note that these upheavals in the national politics seldom affect their students’ wings in their several strongholds, the educational institutions. For example, in Punjab and especially Lahore, the students’ wing of a religious party, which does not have a substantial vote bank in main political stream, has been enjoying nearly unopposed sway in most of the universities and colleges, for the last half a century. A more astonishing fact is that most of the office-bearers and active members of such associations shun politics after entering practical life, and even if some of them remain in touch, they join different parties on the national horizon. Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Ahsan Iqbal and Khavaja Asif are some examples, in this regard.

When Benazir Bhutto, during her first term, lifted the ban on students’ unions, elections were held after a lapse of 5-6 years. I was a student of Govt Forman Christian College Lahore then. It was a hub of modern, fashionable and the secular students, but despite the fact, that religious party, being popular amongst the students’ circles, won all the seats unopposed. Same was the case in many other colleges of Lahore, Pindi and other cities of the Punjab. Here it must be kept in mind that the vote bank in the colleges does not remain unchanged as it does in national politics.

Students enter and leave every year, but the parties with firm and decades-long foundations in several colleges and universities seldom face any decline or retreat due to this. Therefore, it is more than obvious that a student, who enters a college, in his first year, will join the party that has already occupied the college, without any deliberate consideration, analysis and thought of an element called "manifesto". His major objective is to amalgamate with his brethren. Another reason for this willingness to join is out of courtesy and moral obligation since, it is these unions that, from the very first day, help them in the admission process and later on arrange other functions as well. If the managements as well as the teachers fulfill their responsibilities and solve the problems of the students by guiding them appropriately, then the students won’t be obliged to join these parties.

While considering these and other such issues, I would only say that Unions provide healthy co-operation and collective efforts to deal with different educational, administrative and recreational issues, they must be given the go-ahead signal. However, the parties and the candidates involved must not be affiliated with any political bloc for it will definitely create law and order situation in the campuses.
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