In a country where over 9.5 crore people earn less than $3.6 per day, facing skyrocketing food inflation, it is crucial for politicians to connect with the masses. We live in times where even the diminishing lower middle class is barely surviving and unable to pay their utility bills. It does not send a reassuring message to potential voters when politicians step out of expensive SUVs, dressed in branded clothes, wearing Chanel scarves, carrying Birkin or Louis Vuitton handbags, adorned with diamond bracelets, and wearing watches costing more than the lifelong savings of those whose votes they seek. It reminds them of images of similar watches that have been flashed on TV screens, accusing their adversaries of stealing Toshakhana gifts. In the recent political history of Pakistan, Fatima Jinnah should have been a role model. Late BB dressed casually whenever she addressed public meetings. The Cinderella or Barbie Doll image does not convey the reassuring image needed for a politician seeking votes from citizens undergoing misery on a 24/7 basis. It only augments the propaganda waged by their political opponents with accusations of corruption, money laundering, etc.
In our neighbourhood, politicians in India wear Khadi and make sure they connect to the population they seek to represent. Even the Italian-born Congress party leader Sonia Khan had to publicly revoke her foreign nationality and wear dresses that her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, dressed in. Rahul and Priyanka follow suit.
Media reports about palatial residences spread over several acres owned by politicians do not convey a good message. It reflects a mindset of individuals totally disconnected from ground realities. Even the paid bureaucracy of this financially challenged country lives in houses that would dwarf 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British PM.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
LAHORE
