Say NO to Oppression
If standing up for your rights is a crime, then YES Arjumand Hussain has committed a crime.
The cost of standing up in Pakistan can come at a very premium price as we have institutions that crumble down to pressures from big-guns, unfortunately this country has cultivated for itself a small class of individuals who live above the law and can ruin anything they want. Blinded by power they consider themselves God. But all the time, might is right doesn’t work. The oppressor should know that once the oppressed class has nothing to lose and have had enough, they would rebel against them; that outrage and impatience would be impossible to control.
Arjumand Azhar Hussain who led from the front in saying NO to VIP culture has been fired from his job, he worked for Gerrys Group. There is a huge uproar in the media that Gerrys had to take this step due to political pressure as Hussain was the actual man who filmed and offloaded the senior dignitaries from the plane, although the firm says that the decision is based on merit and they don’t want to keep that position. What is actually surprising is that overnight the firm thought of getting rid of that position? Especially after the specific video went viral and got wide media attention. Ex-minister Rehman Malik has distanced himself from all this, saying he is not a minister anymore and he has no role in firing of Arjumand. But Mr.Malik and Dr Ramesh should know that Pakistanis are not fools, they know how weighty people use their powers to do all kind of dirty work.
Several opponents have tried to give it a political color but until how long will the politicians hide under the umbrella of political mudslinging and stay blindfolded to real problems the common man at grassroots level face. Whatever happened is the anger and frustration of every Pakistani against the rotten system where a poor man is deprived of his rights, the middle class has been struggling hard to survive. There’s a limit to tyrannize your own people. Gone are the days when notorious politicians could treat the public like a herd of sheep, we are living in 2014, a large chunk of the population are the youth who have rebelled and are questioning their representatives.
A very humble Arjumand speaking to a TV channel regarding the issue said that he holds no grudges against his former employers but knows how pressures are taken in the corporate world. He had no regret in whatever he did believing he had taken the right step. There’s no room for VIP culture anymore in Pakistan, soon after the airplane incident, Sukkur also stood against VIP culture. Chief Minister Sindh had to pass and the roads were blocked for four hours after which angry protesters were seen on the roads and due to its heat the CM had to take an alternative route. This shows the grievances of the downtrodden and poor man.
After news started circulating that Gerrys Group had fired Hussain, Pakistanis from all walks of life on social media began campaign #ShameOnGerrysGroup (on twitter) who stumbled to powerful people tagging the official account of @GerrysGroup. And when Gerrys gave their statement they said they had been flooded with complains on social media about Arjumand Hussain. Each person was of the view that he was being punished because he took a stand against mighty personalities, after that video he had won the hearts of almost every Pakistani who found their own voice in his action. There is no doubt that the decomposed moldy system has ruined people’s lives in every manner to every limit, but time is not far when from every nook and corner an Arjumand will be found fighting for his rights.
This story has sparked a debate of ending the VIP culture, of how the common man gets affected by such actions. Even parliamentary committees have started to speak on this issue; the current affairs shows are repeating the same thing over and over again to make people aware of their rights. If all of us start standing for each other no local or international VIP can make us suffer, it all matters in standing up. We live in the Land of Pure, why should we let it turn into the Land of Injustice. On every forum we speak of equality but never bother to practice it. Practical implementations of laws and rules have become the need of the hour now.
To the dismay of Gerrys Group, Arjumand has started receiving wonderful offers from prestigious organizations. He has become a hero. People see their reflection in him, in his words. After his heroic step, he has injected each person to rebel against the ruthless system that only serves the commanding powerful and has decided to turn a deaf ear to the common man’s problems.