BRIBERY & CORRUPTION: "We Must Put That Down With An Iron Hand." -- M.A. Jinnah

 Bribery & Corruption
"We must put that down
with an iron hand!"
– M. A. Jinnah

(M. Javed Naseem)

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“You have to stand guard over the development
and maintenance of Islamic democracy, Islamic
social justice and the equality of mankind
in your own native soil.”
-- Quaid-e-Azam

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 25th of December is around and the entire Christian world is celebrating Christmas, the birth anniversary of Jesus, the son of Mary. 25th of December is also the birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, affectionately known as the “Quaid-e-Azam” – the Great Leader. On this occasion, I would like to share with you excerpts from the speech of M.A. Jinnah that he made while addressing the Constitutional Assembly of Pakistan, on 11th August, 1947.

It’s time to reflect and ponder over what we have achieved and what we have lost. We made a good start but after two decades corruption infiltrated and the corrupt, infidel and power-hungry politicians took control of the country. 75 years later, we are still living on empty promises and false hopes.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was not a prophet but he did show the world his miracle. He single-handedly carved Pakistan out of the world map – a homeland for millions of Muslims of India. And that also happened with the Divine support as many Mullahs of India opposed him for one reason or the other. But most Muslims adored him and were so impressed that, out of love and respect, they called him “Quaid-e-Azam” (the great leader), and justly so!

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“I should like to give a warning to the landlords
and capitalists who have flourished at our expense
by a system which is so vicious, which is so wicked
and which makes them so selfish that it is difficult
to reason with them. The exploitation of the masses
has gone into their blood. They have forgotten
the lessons of Islam.”
-- Quaid-e-Azam
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Mohammad Ali Jinnah was the man who made the British Empire to respect him and give him his due. He said: “Failure is a word unknown to me.” Here’s Mr. Jinnah's presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, on August 11, 1947.

“You will no doubt agree with me that the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.”

“The second thing that occurs to me is this: One of the biggest curses from which India is suffering - I do not say that other countries are free from it, but, I think our condition is much worse - is bribery and corruption. That really is a poison. We must put that down with an iron hand and I hope that you will take adequate measures as soon as it is possible for this Assembly to do so.”

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“Brotherhood, equality, and fraternity of
man – these are all the basic points of our
religion, culture and civilization and we
fought for Pakistan because there was a
danger of the denial of these human
rights in the Subcontinent.”

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“Black-marketing is another curse. Well, I know that black-marketeers are frequently caught and punished. Judicial sentences are passed or sometimes fines only are imposed. Now you have to tackle this monster, which today is a colossal crime against society, in our distressed conditions, when we constantly face shortage of food and other essential commodities of life. A citizen who does black-marketing commits, I think, a greater crime than the biggest and most grievous of crimes. These black-marketeers are really knowing, intelligent and ordinarily responsible people, and when they indulge in black-marketing, I think they ought to be very severely punished, because the entire system of control and regulation of foodstuffs and essential commodities, and cause wholesale starvation and want and even death.”

“The next thing that strikes me is this: Here again it is a legacy which has been passed on to us. Along with many other things, good and bad, has arrived this great evil, the evil of nepotism and jobbery. I want to make it quite clear that I shall never tolerate any kind of jobbery, nepotism or any any influence directly of indirectly brought to bear upon me. Whenever I will find that such a practice is in vogue or is continuing anywhere, low or high, I shall certainly not countenance it.”

“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”

“I shall always be guided by the principles of justice and fairplay without any, as is put in the political language, prejudice or ill-will, in other words, partiality or favoritism. My guiding principle will be justice and complete impartiality, and I am sure that with your support and co-operation, I can look forward to Pakistan becoming one of the greatest nations of the world.”

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