By Sardar Khan Niazi
As if the hullabaloo caused by the PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary’s arrest was not enough that the news of Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s arrest by police from his residence intensified the uproar.
These arrests would never have got so embarrassing if both sides had exercised the control expected of established political parties and leaders. The PTI leader and ally should not have crossed the line and made such remarks that could have landed them in trouble and the government should not have reacted excessively.
Barging into the house of someone and whisking him away without legal process has not set a good precedent. Media reports are full of allegations and counter-allegations, with each side trying to show the other side is wrong.
Blame games are a miniature copy of conflict politics that are distinct from routine political processes. The blame-generating strategies used by the opposition and the blame-management strategies used by the incumbent government do not serve the national well-being.
Politicians are quick to point fingers, are not they? They can find someone to blame almost instantly, assigning any allegation. They do not even bother to touch the personal life of their opponents to satisfy their egos. Playing the blame game leads to a victim mentality. This mindset then leads to excusing their own sins. Politicians think they sinned due to someone else’s fault and they are not to blame.
Blame games consist of interactions between at least two sets of actors. Blame makers i.e. those who do the blaming, and blame takers i.e. those who are on the receiving end. Whether a politician is a blame maker or a blame taker during a blame game, they certainly spoil their own political image.
Playing the blame game leads to resentment and retaliation. It is a human tendency to blame others before reflecting on oneself. Blaming others keeps us from looking within our own hearts and lives and evaluating our own choices and attitudes.
Politicians should not be quick to blame others when something goes wrong. They should look at themselves and acknowledge their own mistakes as possible causes, and after repenting, they should look for things they can do to improve their situation.
Of course, there are true instances where someone else is to blame but we cannot change them, or their actions. We can only change our actions and ourselves. We are only accountable for our own actions and mistakes.
Therefore, instead of seeing yourself as a victim and playing the blame game, change what you can within your own power. One of the most destructive human pastimes is playing the blame game. It has been responsible for regrettable acts and, a considerable amount of human frustration and unhappiness.
The blame game consists of blaming another person for a happening or state of affairs thought to be undesirable, and persisting in it instead of proactively making changes that ameliorate the situation. The motivation behind this blame game is a series of irrational beliefs.
If something has gone wrong or is not the way it should be, the politicians identify and blame someone other than themselves, for causing the situation. This misconduct diminishes the respect they deserve as a person.
They think it is permissible and only fitting to treat this person in ways he/she deserves to be treated such as ignoring, name-calling, and in extreme cases, physical assault.
These beliefs play out quite routinely in the mainstream of political life. Politicians treat the opponent as a persona non grata, give the cold shoulder, give dirty looks, or even reprimand the other guests. Let us end blame games, and accept responsibility for our own mistakes to make constructive change.
