Punjab has apparently discovered a new scientific formula: if you put the word “honest” on a giant hoarding, honesty becomes even more honest. Across the state, taxpayers can now enjoy the refreshing sight of political messages reminding them just how imaandaar their government is. The only question left is: if honesty is already doing such a wonderful job, why does it need thousands of square feet of advertising space to introduce itself?
The irony is almost poetic. A truly honest person normally does not walk into the village carrying a loudspeaker announcing, “Please notice how honest I am.” But in the wonderful world of politics, even honesty apparently needs a publicity manager, designer, printer, photographer and hoarding contractor. The bigger the board, it seems, the bigger the honesty!
Punjab’s common man may now be wondering whether the government has confused governance with advertising. Roads may have potholes, young people may be looking for jobs, drugs remain a serious concern, and the state carries a heavy financial burden, but at least the roadside knows who is “imaandaar.” Perhaps the next step will be LED hoardings saying: “Congratulations, you have successfully reached an honest government advertisement.”
There is also a beautiful Punjabi lesson hidden here: “ਸੱਚ ਨੂੰ ਸਬੂਤ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦੀ, ਪਰ ਇਸ਼ਤਿਹਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਬਜਟ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਜ਼ਰੂਰ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ।” If honesty is genuine, people should be able to recognise it through clean administration, transparency and results, not because a giant photograph is staring at them from every crossing.
And then comes the eternal Punjabi question: “ਪੈਸਾ ਕਿਸਦਾ? ਇਸ਼ਤਿਹਾਰ ਕਿਸਦਾ? ਵਾਹ-ਵਾਹ ਕਿਸਦੀ?” The taxpayer may have a very simple answer: “ਪੈਸਾ ਸਾਡਾ, ਫਿਰ ਤਾਰੀਫ਼ ਵੀ ਸਾਡੀ ਕਰ ਲਓ!” Perhaps Punjab should introduce a new award category “Best Performance by a Government Hoarding.” After all, some hoardings may have more visibility than the actual achievements they are supposed to advertise.
In the end, the funniest part of this entire debate is the slogan itself. “Honesty needs no publicity” sounds like a sentence that should immediately make every publicity department nervous. If honesty truly needs giant posters to prove its existence, perhaps the real question is not how honest the government is. But why is honesty working so hard on its own publicity campaign?