Salman Shah Jilani
Switch on any TV channel, open up a newspaper or log on to social media and you will see our parliamentarians and their electorate especially those residing in the rural centers continuously drawing ire of the urban educated elite. At times participants in the TV talk shows having an intellectual discourse stoop low and raise eyebrows over the wisdom possessed by the electorate and flay their decision of re-electing the same person who is allegedly tainted.
Such feelings on the part of the educated elite incited me to ponder over the mystery shrouding the electorate who is willing to rally around the same bunch of politicians every time. And after introspection I came to the conclusion that the bone of contention is socio-economic imbalance prevailing in our society.
The conclusion I drew is a battle between two classes i.e. Haves and Have-nots. Both the classes will be at loggerheads till the time vast dichotomy in their status persists in our society.
All those born in well to do families, the “Haves” class, who had the privilege of going and graduating from good educational institutions, subsequently receiving offers from multinationals or a timely call from one of their family friend manages to reserve or create a slot for them. And then there exist “Have-nots” a class of people who is barely able to meet both the ends and for them sending their children to a good educational institutions is like asking them for an arm and a leg. Hence their children end up at “peela” schools and soon after graduating or dropping out of school they compete with other poorly skilled individuals and graduates of good educational institutions in a hotly contested job market where opportunities are scanty and at times only exist for those with the right “links.”
Hence for this class of people their economic benefit lies in linking up with their local power broker who is further linked to politicians or others in the corridors of power. There’s nothing outlandish, these masses make quite a rational decisions based on their needs and wants.
Short cuts don’t help any one, covets of martial law, Bangladesh model or mid term polls by the urban educated elite won’t help and might set a dangerous precedent for the future. Those disqualified on the grounds of possessing a fake degree were discredited by the urban educated elite, however their electorate seemed content with them and got them re-elected even after an onslaught by their opponents and media.
Did the electorate make an irrational decision? No they did not.
They vote for their tested people. They have experienced the elusive revolutionaries who have always usurped the throne impersonating as true representatives of the people in a quasi democracy which serves as a smokescreen to protract their rule.
During their stint as rulers, Pakistan was always plunged into darkness, majority has suffered because firstly their power brokers in these times do not enjoy the power they ought to, secondly better than modest economic growth witnessed during their regime failed to sustain and trickle down to the grass roots. And lastly the legacy left behind is what we know today as exacerbated separatist movements, terrorism, draconian laws, political assassinations and a polarized society.
However, this does not mean that Pakistan is doomed, division is in the offing and Pakistan being synonymous with predicament is chronic are mere illusions. Judicial activism, vibrant media, migration, remittances and electorate’s increased exposure to the outside world is slowly and gradually weakening the traditional power brokers.
What we need is for democracy to be given the time it lost to despotism. With democracy, Pakistan could become an upper-middle class country with high GDP growth and population enough to galvanize a change where the majority prefers policy over patronage. However, more hiccups in the ongoing democratic process would act as a last straw that could break camels back.
Salman Shah Jilani is a management sciences undergraduate and blogs at http://globaldaaira.wordpress.com.
I also found the have and have not part naara baazi. It is relevant to other things but not this. Politics has become a karobaar by which you can ‘have’…. so its not a clear cut class warfare issue that is more slogan than anything else.
I am not sure what the point of the ‘have’ and have not’ point is. It is important in other ways but not to this argument. The haves are rentiers just as the have nots are. Ours is a rentier economy and a rentier democracy. But that is elementary political science stuff one learns on first day of college.
yasmeen you are right
It is true that that the people of Pakistan can be divided in two categories (1) Haves and (2) Have-nots.. The first category is a small minority whereas the second is a very big majority.
The Pakistani system of government is devised in such a way that it is always the small minority has been ruling the majority of the people. In Pakistan there had been many kinds of democracies like Governor General’s democracy, Basic democracy, Local democracy, Corrupt democracy, Dictator’s democracy and presently Islamic Democracy. There had never been the real democracy: Government (of, by, for) the people.
To say that the Have-nots keep on electing the same candidates for the parliament for their economic advantages is not justified. The economic condition and their purchasing power of the Have-nots keep on going down. The reason is that the same candidates (the Haves) keep on coming for election or re-election.
To get a seat in the parliament is also the game of money. A candidate spends more than One Million Rupees. The Have-nots have no means to send one of them to the parliament. The Have-nots are deprived of basic requirements like, education, hygiene and health care. They do not have enough information or time to take an active part in politics.
The slogan “Democracy Needs Patience” does not fit in case of Pakistan. This may sooth the feelings of the people but this patience will not bring the democracy. The 63 years of patience should be enough to understand that there will be no democracy [Govt.(of, by, for) the people] in Pakistan. But it will be more and more an Islamic State where Allah will govern the Faithful through His representatives.
Long live the Islamic Democracy.
Ahsn
Nice post. I don’t like Zardari much, but I really want him to finish his term and get a second election. that is only way we will learn. Once we have confidence that we can change someone with our votes we will take them more seriously.