We are rightly shattered when we look around and find that a lot of essentials of life and daily consumption are either not available or not working or too painful to have. We find ways to dodge the systems and continue with our daily lives but the weight of injustice and inequality intensifies and becomes unbearable. So much has gone wrong in governance, politics, economy and physical environment that we are unable to fathom and tabulate its consequences. It has become a fight for survival from day to day for the common man. The intelligentsia, journalists, writers and the NGOs keep the media saturated with the symptoms and wounds of the society. Rarely one finds a critical look at the root causes or solutions. Symptoms are sensational so they make the headlines. The result is crisis management, inappropriate solutions and mostly Band-Aid. Just look at the disastrous decay of public sector institutions like PIA, Railways, the educational and healthcare institutions, the Steel Mills, insecurity, upsurge of crime and corruption in every department. The problems are complex and the list is long. This article is an attempt to look at how we arrived at such a situation. The writer has identified some fault lines that afflict our beloved homeland and would like to share (one of the major fault lines) with the readers.
Landed aristocracy
Long before Karl Marx wrote the famous treatise “Das Kapital” he was a feared journalist. He scared the Prussian political elite with his powerful writings. In one of his columns he states ‘The aristocracy cannot be given a form of law – because they are the formations of lawlessness – No one’s action ceases to be wrongful because it is his custom – just as the bandit son of a robber is not exonerated because banditry is a family business…’ This was almost 175 years ago. Sounds so familiar if we were to consider our landed aristocracy in today’s context. The world changed considerably after Das Kapital but we find that the nexus between ‘Rich and powerful’ (RAP) and ‘politics’ is an accepted fact of life which no idea or philosophy could (or can) dislodge, no matter how powerful and potent. Commonly, the “Rich and powerful” are titled as VIPs (Very Important People) which I feel is degrading to some actually important people of the society. For example, I consider Edhi as a very important person - so I would refer to the former as RAP instead of VIP in this article.
The great divide
The assemblies of governing lawmakers, who are seldom true representatives of the masses, sincerely believe that they are above the law. In the post-colonial world this is perhaps true in many countries whose leadership naively believe that western style of democracy is best for their illiterate and gullible public. It becomes easy to deceive the masses. Another grave problem is that we are an extremely polarized society on many counts e.g. filthy rich vs. miserably poor, highly educated vs. uneducated, urbanites vs. tribal/rural, fanatic believers vs. liberals and so on. In this bizarre and a volatile scenario we have to deal with the Trojan horse called ‘Liberalism’ and ‘Modernism’ gifted to us by the developed world.
In a larger perspective we refuse to recognize that we are still basically a ‘Tribal’ society untamed in the democratic norms. The real people, the illiterate masses are unmindful to the fact that the educated political elite and the governing machinery is hardly 1% of our total population, and they in the driving seat. So it is the ruling elite, the RAP vs. the masses. The Waderas, Sardars, Tribal chiefs and Chaudries and their children, some of them quite educated, keep returning to the assemblies again and again with ‘biraderi’ politics and they decide the fate of this nation. Unfortunately the educated middle class urbanites who are also part of this 1%, are unable to make a dent in this environment of inequality and deadly divide. Their voices fade away and die. Recently there have been some exceptions like doctors and architects making it to the August houses but their voices only receive nothing beyond admiration. Industrialists and Tycoons also make it to the corridors of power and join the ranks of RAP. Diligently they all design the political systems and governance for the masses.
What do they do?
So how do the RAP affect the poor masses? How do the sacrosanct laws fare; Take one example of the prevalent ‘Gun Culture’. A renowned journalist writes ‘It is estimated that Pakistan is now home to over 500 private armies and the number of privately owned guns by civilians has risen from 18 million guns in 2007 to 44 million guns in 2017. The state and the elite of Pakistan are too embarrassed and reluctant to ask such basic questions as to who are these people and what are the reasons behind these millions of private weapons and hundreds of private armies… It is important to understand two aspects of this deadly disease. Firstly, how does a state consciously or unknowingly become the patron-in-chief for weapons and private armies? Secondly how the rich and powerful elite of a country are the real cause of the spread of weapons and ownership of private armies….. In December 2018, under pressure from the gun-craving parliamentarians, the new government lifted the ban on issuance of non-prohibited bore arms licenses and cancelled the earlier 2017 notification that called for an end to the possession of automatic weapons….(Naeem Sadiq, Tribune, December 11, 2019)
In my opinion ‘gun culture’ is only ONE of the manifestation of a larger problem, the RAPs self-serving will that can be applied on anything that comes in the way. The laws become subservient to their will and their over-powering tentacles spread in every sphere of life. “Rule of Law” which is considered as the back bone of a society becomes the first casualty in the case of RAP. The same RAP when visiting foreign countries are genuinely afraid of the law of the land. But out here they violate it with impunity and openly show contempt.
Consequences and damage
So what really happens when the RAP bend all the rules and regulations in their favour? Apparently nothing, just a temporary personal gain? But in reality this triggers something chilling, a model that can be emulated. It creates a wrong precedence for the public at large. They emulate the RAPs. The downstream is only powered by upstream. If RAP can jump the red signal why can’t I? If RAP can bypass the system why shouldn’t I? It starts a whirlpool of wrong doings that endangers the society and its systems. The RAP can easily interfere and influence anything, may it be the law enforcement agencies, the legal systems, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, anything at all. Supremacy of law is unthinkable and Accountability becomes a joke. Ours is a unique case, the only country in the world where the political elite barricaded and attacked the Supreme Courthouse. The fallout is obvious, tampering with the systems and institutions result in decline in the performance and conduct of the institutions. The resultant environment created by such a polity, a dangerous contagion starts to affect the society at all levels debilitating all agencies, institutions and governance. Corruption and crime becomes a norm in a society which in turns breaks down everything.
No fear of law
The damage is done. Criminals or potential criminals know that they will never be caught because they believe that the police are inept and corrupt. They have absolutely ‘No Fear of Law’ (NFOL). Even if they are caught, they think they can easily bribe and get released or even escape. Even if they are caught they sincerely believe that a lawyer can easily save them. Even if they are convicted they believe the RAP will come to rescue and turn the verdict in their favour. The institutions have crippled to such a degree that people have started to believe that the legal fraternity, the judiciary, the LEAs is just a façade which can easily be manipulated. The space does not permit citations but an example is fitting here; the case of the cold blooded murder of Shahzeb khan, a university student, by son of a feudal lord Shahrukh Jatoi. The case took its due course and eventually the killer was apprehended and awarded death sentence. The fact that killer was seen smiling into the cameras at the time when the verdict was read says a lot about our RAP, because he had absolutely NFOL. Despite his death sentence he lives. RAP have their ways to obtain a pardon from the victims by offering money or further threats.
It’s a known fact that the feudal lords in far off rural hinterlands have their own armed guards and private jails. When they win elections (by any means) in their constituencies, they migrate to the urban environment to grace the assemblies, they bring with them the entire tribal culture with them creating quite a mess. Hordes of servants and gun toting guards surrounding the palatial mansions following their private laws. It turns out that the servants, guards, relatives and spoilt children of the RAP are a bigger nuisance to the society than RAP themselves.
The grip of RAP in our society is multi-faceted not limited to crime and corruption. They can control the market prices of commodities, drugs and other essential needs of the masses. The price of sugar was close to 50 rupees a kilo which jumped a hundred percent as soon accountability teams were mobilized against the sugar cartels. The RAP have economic powers, which indicates that they can outsmart any accountability.
If the bureaucracy is disposed to appease the rotating lot of the RAP, if law enforcing agencies cannot work autonomously and are made to serve the RAP, if the Judiciary is unable to deliver justice and is pressurized to make biased judgments; everything can go wrong.
The cases of females being stripped naked and paraded in public had a repeat because the perpetrators have NFOL. The Lahore motorway gang rape culprits have a record of crimes, they have NFOL. Crime against children keep growing because the deranged pedophiles have NFOL. The Building control authorities staff have a colossal record of wrong doings that endangers the lives of people, because they have NFOL., The food inspectors, the ghost teachers, the licensing authorities – list is long. Like an epidemic this disease of NFOL sickness permeates in every sector of life and everything breaks down. Nothing works.
Is there a way out?
The political landscape is so complicated and so bizarre that it seems undefeatable. We have a history of criminals slipping away and the millions of cases just drag on for years. Lists of bank defaulters have been published many times but no action comes to light. People crave for accountability and justice without discrimination, plain and simple. A lot of times the sitting government hits hard at the right places, but square pegs in round holes don’t plug the leaks. Smart solutions are a need of the hour. A team of tainted personalities will not catch another bunch of tainted personalities. Will the landlords who constitute a majority in the assembly ever allow ‘Land reforms’? Will the heavily armed parliamentarians allow gun control laws? Will they allow a parliamentary system taken away from them which suits them so well?
Innovative out of the box solutions are a need of the hour. Drastic situations call for drastic measures. The only way out is revision in rules of the game and exemplary action starting with demolition of VIP culture. No more perks and privileges, favors and waivers, no free rides and meals. Immediate halt to gifting plots to RAP. Remove VIP channels on airports and petrol stations. No more police protection to RAP, if there are enmities among the feuding lords, they should pay for protection rather than cause a loss to the state exchequer. Freeing the LEAs and Judicial system from the clutches of RAP should be the first priority. The departments need a major overhaul if they need to be autonomous.
Can we really afford to shower favors and waivers plus a salary to the parliamentarians to grace the assemblies? Do they really need an increase in pay? Perks and privileges in every department is a ridiculous tradition of the Colonizers yet we have followed it blindly. No one has actually looked at the archaic systems critically. If RAP would like the badge of honor of ‘serving the people’ they should first have a record of service in their constituency to deserve a seat of representation. People have to represent their locality. People standing in election from any other constituency should be banned. No release of development funds should be made until scrutiny of actual developments are carried out.
Capital punishment should not be ruled out but without making a public spectacle. Smart speedy courts with a same day service. ‘Instant justice’ has been tried by some countries and it worked wonders. A major cleansing of RAP bank defaulters and crooks can be a good start, recovering much needed revenue. Once the crime is proved, no appeals, not an hour to the RAP or another day to change the course of justice. Period.
This is the beginning. A critical revision in rules of the game and enforcement of law across the board with ONE LAW for all without exception (the exceptions obtained by the RAP), exemplary punishments without prejudice. Eventually we will have time to undo the self- serving governance structure created by the British which seems to be working right till today.
