This may come as news to some, surprise to others and disappointment to the uninitiated: we are not a democracy.
Yet this is the perceived democracy people want to protect from people, and argue that more of the same is the real secret to success. But we never were a democracy. We have labelled our political activity as such, but still, we were not a democracy. We were an oligarchy that has now morphed and evolved into a plutocracy.
Oligarchy is a system of government which is in the hands of a privileged few while plutocracy is a government in the hands of a wealthy few. In our case we started with oligarchs, who, having made their fortune, became plutocrats. From a governance point of view, the difference between the two is little but both commonly do not value votes and are not concerned with the significance of an individual citizen. Thus democracy remains a dream for many, an exercise in pretensions and posturing, as if there is a democratic order, when there is none in Pakistan.
President Pervez Musharraf proliferated mass media. He allowed people access to the media. He also experimented with his enlightened moderation (Akbar’s Din-Elahi) which was rejected by the people who are too radicalized to allow such a liberal thought. Nevertheless, political awareness permeated society, and people became better informed than before. Imran Khan, on the other hand, caused a change in political thought by instilling into society that people do matter. The combination of both, the media awareness and the political thought, has changed how people want to do politics – there is greater involvement, a sense of entitlement and expectations, and with it hope.
The PTI expectations that such a turn of events will bring people onto the street are exaggerated. That there will be riots and street protests is a skewed anticipation. People in Pakistan lack the determination, will and character to do a ‘Sri Lanka’ in Pakistan.
The practical manifestation of this hope will unfold in the Punjab by-elections on July 17, 2022. The by-election would have a strategic implication and effect, depending on the election outcome: First would be the legitimacy of the Punjab government; second, a popular call for the rejection of an artificial government; third, the direction Pakistan must take thereon in terms of its economy and its foreign policy. So, the elections are significant and possibly will be a game changer.
The ground situation and reality points towards a massive PTI win and a total PML-N rout; but reality does not matter in a system that is served by a oligarchy-plutocracy cocktail. The government machinery will be manipulated, the ECP influenced, constituencies fiddled with, voter’s lists amended, administration will be subjective, and every attempt will be made to keep the PTI out of the equation. There will be arrests and accusations. The PTI seems to be confident that they can overcome these shenanigans and have some sort of a plan.
However, I do not share the PTI confidence. I see no evidence to support it. I expect that there will be a manufactured victory for the PML-N, and the PDM will be here to rule over the irrelevant people.
The PTI expectations that such a turn of events will bring people onto the street are exaggerated. That there will be riots and street protests is a skewed anticipation. People in Pakistan lack the determination, will and character to do a ‘Sri Lanka’ in Pakistan. But I would be pleasantly surprised if they did, and pray that they do.
However, it is most likely that this artificial coalition will remain in power and we the people will quietly put up with it. International oil prices will fall, the government will pass it on to the public, and claim it’s their political acumen that has come to the people’s help. The IMF will extend loans and ease the economic situation. Loadshedding will reduce and the government will be on track. Pakistan will be back from the brink.
The tyranny of a ruler in an oligarchy is not as dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy. This is where we are and shall remain – submissive, resigned, fatalistic and accept it as a divine ruling.
Thomas Jefferson said, “You seem to consider the Supreme Court judges as the ultimate arbiters of constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under despotism of an oligarchy.” And so, as before and as always, there will be no legal, administrative, moral or ethical recourse to this aberration. These artificial leaders will return with cymbals clashing in celebration of a PDM victory. We will continue to have more of the same. Nothing will change.
Yet, the tyranny of a ruler in an oligarchy is not as dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy. This is where we are and shall remain – submissive, resigned, fatalistic and accept it as a divine ruling. So while bragging about all that we have achieved in Pakistan, slogans without substance, we consciously hide the obnoxious fact that by the corruption of a democratic order and a conventional governance system, we have effectively nationalised a system of oppression and subjugation of our own people.
When this charade of the by-elections is over, when the dust settles, when we go back to living as we always do, it will be announced, with fanfares blaring, that democracy in Pakistan has triumphed once again, and people are managing their day-to-day lives. Alice Walker said, ‘Those in power must spend a lot of time laughing at us’. There will be some that will keep saying, ‘democracy is the best revenge’, and others who will demand that they want more of the same. It’s their answer to the way forward and the road to redemption. Let the show go on!