Pak Tea House » Army, Democracy, Elections, Islamabad, Judiciary, Parliament » Our Educated White Collar Class, Qadri Freak Show and Democracy
Our Educated White Collar Class, Qadri Freak Show and Democracy
Raza Habib Raja
I remember watching a standup comedy by Bill Maher who I think is one of the wittiest political satirists. One of his normal practice is to mock Americans, particularly, the Republicans for their dumbness. At one point he said, “ Oh America, I can never leave you, you amuse me.”
Well If Mr. Maher was to visit Pakistan, I am sure he would immediately understand that for entertainment purpose, nothing even comes close to Pakistan.
Imagine this: A Mullah with dubious credentials materializes out of nowhere and asks his followers to march to Islamabad to force dissolution of all the governments and formation of a caretaker government who would first cleanse the system.
He apparently has the financial as well as logistical backing. And he further complicates the situation by presenting demands that no government can meet.
Pakistani media starts covering the grand circus and so media gullible this urban middleclass is that even the most educated start feeling teary eyed as the procession swells.
We want change!
The fact that elections are just a few months away does not mean anything. This urban middleclass is afraid that “illiterate” masses will again vote the same corrupt people back into power. They hate Zardari and also nihari eating Nawaz Sharif. Many of them love Supreme Court, armed forces and Imran Khan. Some of them say they don’t support Tahir ul Qadri but love the fact that he has managed to bring people on the street.
Many of them actually wanted Imran Khan to join the sit in protest and were irked by his refusal. I read some of the youngsters saying that Imran was wasting a historical opportunity by not joining in. They love Imran but rather than voting for him against parties in a general election they want him to join a freak show and force the government out.
So by bringing people on the street you can simply topple the government and create a “care taker” government which would clean the system. None of them were even realizing that you can not just dissolve a sitting parliament. Such dissolution can only come through a political consensus involving the sitting parliament members as well as the Prime Minister. They already have plans of caretaker government in place and after a long time a sitting parliament is about to go through a transition.
People want change!
A friend of mine (belonging to the white collar middleclass) media articulated this on social media
..Democracy is supposed to be ‘Government of the people for the people…’ and if its not then to hell with it…Its simply a rhetoric in an autocratic society to perpetuate the dynastic rule of the haves and sooth the egos of self enlightened pseudo intellectuals who don’t even know that daily earning of the majority of the people in this country is less than the cost of one cup of their mocha latte.”
These words!!
And yet these apparently beautiful words are so contradictory..
What my friend is simply overlooking is that it is the common man who actually votes for PPP and PML N. While being critical of “self enlightened pseudo intellectuals” ( I am PROUDLY one of those pseudo intellectuals) and alleging that they don’t know the reality, he does not even acknowledge that these parties are voted into power by the same less than latte earning masses.
And yet, he calls those as pseudo intellectuals who are trying to defend the common man’s right to vote and assumes that they don’t know and he knows!!!
And what exactly does he know?
So pseudo intellectuals (like me) by trying to defend a common man’s right to vote and be an effective stakeholder do not understand the miseries of the common man!
Bravo!!!!
This status sums the general mentality of our urban middleclass……
Ok…..
Here is the biggest issue. System cannot be cleaned through institutions which are not elected and don’t have the confidence of a broader base. Their changes in the absence of some direct input form the electorate won’t even last as those who come into power will have every reason to roll back all the steps taken.
Change of a lasting nature does not occur through these methods but through elections. If you want better people then vote them into power. Once in power they can actually make a difference. And that difference is long lasting as well.
What they forget is that Pakistan’s history is replete with such endeavours which have always ended up doing opposite to what was intended. These set ups always end up making the unelected more powerful. And while so called corrupt” politicians are still directly or indirectly accountable, these caretakers are virtually insulated from pressures.
But most importantly these setups end up longer than originally declared which is hardly surprising. Since they fear backlash once out, so the only way of survival is through clinging on to power.
And for that they have to continue taking unconstitutional measures. So in the end democracy itself is compromised.
But then does this class want democracy in the first place? Some of they will say yes though without any sort of conviction whereas others will simply point out that democracy is sham, dynastic and not it in its try form which is of no help to the common man.
Generally their case against democracy is that due to illiteracy Pakistan is not ready for democracy. They claim that illiterate people cannot make a rational and informed choice. Moreover, politicians are ‘corrupt’ and use the public mandate as a justification for their excesses. According to the skeptics politicians are obliging and consequently good governance is compromised.
To begin with it is true that politicians are obliging but this phenomenon is culturally rooted. Pakistan is after all still an agricultural society with a social structure which thrives on contact building and obliging those contacts. This culture is apparently more prominent during democratic rule as people who have voted expect to be obliged in return. These expectations which are chiefly cultural adversely affect the governance quality and have given rise to merit violations in job allocations and awarding of contracts etc.
Politicians who are actually under pressure to oblige their voters, the army and even the opposition appear to be well insulated from such pressures. This apparent ‘non political” disciplined look creates the impression of honesty and impartiality.
However, a deeper look would blatantly expose this fallacy. Yes, the political class may have been obliging but so have the military governments. They may have shown some impartiality in the beginning but soon they were indulging in even blatant nepotism which has still not even come to light due to media censorship.
What people often overlook is that political government always has some stake in maintaining a politically appealing image and in the medium to long term this stake ensures that it is responsive to allegations of corruption -provided we give it a chance to last more than two years.
Eventually a political government feels the heat and tries to rectify the issues. Right now I am aware that a lot of fuss is being made by some anchors about political government not ‘honouring’ the Supreme Court’s decisions. Yes, the government is showing reluctance but gradually is ceding and trying to at least partially oblige. Let me remind them that Musharraf regime by contrast simply dismissed the courts and put the judges under house arrest! And during Zia’s time, courts under pressure convicted Bhutto on flimsy evidence. Political governments no matter how ‘corrupt’ they are cannot just overrule courts the way military governments do.
A standard objection to democracy is that the voters in Pakistan are not informed and mature to keep a check on the government. Widespread low literacy is a fact in Pakistan and this fact is often used as a justification for claims that masses cannot be trusted with something as “sacred” and important as vote. More importantly it is argued by some that ‘sophisticated’ issues like foreign policy, fiscal policy etc need high degree of education on the part of the voter.
Here I have several objections, in addition to the fact that this opinion smacks of a condescending attitude towards the marginalized.
Firstly, in no system in the world do voters alone keep a check on the government. Voters mainly appraise a government’s overall performance. The check is kept by the media, civil society and other institutions. Fortunately, these institutions have developed considerably in recent times in Pakistan. Media and Judiciary are fiercly critical of the government and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to just close a blind eye to their concern.
The poor and illiterate have to be given the right to vote to make them a stakeholder in the political system. Without their stake and participation, they will be further marginalized. It is their enormous stake which only democracy through universal suffrage ensures and which forces the government to be responsive to them. Yes, you can argue that they are not in a position to vote on complicated policy issues, but votes are seldom cast by anyone on policies. Votes are eventually cast on the actual performance of the government measured in terms of improving overall standards of living. The poor and illiterate are as qualified as anyone else to judge that.
Punishing them by taking away their right to vote will simply discourage the government in giving due attention to their livelihoods. It is democracy which through participation ensures that their problems are brought into notice. No technocratic government can be a responsive government without democratic process.
I will supplement this with a historic example. Ayub’s regime emphasized high growth rates but completely ignored the poor.
The decade of development ended up being the decade of marginalization as well. Development and industrial growth took place but without substantial improvements in the livelihoods of the poor. Since Ayub’s regime was not democratic it was never concerned with whether the fruits of that high growth were equitably distributed.
Ultimately, Ayub’s regime left a Pakistan polarized and the poor responded by participating in a popular movement against him. Democracy has this distribution effect which ensures that development is widespread. However it needs time which unfortunately we are not ready to give. I am surprised that often two years of democracy are compared to 10 years of Ayub or Musharraf’s tenures and then statistics which in any case are not comparable are thrown in.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the defense of democracy and the continuation of a normal democratic process is needed to preserve the ethnic fabric of our country. A modern ethnically diverse state needs democracy. Democracy is not merely a system of governance, it is a proper forum where dialogue can take place between various ethnicities and terms can be negotiated and renegotiated. No dictatorship or for that matter unelected technocratic government can tap those voices for discourse at the national level.
Ethnic diversity needs uninterrupted democracy. Sabotaging the process merely increases the ethnic rift when the President of the country hails from a small province. Let’s not forget that Ayub Khan’s tenure instilled hatred in the Bengalis while Muharraf’s tenure angered the Baloch.
I will make the following appeal.
Dear Educated class..
Learn to engage….there are people who are less privileged than you are! Don’t insult them..
OK if you love Imran Khan….Vote for him rather than asking him to join a freak show!!!
And Imran….Thank God you did not join..
You have a future…
Long Live Pakistan!
Filed under: Army, Democracy, Elections, Islamabad, Judiciary, Parliament · Tags: Democracy, house, judges, Musharraf
26 Responses to "Our Educated White Collar Class, Qadri Freak Show and Democracy"
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- Rex Minor
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May 26, 2013 at 12:06 am
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Brilliant defense of democracy! Even skeptics like me are having second thoughts.
Though it is a tad too long. Should have tried to keep it short
[...] available for review. By their fruits shall ye know them. But we are all human. We have to hope. http://pakteahouse.net/2013/01/17/our-educated-white-collar-class-qadri-freak-show-and-democracy/ This entry was posted in Uncategorized by omar. Bookmark the [...]
Sorry, RHR. You have been away too long from Pakistan or you haven’t been watching the right TV Channels. Righteous statements about defence of Democracy and all that are very commendable but politically naive. The reality is that Dr. Tahirul Qadri has manouvered himself artfully on the national and international stage and secured a say in the caretaker set- up. Three weeks ago we were all googling his name, today he is a household word in Pakistan. Imran Khan made the biggest blunder of his life and the Shareefs have been sold a lolly by the Master Asif Zardari again. Dr. Qadri will now enter Karachi too as a hero. They will be scrambling to share the stage with him.
@ Amin
The article was not an analysis of the motives of TUQ but on the way the urban middleclass was cheering him. Yes you may be right about what have you written above. But the article was an introspection about democracy.
Regards
Raza
Yes what you are saying about motives of long march..well Yes you have a point there!!!
Great writing Raza!
@ Amjad Cheema
Thanks
But frankly Amin has a point
rex,end result is zero,islamabad m arch could not fetch anything.agreement witjout anyguarantee has no meaning.his followers suffered in subfreezing temperature and sold their household…….. Leo Strauss, who died in 1973,
believed that in order to control the ignorant masses, the elite should tell
lies.
Strauss believed that “those who are fit to rule are those who
realize there is no morality and that there is only one natural right – the
right of the superior to rule over the inferior.”
Rulers need to go in
for “perpetual deception.”
most mortant rulers need to press the right buttons at right time on:
Crime and Punishment
Patriotism
Race
Homosexuality
Tajender,
Amin has a point, even RHR agrees with, who calls Qadri a mullah! Now you are quoting a Mullah of the jewish religion, the orthodox jew, who stated that “Orthodoxy must always remain an option equaly as defensible as unbelief”. He was a zionist and stated that political zionism is probemetic for obvious reasons but I can never forget what it achieved as a moral force.
He is not the only one who regarded people, masses as ignorants, there have been others and there will be more in future, Lincoln introduced the draft for the new yorkers with exemptions for the blacks and the rich, considering the masses made up of poor Irish and German workers as ignorants. And the New Yorkers rioted I believe in 1863 and confronted Lincoln army. No sir, people are not ignorants, it is the politicians who take masses as ignorants and this is the serious mistake to underestimate a human who was born with a brilliant piece of brain and other major organs with billions of nerves and cells which facilitate communication and provides the individual to act for self protection.
Mr Qadri has said his piece brilliantly and without causing violence, it is upto the Govt. now how they act next in future? The road is long and the past history of the political leadership is known. The Zia or Bhutto way or the one which the founder of the Nation had foeseen for them.
Rex Minor
@ rex
when I said Amin has a point it is with reference to his assessment of the motives of qadri and the way ruling coalition has manuovered everything.
Just to clarify
RHR,
I am with you! Qadri made a point and has secured a place in the caretaker set up. At the end the ball is with the ruling coalition and People will remain on the receivig end. Demcracy remains the uiversal right course for the humanity. But polititions must be compelled to remain transparent and account for their actions. Pakisan political elites do not yet take political responsibiity for the mishaps which take place on their watch.Your favourite ruling Govt. does not have the moral authority to rule after the massacre of the minorities in the country and the corruption charges against them. This is the feature of democracy and if not followed damages the offices of the democratic institutions.
Rex Minor
“those who are fit to rule are those who realize there is no morality and that there is only one natural right – the right of the superior to rule over the inferior.”
Rulers need to go in for “perpetual deception.” Most mortant rulers need to press the right buttons.”
DISGRACEFUL. EVEN A MULLA IS BETTER THAN YOU. DON’T TEACH PAKISTAN DISGRACEFUL THINGS. YOU BRING SHAME TO MANKIND AND HARM TO PAKISTAN.
Darbari abraHara00mic G0masti produces Mulla in suitboot such as Jinna. There is no need to know Arabi, or not eat pork. What you need is to take in your MohMad Anglo’s stiff Churchill when you run away to Anglo land. Jinna did that for 6 years. Now this qadri chap has done. Abra99h00arami aremed legions come with a book in hand..ask you to kneel down to pray… when we open your eyes the book is in your hand, stiff churchill is in your MohMad and they have all the resources. Jai Ho Arabi and Anglo Baniye.
Is this Tajender a Brahmin? He wants to rule over the rest of us by pressing our buttons. That is why he is always cursing Brahmins so he can replace them.
Worse than scum and sh%t this Tajender is. Pakistanis don’t want lords to rule over us anymore. Throw out bums like Tajender.
I want to post this here as the accused sound to be of Pakistani origin:
Nine UK based men with muslim names alleged to have raped six girls, inc. 12y old and 14y old
Quote:
Mr Lucas said that on one occasion Mohammed Karrar heated a hair pin with a lighter and branded the girl with the letter M on her buttock to show she belonged to him.
“If she had the courage to resist, he beat her. He branded her to make her his property and to ensure others knew it.”
The court heard Mr Karrar would charge men between £400 and £600 to use the girl.
Another 14-year-old girl was burned with a lighter and threatened if she refused to have sex with men, the court heard.
The court has previously heard the group of men deliberately targeted vulnerable young girls with troubled upbringings which made it less likely anyone would be looking out for them.
The defendants are:
Kamar Jamil, 27, of Aldwych Road, Oxford
Akhtar Dogar, 32, of Tawney Street, Oxford; and his brother Anjum Dogar, 30, of Tawney Street, Oxford
Assad Hussain, 32, of Ashurst Way, Oxford
Mohammed Karrar, 38, of Kames Close, Oxford; and his brother Bassam Karrar, 33, of Hundred Acres Close, Oxford
Mohammed Hussain, 24, of Horspath Road, Oxford
Zeeshan Ahmed, 27, of Palmer Road, Oxford
Bilal Ahmed, 26, of Suffolk Road, Maidenhead
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2263924/Oxford-sex-gang-victim-aged-11-branded-initial-abuser.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Mulla Tajundari……………………………………………………..i was reading about bapu asaram sree sree and ramdeo,You kick any “spiritually rich” Hindu swami and you can see him vomiting and shitting tons of corrupt money.
It is this Brahminical spiritualism that caused a sudden spurt in scams.
few years ago Brahmana Jati Party president, Nitin Gadkari, a
Brahmin from Nagpur, celebrated his son’s marriage spending Rs.
4 crore or more. From where did he get so much of money? Party leaders
did not question him. Shankaracharis blessed him. Our Brahminical media
(print and electronic) loves corruption stories. The corruption in the
media is a well-known fact. It came to light in the “Nira Radia tapes”.
Most of those figuring in the tapes are Brahminical journalists.
Corruption helps Brahminical rulers to divert attention of the people
from burning issues to stupid non-issues. Social justice is the first
casualty of corruption.
As most of the people caught in corruption cases are small fellows
like SC/ST/BCs and Muslims, it helps the ruling Brahminists, who are the
most corrupt, to crush the enemy.
Mulla Tajundari………………..real face of hindu society………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Chunk-HT-UI-IndiaSectionPage-WakeUpIndia/I-was-battered-bruised-and-blackmailed/Article1-993166.aspx
pakis. there are many such rape-rings there that prey on teenaged white girls. Trapping them initially by posing as being interested in them, then getting them hooked on to drugs and then abusing them sexually. The girls end up so addicted that they even get used to lure other girls into this nightmare. Typical despicable pakis.
Jai Ho MulNiwasi Macaulay aur Turki babar. I will go by the criminal records in Anglosthan…. and personal experiences… not some paid up ga….nnnDDUu media
the money of swamis is not taken to Swiss bank to feed armamament industry in the west which gives AK47 in Kasab hands and firangi thurra bottle in ISI brigadier and also money by which he buys your ammijaan…. Jai ho MohMad and his Darbari Armed G masti
the money of swamis is not taken to Swiss bank
due to computer age swiss bank is not safe.ashrams are better and safe.
Sounds like your country needs you to come back. In the mean time, please cheer up and read this excellent story involving India, Pakistan, and Sotheby’s.
http://shovonc.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/mayawati-issues-handbag-challenge-to-heena-rabbani-khar/
Tajender sh$t, do you only recognize the right of the superior to rule over the inferior by immorally pressing buttons of the masses or not? What are you complaining against others for?
Mulla Tjundari what is your point.tell me clearly.why uare angry with me.india need 100 ghazni and ghori(from IT DEPARTMENT).to take out hidden wealth from temples and ashrams(money laundering centres)and bring it back to circulation.our gdp will exceed the gdp of china.salary of indians will be doubled.properity will have no limit.hinduism is a source of poverty in india.only iskon(cia run) temple make 3 times the profit of colgate( tax free) and smuggle the whole wealth outside.
tajender you seem like some illiterate man. Being a Muslim you believe in the right of the superior to rule over the inferior. You believe in pressing whatever buttons suit you and in using deception. You lie all the time. How are you better than anyone else? You are the worst of the lot. Your Islam is worse than the religion of Brahmins who you say hide money in temples. Why do we even believe what you say is true? Pakistan can do without advice from you.
islam stands for egalitarianism.i dont believe in all these bullshits.what i wrote is brhmnst and zoinist way of deceiving and cheating and ruling the world.
The issue, however, is nothing new. Reservation is a recurring theme in India’s democracy. And Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s embattled government seems to be returning to identity politics at a time when it is badly cornered, thanks to a string of corruption scandals, a ballooning fiscal deficit and low investor sentiment.