The politics of political economics

I have raised a serious question as to leadership positions in the political system of Pakistan. To expect miracles from them is like asking for the moon. One has been GM -gang man or coolie in the Pakistan Railways, another has been a waiter in Larosh restaurant in Karachi, while one was a meter reader, while one used the metal industry and posted ghost vendor production slips of ‘made in Austria’ on the machines. If the social history of these democrats is compiled there would be many skeletons coming out of the cupboards. With this kind of genesis of our leaders where is the country supposed to go. Between these leaders major decisions are taken. Where does this leave Pakistan and its complex social population? The options then are only to look forward to the future in the proximity of one’s nose. Since one can only smell one’s own therefore these policies are devised for the nose system. CMs have a habit of defending whatever they have done in the past and the present and some of them have the cheek to talk of the future as well. Half gods have arrived in politics of Pakistan. The lacklustre performance of the budget is one of those things that will continue because we have accountants on the fore. While at the London Business School I enquired as to the future of the chartered accountants from an Australian accounts teacher and he said that the job of these persons like him is to put up figures but the interpretation is with the political policymakers. UK’s political masters are totally different from the ones that we have. They give their people who have missed in life another chance should they want to avail it. Ruskin College only admits people from the shop floor and the second condition is that they must be forty years of age. Imagine Oxford providing these facilities. Ours do not even have the ability to go to a ‘tat’ school much less a university of such a calling. Our inflexibility is in our education system and now in the Higher Education system. May God keep our nationals away from these institutions.

Skipper Kardar was not only my cricket captain but also someone with whom one could go into intellectual exercise. The importance of sports is not very well understood in Pakistan. None of our politicians has played sports and those that have were fictitiously involved. They belong to the trumpet club. It is in sports that one learns to respect one’s opponents and to compete. Unfortunately positive action from sports has never been transferred to other walks of life. I was once asked to present at an international Psychological conference on the psychology of a cricketer (hopefully the paper is in the archives of the Psychology department of Government University College). This was the year 1966 and the paper was understandably the talk of the town. Four cricketers figured in this – psychological analysis Sir Donald Bradman, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall and Hafeez Kardar. Except for Sir Donald Bradman (whom I later met in 1973-4-5). The others I met though Skipper Kardar. I used relevant Rubiyaat from Omar Khayam to illustrate their psychological traits. At that time the behavioural school of Skinner was at its zenith. Since then there has been no effort to link psychology with cricket and have not seen any literate discourse on the joinder of these two subjects.

But you will ask me what has to do with the current topic. And I will try and make a linkage for you. Are we a fair and equitable nation? Are our politicians filled with humility? Are our politicians haughty? Are we not dictators of the first order? Can we have people within the political system that are capable of debate within themselves? Is PML (N) capable of this internal orderly disorder? Has our educational system made any dents on the tyranny in our political system? In India there are Vajpayee and Advani who can come on board and tell the BJP PM to learn humility and to eat the humble pie? All of them have been to jail and talk of the advantages of jail and the ability to reflect on what they might have done wrong. To reflect is to improve. But reflectivity is not with us. We are children of a mightier god and therefore do nothing wrong.

So our politicians have developed credibility? Have they? Are they all ears or are they all eyes and/or are they neither with eyes nor with ears? How can the political economy develop with the deaf and the dumb? They have opened up the flood gates with India and the farmers of this country have suffered as a result. They have refused to understand the concepts of governance and how to balance the use of limited resources. Cognitive ability is a far cry as it is more complicated. The political parties’ self aggrandisement has led not only the Punjab CM using taxpayers rupees 50 crores for his self projection but also Sindh CM following likewise. Today as I write this the news is coming through that 110 officers of the Sindh government including two Chief Secretaries and a number of Board of Revenue officials have taken bail before arrest. A deputy Co-ordination officer is driving his Porsche with impunity. Punjab’s bureaucracy will follow suit and it’s only a matter of time.

Why is the election commission not examining the assets of politicians? Why are they not asking as to how they landed up with these kinds of assets? Some of them were paupers and now are rolling in money. I am not in the habit of making allegations. I have these asset copies with me. Why ask for these assets if you are not going to do anything about them. Will you wait for cozier times to implement them? Where is your courage? Can you visualise that one of them has made an admission that he took two crores as loan from his cousin? The prize bonds are a means to hide black money. There are other personal things that I know about him but would not like to divulge. I have always maintained that there is no crime between consenting individuals. The politicians aside the bureaucracy have to be sorted out.

The supreme court of India has put a ban on advertisement by a political party out of taxpayers’ money. At least acknowledge that India is ahead of us in many ways in the deliberations on democracy. No, since we hate them therefore they can do nothing right. In modern day what is this kind of rationalisations? What logic?

Why should anyone invest when this is the state of affairs in Pakistan? The textile industry with all that GSP Plus factors that the President with his good offices managed with the EU has failed once again. The crony capitalism that is going on is minus all efforts at the industrial sector standing on their own two feet. The quest for money has led the Punjab government to levy a tax on agriculture. Fine. Anyone who earns any sum of money that is taxable should be taxed. But when the tax is taken please try and give the agriculturists the same facilities that you give to urbanites. I do not know of any FM – federal or provincial – that has knowledge of rural areas. In one case (Shaukat Aziz) I offered to lodge him in a double bedroom in a village. The other occupant would be a water buffalo. He refused the offer. I repeat none of them has any idea of rural areas. Our rural people are suffering and the latest to feel that pinch are eleven villages of Cholistan as these are going to be brought in to the Lal Sohara Park. Why? Lal Sohara Park is the camp David of the Pakistani politicians (specifically PML-N) and that is where they find solace with various kinds of nefarious and pleasurable activities.

Politics is not a dirty game. It has immense potential but then one friend remarked that when potential is not realised we are all horizontal in the grave. So if our potential is not realised we will be in the graveyard. Try and understand the requirement of political economics. It has its roots in Adam Smith’s discourse on economics and to remind you he was actually a professor of moral jurisprudence. The state actors must learn to behave themselves. It will not be easy to get away from your actions in the future. Fata, Balochistan, Sindh and many other parts of Pakistan are going to join in unless policies are improved and the unequal, mean and rapacious actions are removed. You, politicians have used the instruments of government, to increase hate and satisfy your prejudices. Every judicial action that you have taken is malicious. The instruments of government are not hand-maidens of the government of the day. Beware the wrath of the people. But then you have never served in former East Pakistan so how could you understand the wrath of the people. When local operations are finalised and when you have exterminated the unwanted criminal let me know. This is hedonistic policy that has been tested for centuries and found weak and wanting; the Charleston shooting in the Southern USA is a remnant of Lincoln’s successful elimination of slavery. It has not gone as yet three hundred years later. A destructive mindset can never have a positive effect. Alas for the lessons of history!! Lament can never be a part of public policy!! Period.