Grassroots Or, Short of That, Middle Class Roots
To both Pakistanis, and outsiders, the country can look like one daunting, seemingly unsolvable puzzle.
The formula for democracy is certainly no mystery. If all Pakistanis are to live in a country in which they have the opportunity not just to survive, but to flourish, then they need access to resources and capital (both financial, and social, i.e. education), free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, the right to air grievances against the government (and any other authority, for that matter), and a crackdown on political corruption. The government must lead by example, if we want an open society based on meritocracy on all levels.
Naturally, that requires a head of State who is not corrupt. A crackdown on government corruption is only possible if the leader of this campaign is him or herself incorruptible. Given the cliche that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” then not only are true checks and balances necessary on the head of State necessary, but must apply across the board to all authoritative bodies. If all are not equal before the law, the law is useless.
So how do we determine who is incorruptible and fit to lead? The classic answer is also plain and well-known – moral authority. This often translates as charismatic authority.
In Pakistan, this generally means brandishing one’s Islamic credentials by showing how passionately devoted one is to Muslims, and showing how strict one is in following Islam, say with hajj photo-ops, or public denunciations of personal immorality (one’s actual private behavior not withstanding). Also, it means dressing up, on the right occasion, in traditional clothing, donning the karakul, pakol or any other topi, and of course the shalwar kameez. A populist Sufism, that which is supposed to be based on love and humility, can be brought into it, which translates into fiery displays of passion and piety towards Muslim figures and the Ummah. The age-old urge to brandish charismatic leaders with a supernatural aura – being blessed by divine powers – is mixed in with Sufism as well.
One does not have to be a Muslim to avoid financial corruption or work for a fairer, more open society. A good leader can follow the five pillars of Islam, or the moral injunctions of another religion. It does not matter what clothes they wear, or what family they come from, given that they don’t put their family loyalty above the good of the country. A good leader can pray in a mosque, a church, a gurdwara, or mandir. All that is needed for a leader of such integrity is rationalism, transparency, and a deep-seated belief in fairness.
Further, the campaign to rid the society of all corruption (let’s just say financial corruption, and not questionable matters of personal morality) can no longer rely on top-down leadership. There has to be a ground swell. The poor are, well, too dis-empowered and demoralized to attempt such a campaign. The wealthy elite are often too apathetic, or corrupt themselves, to do it. The middle class, who have the means, and the power of the ballot, seem to hold the reigns.
And the middle class is rather conservative, socially and religiously. Campaigns against corruption will have to be tied to an Islam that is strict and politicized. The broader values and spirit of the religion can be subverted in the name of an Islamic revolution.
The way out is a liberal reform of education. The very thing the conservatives, such that they allow education at all, fight tooth and nail against.
This puzzle might not be unsolvable, but it’s not hard to see what so many find it daunting!
