All men recognise the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable. Henry David Thoreau.
The current federal and provincial governments, across the country, are unable and, or, unwilling to protect the life and liberty of the people of the country. Drones attacks kill Pakistani citizens and the state has done nothing against that. In fact, many people believe the state has agreed to this foreign aggression against its own citizens. There are no accounts even of how many combatants versus non-combatants have been killed in the drone attacks. Thousands of citizens of the country are missing or under arrest of agencies and military forces without access to due process of law and without any clear right to a fair trial. There have been many extra-judicial killings by the state in Pakistan.
Killings have become a norm in Karachi. Abductions for ransom happen across the country. The deterioration of law and order, across the country is for all to see. Suicide attacks and bomb explosions are a routine. The state cannot protect the citizens. In fact, it is running so scared that all of its energies go in protecting the VIPs and even at that the state has not been very successful: the assassination of the Governor of Punjab is a telling example of the failure.
On the economic front, the state had been unable to manage the economy effectively. Inflation is out of control and has been so for a long time. The deficit is too high and macroeconomic imbalances are threatening the viability of our society. And not just the poor but the middle class is hurting too. It is hard to maintain even a rudimentary standard of living for the majority of the people in the country.
On a typical winter day, with no electricity or access to gas supply for extended periods, resultantly with no access to water supply as well, CNG rationing 2-3 days a week, with poor law and order situation and poor job situation and outlook, it is not clear what the government can take credit for and why we are paying a hefty percentage of the national expenditure on government machinery.
When tow young people are murdered in Lahore and another one crushed to death the state tries its best to find excuses to not protect the rights of its citizens.
At the same time, stories of corruption and amassing of wealth by the few and the powerful abound. Whether it be retired and serving generals or bureaucrats living like lords, businessmen taking benefits of protections and subsidies, politicians being involved in corruption (the Prime Ministers son is being summoned in the Hajj scandal case) the story is the same: one of inefficiency, corruption and incompetence. Should the people still hold allegiance to the state?
Thoreau is clear on when the state should expect the people to refuse allegiance to the state. Are we in such a situation? I think the time for allegiance is long gone. We need to tell the state and the elites of the country that ultimately authority for state apparatus and governance mechanisms comes from the people and whether the people give this right to the state or not is also a decision of the people. It is time to stand up against the tyranny of corruption, inefficiency, incompetence and ineptitude.
The state and those who benefit from this state will never be able to see the justification of holding the state in contempt and they will never see the point of people stepping outside the bounds of the law. But, most recently, we have seen the example of what happened in Egypt. If the people had not defied the curfew, if they had not braved the initial onslaughts of the secret police and the civilian law enforcement agencies, Egypt could not have gotten rid of the strong man Mubarak. But, in the end, how weak was Mubarak? If the people do step out, in large enough numbers, the situation can change in days. We saw some of that in Pakistan in the movement against Musharraf too.
Nobody is saying that such a move would not be costly for quite a few people. Even though the change in Egypt was rapid still hundreds lost their lives, thousands were injured and the economic loss to the country has also been substantial, and, most importantly, it is still not clear whether they will end up with a governance system that reflects the aspirations of the people of Egypt faithfully. But, it is also true that freedom demands a price: those who are benefiting from a corrupt system will not give up on it easily and will not be willing to hold themselves accountable to the people. Their hold on the system will have to be challenged and broken and this is never a costless or pretty process. But a life of slavery is not an option either.
The people of Pakistan have suffered for long and a lot. Irrespective of form of government or party in power, they have been milked. But, like any other people they deserve better: they deserve a governance system that is accountable to them. It is time to create such a system. The current beneficiaries will resist the attempts to change, but this inertia and resistance has to be overcome. If it does not happen peacefully, it will have to be done violently. But it is time for this change. We owe it to ourselves and our children.
The writer is an Associate Professor of Economics at LUMS (currently on leave) and a Senior Advisor at Open Society Foundation (OSF). He can be reached at [email protected].
