Validation doesn’t do much for me since I am quite happy being the odd one out. But on that rainy evening in an airport lounge I pressed a former finance minister about what he thought of China’s growth model. I argued that China’s model is dangerous for Pakistan for it may contribute to our disintegration. The gentleman looked at me and said, ‘I wish people would realise that it would be unsustainable. Let’s hope we don’t follow them.’
My discomfort with Pakistan’s fascination with China is almost second nature to me. For years, I have heard rich business leaders and dictators sing praises of that country’s economic growth model without seriously engaging with the dangers it poses for our country and our future generations.
Don’t get me wrong. There is every reason that all of us should be interested in studying China and its staggering economic growth. The number of Chinese that have been lifted out of poverty account for an overwhelmingly large proportion of the global decline in poverty. There is a lot to be fascinated by but there are other statistics and facts that the admirers of China often fail to discuss, quite deliberately.
China’s economy is probably more open now than ever before but behind it lurks the shadow of The Communist Party (‘The Party’) that is loathe to openness unless it leads to riches. As Richard McGregor notes in his eminently readable The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers, the Chinese story is fascinating not just because of the economic miracle but because of the survival skills adopted by The Party to maintain the authoritarian powers of old-style communism. Whereas in the past The Party acted overtly, it now prefers to be in the background — safe in the knowledge that it can pull the strings till it is absolutely necessary to be visible. It recruits top students and professionals today whereas in the past it recruited farmers and peasants. This ‘network’ of protecting The Party and brutally punishing dissidents is entrenched. Those accused of bribery or fraud first have to appear before The Party and are not handed over to the justice system till The Party says so. Many of the so-called ‘democratic’ parties in China are controlled by The Party that appoints the leaders of these parties and controls their budgets.
Put simply, there is no State without The Party. The Party is the State and, well, the State is what The Party says it is. There is no pretence of an independent judiciary. In 2009, China’s Supreme People’s Court issued a report to the People’s Congress which stated that judges must remain loyal — in this particular order — to the Party, the State, the masses and finally the law.
My discomfort with China’s model stems from what McGregor calls the ‘take-it-or-leave-it compact with society’. It forces people into submission, by taking away all choice and presents them economic opportunity. That is manifestly unjust but all is not rosy with economic opportunity either. Chinese society, as measured by the Gini coefficient, is increasingly unequal; more unequal than the US or the UK. A recent Human Rights Watch Report brings to light the injustice caused by China’s ‘Hukou system’: household registration that allows people access to work, healthcare and education in the cities. This means that more than 200 million of migrant workers from rural areas cannot benefit from the facilities available to those in the cities. The Party violates fundamental human rights such as freedom of movement and discriminates at whim. Millions of children are ‘missing’ because of the abuse of the one-child policy. Pakistanis who seek to rationalise all of this occupy a convenient world where money guards against all discomforts.
There is no shortage of the rich in Pakistan who are obsessed with the Chinese model. Their ignorance may be deliberate but we ignore such voices at our own peril. There is a certain class in the Pakistani society that, just like the military, will always be comfortable because it can co-opt those in power. They will always buy their comforts — at the most they will just be tossing more money. This is a class that you might hear yearning for the Chinese model in the most vocal manner. Why? Because this class has no stake in the political voice of millions, because it does not have a stake in the politics of this country. They will never have to worry about education or health care since it’s a question of money and not access.
Pakistan cannot survive, at least as an integrated federation, without fulfilling the promise of political empowerment of the disillusioned provinces, especially KPK and Balochistan. The Party in China is arrogant and thinks it knows what is best for the country. That will not work here. We cannot allow it to work. The federation cannot afford to impose upon the provinces what ‘is best’. We need to break down existing walls rather than erect new ones. Sustainable progress is based on diversity and not on authoritarian uniformity. We don’t need the Chinese model. I’d rather have my country with a sustained inclusive growth model rather than be rich tomorrow and disintegrated the day after.
The writer is a Barrister of Lincoln’s Inn and practices in Lahore. He has a special interest in Anti-trust / Competition law. He can be reached at wmir.rma@gmail.com