Occupy this

People in Pakistan love to hate Uncle Sam. The Land of the Pure may have a troubled relationship with the Land of the Free, but we both forget our respective government policies can repress the masses with equal measure. And despite our display of hatred towards America, Pakistanis certainly don’t waste much time in assimilating whatever strikes their fancy either. But if blue jeans and Hollywood just don’t do it for you anymore, look to the citizens of America for a primer on civil unrest in the twenty first century. If you too have been feeling that the mutual antagonism our countries have been experiencing of late stems from the idea that that all Pakistanis read from Osama’s hymn sheet while all of America speaks for Dubya then you’d be right. But that’s wrong. It turns out that feelings of disenfranchisement and inequities bind us all, regardless of the colour of your passport.

You might not believe it but we share a lot in common with the people of America. The grass may look green on the other side when you’re struggling with a wayward government and twelve hour power outages, but when Americans are not enjoying the freedom of TiVo they tend to reflect on the state of their society as well. And not being content with watching some mindless talk show like we normally would, the people of America seem to have risen up with an Arab Spring in their step. And they call it the Occupy Movement.

Taking cue from the civil unrest in the Middle East, the Occupy Movement started on September 17th with a band of independent activists who harnessed print and social media to get people to occupy the heart of the financial services industry in America – Wall Street. It may just have been a hippy movement to be ignored by the mainstream media had it not been for the endorsement of the movement by the infamous hacker group Anonymous. Best known for bringing the Guy Fawkes mask (seen in the movie “V for Vendetta”) into fashion, the alliance of Anonymous and the Occupy Movement has now caused many to sit up and take notice. Even your favourite columnist didn’t quite appreciate how popular protest had become until the attempt to purchase a Guy Fawkes mask online failed miserably. All stores were completely sold out.

There are many reasons that draw people to occupy Wall Street but there is one common undercurrent to them all. Americans are angry at the inequities prevalent in their society, and they want their voices to be heard. From wealth inequality, corporate greed, and joblessness to mortgage foreclosures and dependence on fossil fuels, protestors in the Occupy Movement may have different problems, but they all stem from a simple realisation that ninety nine per cent of the population doesn’t need to pay for the sins of the one per cent calling all the shots. And this sentiment is not only echoed in over nine hundred cities across America, but is starting to catch on in other countries such as Australia and England as well. As the Occupy Movement picks up steam, it is clearly beginning to cement its position as a legitimate cross-border political movement.

As countries around the world watch the growing discontent in America, they have also leapt on the opportunity to chime in with their own take on the Occupy Movement. For example, China says that the protests have exposed fundamental problems with the economic and political systems in the United States, and that they show a clear need for Washington, which habitually rushes to demand other governments to change when there are popular protests in their countries, to put its own house in order. No surprise that North Korea, Iran and other countries have also followed suit.

But Pakistan doesn’t have to be a silent observer or a mere commentator in the uprising against business as usual.

Long have we been harbouring resentment against the inequities prevalent in our own society, and deploring the lack of means to resolve them. We rely on Janus-faced politicians and corrupt institutions to protect our public interest while a small minority holding the reins of power has a whale of a time at our expense. We lament the greed of profiteering industrialists (many of whom are elected to represent us) without holding them accountable for their misdeeds. So the question for a nation of 160 million people is this – where to Occupy in Pakistan when you’re seething? Will it be Parliament, the Constitution Avenue, the Mall Road, or right outside your not-so-friendly stock exchange? Take your pick.

In order to take control of the future, you will need to turn off the talk show on TV and take to the streets to develop consensus. And here are some tips for the uninitiated. Start to channel your rage and resentment against those that neglect you. Get a Guy Fawkes mask if you can. Don’t forget to grab the mosquito repellent and most importantly – bring tents.

The writer is a consultant on public policy.