By Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur
… Each, though there was more than enough for all, was desirous of appropriating part to himself. Then entered violence, and fraud, and theft, and rapine. Soon after, pride and envy broke out in the world and brought with them a new standard of wealth; for men, who till then, thought themselves rich when they wanted nothing, now rated their demands, not by the calls of nature, but by the plenty of others; and began to consider themselves poor, when they beheld their own possessions exceeded by those of their neighbours. — Dr Samuel Johnson
THE ever-escalating violence, chaos and corruption plaguing us permanently are the overt symptoms of a social meltdown triggered by the incorrigibly corrupt, utterly inefficient and morally bankrupt ruling elite. Its insatiable greed for pelf and power is responsible for the destruction of the norms and values which once provided cohesion to society. As a class it is "essentially bogus", as Gore Vidal once called the Kennedy family.
This class has justified its resort to violence, plunder and illegality on patently false slogans like 'national interest' and 'Pakistan first'. It has used religion and spurious nationalism to browbeat people into silent acceptance of its scandalous ineptitude, despicable autocracy, brutal tyranny and illicit authority. It has grossly misused state authority for its personal agendas under the guise of patriotism.
The biggest disservice the elite did to society was that it deliberately and systematically destroyed all the moral, cultural, social and political values which could act as a deterrent to its iniquitous acquisition of pelf and power. These mores and norms had effectively checked many social evils for centuries.
Now this wilful destruction of the social fabric has created a social, moral and cultural vacuum, leaving the people without moorings and creating an ideal environment for the 'essentially bogus' lot to thrive in. It has left society rudderless and at the mercy of the turbulent sea of moral, ethical and political bankruptcy.
The basic social unit, the family, has lost its influence and hastened the meltdown. Previously where the writ of the government ended, the writ of the family used to take over. But in present-day Pakistan neither governmental writ nor the influence of the family prevails. Thus family and community disapproval, which had an effective deterrent value at one time, are now disregarded. The rulers have willy-nilly become the role models, their vice being adopted as virtue by the people.
The callousness of the elite has created a sense of alienation, deprivation and desperation among the have-nots who constitute the majority, so much so that whenever an opportunity arises they go on an indiscriminate frenzied rampage of destruction and looting. Economically dispossessed people carry a grudge against society and have no interest in preserving it.
The trend of violence here is the direct outcome of the rulers' mindset. The state's use and justification of indiscriminate force on flimsy pretexts has prompted some individuals, outfits and factions to consider it perfectly legitimate to use force to impose their views and writ on those who refuse to conform.
People have been cowed down into submission and passivity due to the mistrust of the rulers and the breakdown of institutions. Disenchanted and disillusioned, they have even abdicated their right to resist injustices and excesses. The fact that no one resists when crimes take place in crowded places like city bazaars and on buses demonstrates the apathy — and dread — that the elite's brazenness and heartlessness has spawned.
The ruling elite's corruption is a bane for the country. 'Primitive' societies followed rigid codes to ensure their survival. Theft (read corruption) and indiscriminate violence were taboo in those societies. Here there is neither a code nor the state to regulate life. People indulging in indiscriminate and wanton violence and brazen corruption could do well to learn from the Dayaks of Borneo, who were famous for cutting and shrinking the heads of enemies to display as coveted trophies.
The Dayak headhunters considered it immoral to kill someone they didn't know or didn't have a score to settle with. They were perplexed to know that people used bombs to kill and maim strangers with whom they had no feud. It was something reprehensible and revolting to them.
The Dayaks, bound by their societal codes, were a lot more civil and refined in their violence than some people residing within the boundaries of this Islamic Republic where violence and corruption is as wanton as it is irrational and immoral. I leave it to the readers to decide if the Dayaks were uncultured barbarians or if it is the 'essentially bogus' ruling elite here who qualify for that inauspicious title. |
