The Nexus Of Capitalism And Democracy In Pakistan Keeps Getting Stronger, Is There Any Hope For Change?

Zoha Asim Banday Capitalism is a term which represents an economic or political system run by private owners for gaining personal profits and benefits. Once this approach is adopted in a state, it not only affects a specific sector, rather it tends to embed itself in all the sectors of that state.

For example, if we take into account the situation in Pakistan, it is evident how this factor is affecting the education as well as healthcare systems etc. Nowadays, the youth has only been limited to memorizing the bookish information instead of focusing on the actual essence of the discourse. Students have been set on a path of competition for gaining marks rather than embracing the concepts that are being taught to them which might be beneficial for them in the future. The teachers are also not sincere in their jobs as they are getting their paychecks whether they properly teach the students or not. As long as the students keep bringing in good grades resulting in more admissions, they have less regard for how much knowledge they are obtaining.

Another drawback is that ideal states and information about other countries are being promoted more in our curriculum instead of our own, which makes these students completely unaware of the things going on in their state. Similarly, hospitals have also become places of business instead of institutions that provide healthcare. It has become impossible for average people to access even basic healthcare services without a hefty sum of money being demanded from them. If we focus on what kind of capitalism is being followed at the state level in Pakistan, it is evidently crony capitalism. In this type of capitalism, the resources are not spent just for monetary gains but rather on a conglomeration of the elite and the politicians. This means that monetary investments are made in the campaigns of political leaders; as money is a major factor in politics and in return, vocational benefits are acquired e.g. laws and policies being framed in a way that proves beneficial for them.

In its worst state, crony capitalism gives rise to corruption where political entities are given bribes to get benefits. Sadly, our country has gotten far ahead in this stage, many politicians have been charged with corruption and many more are being suspected. Still, no hard and fast rules have been made to deal with this issue once and for all.Pakistan is said to have a democratic form of government. Democracy means that the citizens of the country have the power to elect a politician of their choice to run the state and also question them if things start to go south. However, if the current scenario is observed, the freedom that the citizens are entitled to, is being compromised for the personal gains of politicians and the elite class. Even when crucial decisions are being made concerning the welfare of the citizens, they are not consulted. The people in power sit together in an enclosed room and make all the decisions for them. Therefore, these decisions are seen to be favourable for themselves instead of the people. Everyone in the political race is power-hungry; they have no empathy or even remorse for mistreating their voters. This shows that democracy is far from its true form, it only exists on paper and in certain aspects like elections when votes are being demanded but that is also debatable as usually cases of rigged voting are heard.

Capitalism is said to go hand in hand with the democracy of a state. They are claimed to be two sides of a coin but even though, it plays a necessary role in democracy, political inequality and violation of liberty are also observed consequently.

A well-known example of how capitalism is threatening the democratic ideology, can be the sugar industries and their relations with the politicians of Pakistan. Annually, the government announces support prices for sugar and wheat which help the farmers, so they can obtain these items at lower prices but it is observed that the mill owners are enjoying the perks of this more than those it is meant for. This makes the farmers’ conditions even worse than before by causing a surge in food prices and general price levels. It also contributes to a rise in sugar prices locally in comparison to international prices which leads the government to provide them with subsidies. This shows the conglomeration between sugar mill owners and the political elite of our country. The lower class might shift from 2 meals a day to only 1 but the elite class won’t have to face any difficulties and that’s all they care about.

Despite all this going on in the country, the citizens are yet to raise their voices against these crucial issues and the ones who do are unceremoniously silenced. If this mindset remains in play, it is going to be detrimental to the country in the long run. We are headed towards a dark tunnel from where there is no turning back. Looking at these conditions, it seems like there is no hope for even a light at the end of the tunnel since it will only worsen with time. No one cares about the betterment of the country or its citizens, all they care about is their own pockets, and as long as they are filled, they remain satisfied.

https://en.humsub.com.pk/4014/the-nexus-of-capitalism-and-democracy-in-pakistan-keeps-getting-stronger-is-there-any-hope-for-change/