In a scathing criticism of the Pakistani elite, the former director of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Pakistan Marc-André Franche, said the only way a critical change could happen in the country was when the influential, the politicians and the wealthy, would sacrifice short term, individual and family interests for the benefit of the nation.
“You cannot have an elite that takes advantage of very cheap and uneducated labour when it comes to making money, and when it is time to party it is found in London, and when it’s time to buy things it is in Dubai, and when it’s time to buy property it invests in Dubai or Europe or New York. The elite needs to decide do they want a country or not,” Franche said, according to the Business Recorder. (Express Tribune, 30/08/2016)
Comment:
If anyone examines Pakistan by looking at natural resources, fertile land, man power etc it should not be in the dire state that it is in. In this criticism, many facets of Pakistani society have been examined and inadequacies highlighted. By stating facts or observations alone we do not come to a comprehensive analysis nor a clear solution. So, whilst the UNDP Director will leave Pakistan with some unpleasant and some nice memories, the state of affairs cannot change just by stirring the conscious of the elite, who have a declined and selfish mindset.
The elite, that Franche criticizes, are products of the Western society, educated in the West, groomed and nourished with the ideas of Western secularism, they will only change if their own thinking is changed from the ideas of individualism, benefit and self-interest. Capitalism, the system implement in Pakistan, is the actual cause of the problems in Pakistan. Capitalism allows the gap between rich and poor to increase. It creates elite who feel they have the right to exploit the poor and it never allows the poorer sections of society to climb out of their sad state. Furthermore, a successful state cannot be founded on ideas of nationalism, emotions or even vague notions of Islamic sentiments. A strong state requires a clear thought and a clear method which coupled together form a foundational ideology that allows all kinds of challenges to be faced. Pakistan was founded without a clear ideology and as such is doomed to failure.
Pakistan needs a complete system overhaul. In the Khilafah (Caliphate) state the rulers alone are not relied upon to implement a system rather the whole system including Media, Education, Judiciary and the Ummah are the checks and balances and all have accountability to ensure the society functions harmoniously.
Just relying on the generosity of the current rulers and elite is not enough. Even if you pricked their conscious or if one or two gave rights, provided housing, spoke out and refused to live it up abroad the overall Capitalist system, which governs societal relationships, would ensure that this change would not last long or would not be felt by all. When a state cannot get its act together after 69 years it will require more than pointing out superficial issues that everyone can see. Sincere reflection and a clear action plan for change is needed and as Muslims who have the life of RasulAllah ﷺ as a guide we should start to look for the practical and viable alternative of the Khilafah (Caliphate) based on his ﷺ method. RasulAllah’s ﷺ criticism of Makkah’s elite came with a clear plan for change and once this was realized after the establishment of the State in Madinah, and the subsequent conquest of Makkah, Islam was the force that corrected relationships between the rich and poor.
It is time for the Muslims in Pakistan to identify an alternative that agrees with the people’s beliefs, can bind people together and has clear systems to govern the relationships correctly. By focusing on the good will of individuals, who have a corrupted mindset already, is not a way to bring change to a society but can only change that individual with the will of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Nazia Rehman