Welcome to the kakistocracy

Pakistan is currently a democratic kakistocracy. A kakistocracy is a government by the least competent and or amoral citizens of the state. In short, a government by the worst people.

Not to point fingers solely at the current PTI-led government, but governments of the past — two of which are now part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — have been kakistocracies as well. The common factor between these kakistocracies is the people in charge of governing only the brand name (presently: Imran Khan) or party affiliation that has changed.

For the people tired of a system dominated by PML-N and PPP, the PTI offered new hope. However, the party quickly dashed people’s hopes by adopting tried and tested political heavyweights. Thus ensuring there was no hope for an end to Pakistani kakistocracy. Now, each passing day seems like we, the people, are stuck in a nightmarish merry-go-round in which inflated egos, interest protection, and elite class solidarity reign supreme.

Furthermore, we are also a politically polarised kakistocracy. The space for discourse over our issues is shrinking and giving rise to hateful sentiment. Politicians increasingly engage in an ‘Us vs Them’ approach. The hateful sentiment is further triggered by labeling each other friends of Israel and/or India. This political polarisation has resulted in politics of indecency and a culture of loathing politicians with opposing viewpoints. This in turn leads to waging a constant tirade of abuse and name-calling at each other. To imagine polarised politicians having a dialogue — even though talks about a grand national one have toned down over the past few weeks — about the welfare of the common man seems absurd.

It is hard to determine whether this is real or pretend political polarisation. If it is not pretense, this political polarisation leads to a lack of bipartisan support over any law or bill. For instance, both the current government, and the joint opposition want Senate reforms and an end to horse-trading. However, they will not sit together and bring a constitutional amendment to end Senate voting by secret ballot. Both sides have a problem with wealthy backers (also referred to as ATMs) of political candidates. Why is there no bipartisan support to work on the implementation of election finance laws?

It just goes to show that all these different issues are picked up as mere political point scoring whenever it suits their agenda. Therefore, a grand national dialogue is a mere front for the ‘tag, you are it’ game political parties are playing. You are it — your turn to try your hand at governance, to take the same crop of ministers and try to accomplish something new; your turn to cost the public exchequer billions of rupees with incompetence. The only discourse will be on the personal interests of political heavyweights and why they need to be in power. There will be no offer of any policy backed by significant research — further down the kakistocracy rabbit hole we go.

Those in charge of the present kakistocracy are aware of challenges faced by the common man. Those vying to form a new kakistocracy for the umpteenth time are as well. The problem is a lack of constructive or practical solutions for the challenged. How do you break up cartelisation? How do you revive a battered economy? How do you provide relief to students and young professionals seeking jobs? How do you make state-owned enterprises profitable? How do you end the vicious cycle of circular debt?

The only solution offered is a team waiting to be in power and with the wave of a wand will fix all these issues. We, the people, are asked to trust this team consisting of familiar faces. Failure to live up to the trust will result in ‘not being given enough time to prepare’. It is the same old guard, under different ministries, under new leadership, with the same crumbling bureaucracy.

After a new kakistocracy is formed, the precedent is to discredit the mandate of this democratic kakistocracy. Thus begins a movement of long-march politics to topple one narcissist with another.

Where are we, the people, in all of this? A country of 220 million glued to our TV screens or out in rallies watching the same few people govern us. We watch as the ‘people first’ and ‘constitutional supremacy’ slogans give way to personal interests.

We, the people, also have a huge part to play in encouraging this politically polarised kakistocracy. We swoon over representatives of our side and only want accountability from the opposing side. We are okay with this politics of who-insulted-best in this war of words between politicians. We will continue to vote for the same faces instead of giving someone progressive a chance. We prefer false promises over actual research-backed policies. Therefore, we are resigned to accept our fate of belonging to a democratic yet politically polarised kakistocracy. The longing for a desperate need of a war of ideas and not words, continues.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2021.

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