Daku Raaj was a Punjabi movie of Sultan Rahi that was released in 1992. The movie starts with the scene of a very powerful man using his power and gangsters to make money. When his servant warns him of being caught by police, he laughs and says why would a partner-in-crime catch him. The three-decades-old movie is a depiction of today’s Pakistan. Steal. Bribe. Embezzle. Under the table. Fraud. Corrupt. These are the most happening words that come up in the search for political reputes in Pakistan. News forums-for decades-have been breaking news about scandals and scams. Nearly every citizen, at every level, faces the phenomenon of speed money, greasing the palm, payoffs, etc for the simplest of work. Governments change, slogans change, policies change, and programs change but corruption remains constant and permanent. This has given birth to this dangerous belief that “it is there forever and nothing can be done about it, so let it be”. This belief is very subtly encrypted by corruption network supporters who are many opinion makers. They give informed examples of India, China, etc to further this mindset. But if that is the comparison then very few countries will give you Pakistan-like cases of how people are caught in corruption, confess to it, yet hold the top offices of the country.
Governments change, slogans change, policies change, and programs change but corruption remains constant.
The horrible video of girls in a school bashing up another girl for asking them to abstain from injurious material has shocked society. This is not a unique incident, but rather a norm in many groups. Social norms are shared standards of acceptable behavior by groups. For example, standing in queues is a social norm in developed countries but not in Pakistan. If you are not queuing you will not be accepted in other countries, while if you are trying to queue in Pakistan, you will be bypassed and mocked. Even if a behaviour is legally legislated it may not become a norm if the group does not adopt it. The group may not adopt it because not abiding by the law may be another social norm. Thus wearing seat belts is legally required but very few wear them so it is not a norm. In less educated or non-adhering societies the role of law enforcement and accountability play a major role. That is why social norms of no respect for the law, rules, self-respect, or code of conduct are so prevalent that it has become the way things are and will be. There are three levels on which this vicious cycle of hinder, hurt, harass, hound process of extracting undue favours, money, subjugation, and subservience needs to be addressed. This focus is mandatory to spread social norms that are constructive and productive rather than destructive and degrading:
1. Top-down cascading of “practices”- Rishi Sunak the current Prime minister was fined for not wearing a seat belt while sitting in the back seat of a car. Suleman Shehbaz the son of Shehbaz Sharif who was a state wanted absconder is received with protocol and garlanded on his return to Pakistan and then all his money laundering cases of Rs 16 billion are dismissed. These contrasting videos have gone viral. They tell you the story of developed Vs underdeveloped countries. Another contrast is the previous PM of New Zealand Helen Clark who was seen bicycling to go grocery shopping. Contrast this with the video where a helicopter is seen carrying massive food items of the Sharif family’s choice to Murree. These visuals set the tone from the top and encourage the behaviour practice till the bottom. While in the UK the message is very clear that nobody is above law. In Pakistan, the message is to get to power by hook or crook and then get away with murder. The present appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as the interim CM of Punjab is another policy laundering of corrupt practice. He was convicted of corruption of Rs 3.5 million by NAB. He chose to return the money on the basis of the voluntary returns law. The plea bargain also prohibits such confessed corrupt people to hold public office, but he has been appointed as the interim CM of Punjab. His credentials? He is very close to PPP and PP (an adopted child of Mr Zardari) PP (Pindi Party). Full stop.
2. Business culture of “ethics”- The industrial empires of the country are divided into Pakistani-run conglomerates and multinationals. They definitely profess to talk ethics. Many are also doing a great job of promoting them. But many are also not walking the talk. They have discovered that cozying up to power circles can make them come to a win-win solution. It is shocking how many real estate moguls have links with not just politicians but with international and local establishment. Multinationals have “Public or Corporate Affairs” departments that are supposed to “improve” stakeholder relationships. However, whether it is ethical to influence policymakers or power hoarders by “facilitating their children”. Is it just good customer service or a bribe? This is a big question mark that needs to be answered.
3. The Peer group “pressures”-The quick-fix urge is like a pandemic in society. Shortcuts to get results are admired and followed. Academic cheating is taken in stride. Dishonest CVs are ok. We saw how PIA pilots had passed tests that they had not given probably causing hundreds of deaths. That is why the casual approach to lie, to hurt, to loot has seeped into every walk of life. The amount of drugs and their ingress in schools and colleges is due to the corruption receptivity in institutions of the best orders. The lack of law enforcement in catching drug peddlers is just one of the consequences of a porous ethical system with big black holes in the value system of society. The problem with instilling the right value system in society is that the people who are reaching the highest positions are those who are breaking human values and principles. The youth see that you can be lowly educated, lacking intelligence, and talentless but succeed. The norms they see around are that If you are smart at being corrupt, sensing the crooked instincts in others especially those in power, and satisfying those instincts you are a success model. That is why when internationally notorious persons (Asif Zardari as Mr 10%) SGS/Cotegna fame and Nawaz Sharif of Panama Leaks fame can be heading the countries four times, their disbelief in integrity and hard work increases. The way the media praises the (aik Zardari sub pai bhari-One Zardari outmaneuvers all) and (ik wari phair, sherrrrr- Once again lion) makes the youth consider their grandmother’s stories about right wins might as obsolete.
The ruler, the rule, and those who are ruled have now become such a horrifying reality that the rulers just cannot understand why the ruled ones are not taking their rules anymore. They believe more round them up techniques of force, threats, torture, or luring baits of money, perks, and positions will eventually work. Not anymore. The last scene of the movie Daku Raaj shows how Sultan Rahi ( the one who rebelled against power) motivated a judge to start the process of justice and punish the real dakus i.e the powerful. Despite the blatant loot sale of the country by the powerful, in today’s world, there are many Sultan Rahi in various segments who are standing up against the system. Some of the legal judgments given in recent times are very brave and historic. Some of the voices in media are so loud and bold that no force can quieten them. These are testing times. But only in testing times do heroes rise, who help raise the nation above and beyond the power wielders.
The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst and can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail,com. She tweets at @AndleebAbbas