Daily Times

For the minuscule minority that has always maintained that democracy as a system was conceived by the ruling elite to serve their own purpose the ascent of the world’s newest president is a gift from heaven; and obviously, such an opportunity to gloat could not have been ignored. I have always maintained that no system of electing or selecting a ruler — be it democracy, monarchy, military dictatorship or oligarchy — can guarantee a benevolent rule. An idiot can come from anywhere; after all, the world is crowded with their kind. On the other hand, history also proves that even a king and a dictator can be just and benevolent.

Notwithstanding, amongst all the systems democracy is perhaps the most susceptible to being corrupted since votes are a commodity, and anyone with enough money can buy an election. All pundits and analysts, including our domestic lot, in this American election were unanimous that electing the first female president was the lesser of two evils; irritatingly, everybody keeps ignoring that even the lesser evil is still evil. So how did this come to pass? A friend who hosts a talk show on electronic media, and is deeply into research, recently pointed out that between the two candidates, the campaign spending exceeded $2.1 billion; if this is not proof that a democracy can be bought than what is?

Coming back to analysts, the entire lot, which includes leading international publications and their pundits, should have the courtesy and courage to resign, and desist from misguiding the populace with their predictions in future. It would be amusing, while probably improbable, that someone in the electronic media can dig out and run the clips of domestic anchors and analysts arrogantly predicting who will win the American election, which ab initio was a joke since how and why would they be an authority on the whims and fancy of a foreign populace. Frankly, if the electronic media can repeatedly embarrass the first family by re-running their clips on Panama leaks again and again, they deserve to get a taste of their own medicine; what is good for the goose is good for the gander. The pseudo intellectuals need to be exposed so that they cannot continue to lead the populace astray by their wayward predictions on the domestic front.

In any case there was a miniscule minority, entirely comprising the anti-democracy lot, that unflinchingly held the view that this election would surprise and ridicule the democracy champions, remaining steadfast about their conviction even after the worst and raunchiest was revealed about the now president-elect. And that was not rocket science; even when money is not in play, which is a rarity, to expect people to vote in the best interest of the country is ridiculous since the vast majority is unable to comprehend the issues let alone judge which candidate has a better strategy to address them.

Take Pakistan’s example; arguably, less than a thousand fully understand the country’s security issues, less than a hundred can really appreciate foreign policy issues, and perhaps less than a few dozen can even begin to understand the economy and its challenges. And by the way, most of the anchors and analysts don’t fall within this select group. With this in mind, the view that the masses will vote for the most suitable candidate is nothing short of a fantastic delusion. And don’t think Americans are any different just because they enjoy a superior quality of life being fortunate enough to have been born in a developed nation; most of them can’t even find Pakistan on the globe. Unadulterated, people will vote according to how they see the world with their limited knowledge and beliefs, which may not be in the best interest of the nation.

On the other hand, it is equally senseless to discount Mr Trump from the very beginning; campaign rhetoric is not sufficient evidence for a conclusive indictment. This will be an opportunity to test the theory that a country can be run like a corporation, a view that has appealed to many. In addition, if Mr Trump holds true to his word, the world will soon see the end of globalisation, and another theory that protectionism is actually good for a national economy will get a second shot at fame. Frankly, while it would have been interesting to see Bernie Sanders prove that taxing the rich to educate the poor was indeed a sensible thing to do, a twin assault on democracy and capitalism will be absolutely amazing. So sink in your couch with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy!

From Pakistan’s perspective, the future unfortunately, but likely, will become even more challenging. If Whatsapp clips are on the level, a best friend of our worst enemy is unlikely to be supportive of our views on a host of things, including Kashmir, most worryingly. In any case, let’s not forget that we are now strongly aligned with China, with whom the president-elect wants to get tough on trade, at the minimum. If that does happen and tariffs are imposed, our own trade relations with America, the country we export the most to, could also take a few lethal hits. Considering that our exports are already on a declining trend, and workers’ remittances are apparently at risk, the finance team will have a tough time managing the balance of payments. And without American support, multilateral agencies and foreign lenders will hardly be forthcoming to bridge the gap. With billions of dollars of debt repayment coming up in the near future, the only hope is that our new best buddy, is willing to loosen its purse strings, beyond investing in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Admittedly, no one can know the future, which is why I am generally wary of making predictions; the doomsday scenario might just be hogwash and things may continue as they are. On the other hand, it is equally stupid to bury your head in the sand and do nothing. If Mr Trump is able to pursue half of what he has said, the world will see a new world order, and it would be rational to prepare ourselves for the coming storm. Unfortunately, one remains sceptical considering the political instability and the mindset to put all our economic eggs in one basket; only time can judge whether CPEC is our knight in shining armour or not.

The writer is a chartered accountant based in Islamabad, and can be reached at syed.bakhtiyarkazmi@gmail.com