Daily Times

The ongoing protests suggest that people, all across the world, are fighting for their rights, freedom and, liberation.

The world is on fire lately with various protests occurring in different corners of the world. Protestors in Iran have risen against the government over petrol price hikes to which the authorities responded by shutting internet services and dispersing the crowds with severe measures. Large Hordes are demonstrating for the perseveration of liberal democratic rights in the streets of Hong Kong, Moscow, Istanbul, Budapest, Baghdad, and Warsaw. Also, the people in Pakistan and Indonesia are angry over their government’s dismal governance performance. Not to forget, the enraged masses of Bolivia and Lebanon have overthrown their rulers over the dissatisfactory show.

What is more alarming is, since 1989, this latest unrest across the globe is the widest in nature and scope. Undoubtedly, the seeds of these disruptions and turmoil were sown in those past 30 years when the Soviet Union had fallen and globalization saw its advance; indeed a time when capitalism and free markets were fashionable.

All of us today acknowledge what many among us did not at that period: that globalization and unbridled universal democratic capitalism sooner or later will spark adverse repercussions. The rich urbanites thrived and the poor rural people were left behind immensely. As a result, frequent economic and cultural confrontations started to occur between the haves and have-nots. The problem was deeply embedded in the roots of people that they strongly felt as if their native culture was being extracted from them.

Consequently, populism’s backlash came in all corners of the world in one or other shapes. For instance, in Eastern and Central Europe it appeared in the shape of strong nationalist leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Victor Orban, and the Law and Justice party in Poland; in Latin America it came in the appearance of the Pink Tide (a left-wing group having the likes of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro); in the Anglosphere the wave of populism came in the form of white nationalism such as of Donald Trump and Brexit; In China it came in the figure of increased authoritarianism of President Xi; in India it was Modi’s Hindu nationalism; in Pakistan it came in the garb of ‘meritocracy, corruption-free and honesty’ of Imran Khan.

While there are many places where the populist wave is still brewing and rising such as in France there is the Yellow Vest movement and in Chile, there are demonstrations done by those who have a sense of economic marginalization.

But now the other side of the picture is also revealed to the public as it has become clear to them that even the populist cannot provide goods when they are in power corridors. Probably this is why the world is witnessing a rebellion against a rebellion; the middle-class revolt against the populists.

The main issue is economics. The Left and right’s populist economic policies are destroying growth. For example, Venezuela has become a pure economic calamity; in Mexico, Andres Lopez’s populist policies have stilled the economic growth; the IMF even predicted that Latin America’s growth might face a fall of 0.2 percent.

While there are many places where the populist wave is still brewing and rising such as in France there is the Yellow Vest movement and in Chile, there are demonstrations done by those who have a sense of economic marginalization

Further, in Lebanon, there is a shortage of employment as job creation has reduced to mere 3000 jobs per year whereas what Lebanon needs is a minimum of 20000 per year. In the US Trump’s trade war with China has lowered the country’s economic progress. It could get worse as President Xi has left market reforms without any concrete measures. In Pakistan, under the ‘corruption-free’ sloganeer populist leader Imran Khan, car sales, on one hand, has slumped down 39 percent in the latest quarters, on the other hand, tomatoes have reached the pinnacle with Rs300-400 per kg price.

Round the globe people belonging to the middle-class bracket have found themselves trapped and deserted. According to IMF, the world economy is on a trajectory of a “synchronized slowdown.’

Besides that, corruption is another thing populists have ushered in with themselves. Take, for example, Donald Trump’s ostensible trade-off with Ukraine which highlights how much corrupt practices been of use by the populists. Besides that, in Pakistan, under the anti-corruption leader Imran Khan, the then National Health Services (NHS) minister Aamer Mehmood Kiani was removed from his ministry because under his watch the drug prices saw an unprecedented rise in the country. Under Khan’s corruption-free rein what outcome has resulted besides the minister’s mere resignation? In Bolivia, Evo Morales has been accused of trying to rig an election. In addition to that, erstwhile Prime Minister of Lebanon Saad Hariri gave 16million dollars to a model whereas his nation was hardly coping with their daily needs. The populists vouched to smash all the rules but it emerged it was for self-defense and own enrichments mostly.

It seems populist governments are losing their authenticity and credibility of their right to rule. People in Hong Kong and Indonesia are revolting to safeguard their socio-political rights and freedoms.

Nowadays to spur a wave of anger and vexation among people you don’t need to do much. Only a little raise would do it. Such as in Lebanon the reason behind people’s anger was a suggested tax on WhatsApp; in Saudi Arabia the tax-raise on hookah restaurants; while in France, Zimbabwe, Iran, and Ecuador the cause of anger was a rise in the fuel prices.

Now people around the world are angry and ready to explode. The reason is quite simple that the faults of liberal globalization are genuine. And the seeming alternative of the populist leaders is just not feasible and working.

Perhaps now is the high time that a new novel social contract should be written down which would give the urban elites and the middle and wretched class their due shares of what they want and need most.

The writer is a freelance columnist