Daily Times

Pakistan has been blamed for not being able to contribute to research and innovation. The political economy itself has suffered from a lack of groundbreaking philosophy after communism, capitalism and socialism. The way governments are run and the way governance is done has more or less followed one of the above three political mantras. However, Pakistan has come up with a new approach to political science that deserves a discussion and debate; it is called ‘hushism’. The foundation of this cutting-edge ideology of thinking and ruling is to master the ‘art of silencing’. Silence as a tool of forbearance, patience, courtesy, consent has always been accepted but silence and silencing as a tool of running countries while still not falling in the domain of authoritarianism, dictatorship and anti-democracy is what makes hushism an object of desirable discussion.

Hushism philosophy rests on some golden principles that have to be agreed upon by all parties. These principles are first discussed, agreed upon and then written down in memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to become beacons of direction and codes of impeccable conduct. These principles come under the framework of five rules that govern this philosophy:

Always seek partners with a shared purpose: For any philosophy to succeed it is very important that people who want to be part of it understand it, subscribe to it and are willing to go to any length to make it successful. The ruling parties in Pakistan fighting for democracy must get credit for coming up with this distinction. They all believe that there is a higher purpose than just public interest and if they look after the interests of each other, they will ensure public interest will have to follow their interest. With this clarity of purpose they sign up on protecting mutual interests in the form of Charters of Democracy (CoDs) or Murree Declarations. They commit to protect all people part of this charter against any attempt by the state to apprehend them on any allegation by declaring this political victimisation. The benefit of this mutuality will be that when tough times come partners will bail each other out at all cost.

Always ensure the right people for the right jobs: For hushism to succeed, strategic mapping of the right institutions that can serve their higher purpose need to be identified proactively. Main state institutions that need leadership and that share the same vision as strategic partners need to be identified. Screen out individuals who do not share this vision and can be seen as vocal opponents of the purpose. Share the vision with them, negotiate with them and sell them the advantages of hushism. Examples exist of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Pakistan Television (PTV) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to name a few. Once you appoint the critics to these jobs you successfully hush any untoward thoughts that they had previously about the conduct of government. They in turn hush other voices daring to go against his master’s voice.

Always focus on critical success players: Believers in the hushism philosophy believe that silence is consent and all key players who can endanger their goal of supremacy should be brought into this circle of influence. Important state institutions like the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and National Database and Regulation Authority (NADRA) are all critical for alignment to the mission. A mixture of the carrot and stick approach is used to build their capacity for interpreting, moulding and deciding on reports, cases and evidence according to the requirements of the masters. Rewards in the form of out-of-line promotions and punishment in the form of out-of-merit discharges are very effective means of ensuring zero tolerance for de-tracking from the mission.

Always invest in major investors: Politics is a big money game. In hushism the need for big money is bigger than other philosophies because the end goal is that all strategic partners end up with multiple returns on investment. To make that happen it needs investors from the business world and it needs investment in the media industry. Thus, the need to identify diversified business groups in the country, especially those that need a lot of government support in terms of not only favourable policies but favourable contracts to feed their conglomerates. Network with them, make them part of foreign delegations, develop economic and trade policies based on their advise, become behind-the-scenes business partners with them. It is a simple principle that only if it is win-win will they be willing to fund your campaigns and extracurricular activities. By creating a mutually beneficial venture you can ensure minimisation of conflict.

Always think global and act personal: Hushism is an approach that focuses on taking international forces as part of its customer satisfaction drive. Major interfering forces like the US and its agents like the IMF or World Bank have a major part to play in determining the political destiny of Pakistan. Respect this tradition, lobby early, do more to keep them happy and quiet. Become a regional ally for their invasion plans to keep them silent on your own interpretation of laws, rules and human rights.

Past experience has proven these five rules as the success principles. Whenever you break these golden rules you will be in trouble. The best example of this was the recent split between the PPP and PML-N in which they decided to speak out against each other’s alleged corruption and threatened to reveal it. The leader of the opposition lashed out against Chaudhry Nisar who, in turn, warned him against opening a can of worms. A similar scene took place last year in the joint assembly session between Chaudhry Aitzaz and Chaudhry Nisar. However, better sense prevailed as the Prime Minister (PM) and leader of the opposition hushed up the matter. In this case also sense will prevail as both parties realise that the benefits of hushism far outweigh the costs of going against them.

The recent incident of three PIA employees being shot during a protest against its privatisation is an example of how to take those who do not keep quiet to task. The PM and the minister of information have publicly told the PIA protestors that either they hush up or they will lose their jobs, if not their lives. As the majority remain just cynical onlookers of this decay, hushism flourishes. Silence breeds silence. It has been the many decades of not speaking up that has nurtured this philosophy of hushism and brought the country to this state of dis-repair. As they say, a society degenerates not just because of the violence of bad people but because of the silence of good people.

The writer is a columnist and analyst and can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com