Inequality in focus: Pakistan needs politicians like India’s Kejriwal
https://arab.news/nrdca
Under Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the city receives 200 units of free electricity, being targeted towards poorer neighbourhoods. He has also set up 11,000 free wi-fi hotspots in public parks, bus stops and neighborhood clinics at the demand of young people conscious of the highly digitised city, and world, they inhabit. Some Indian commentators say this is a populist, political move to counter the powerful and divisive Hindutva politics of the ruling BJP before the next General Election. Regardless of the strategic reasons for it, and what it may signify for internal Indian politics, the move is rejoiced by Delhi’s poor neighbourhoods and Kejriwal’s popularity is growing. These initiatives are not long-term solutions to addressing structural inequality, but moves to provide relief to people struggling with expenses in menial, insecure jobs; a step in the right direction to supporting people through public policy. What’s important to ask is: Have we seen a chief minister in Pakistan, or indeed, a politician, coming up with such public focused initiatives? Should Kejriwal be seen as a new visionary in South Asian politics? More importantly, can we learn from this?
There is no denying the significant differences between Pakistan and India’s political and democratic trajectories - ours regularly disrupted by military dictatorships, India’s not even once. Though currently we have held regular elections since 2003, with no men in uniform, at least on the face of it, doubling up as political leaders. While India, recently, seems to be sinking comfortably into authoritarian rule under Prime Minister Modi’s second term in office.
Keeping these things in mind, it is still important to ask what human and development indicators Pakistan has progressed on? How have countries in the region developed, including on women’s economic progress, while we remain stagnate, or worse, deteriorate? Despite constitutional guarantees of equality under Article 25, why are our state-led policies and programmes on tackling inherent and systemic inequality so few and far between? Do we have politicians among us, like Kejriwal, who have the vision and political will needed to change ordinary people’s lives?
Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, why are our state-led policies and programmes on tackling systemic inequality so few and far between? Do we have politicians among us, like Kejriwal, who have the vision and political will needed to change ordinary people’s lives?
Benazir Jatoi
The most recent politician vocal on the need for economic growth, with a focus on equality of outcome, is Pakistan’s former finance minister, Miftah Ismail. He has spoken about the need to address the issues of, among other things, out of school children, access to health, poverty and economic growth. Yet, though he speaks the language of progressive economists, social scientists and civil society, identifying and articulating key socio-economic inequalities, when asked about solutions, he becomes conservative and conventional in his views. His solutions are no different to others: large loans from the IMF and other donors to keep us firmly in the debt trap, without any concrete alternative policies.
Other politicians and political parties, as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have addressed other important issues such as upholding the constitution. PPP was the key driver of the 18th amendment, which devolves power to the provinces, relieving us of the stranglehold of a strong centre, being both undemocratic and making Pakistan more prone to military takeovers. Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has also recently learnt that democracy is essential for Pakistan’s development and now makes the right noises in terms of strengthening parliamentary and democratic processes.
Yet these macro level constitutional matters, as important as they are, overshadow political parties’ other responsibilities, particularly on socio-economic promises both in terms of visualising, and then attempting to actualise a better, more equal Pakistan for all its citizens.
Past state-led and people focused programmes include the Lady Health Worker and Benazir Income Support Programme, introduced by previous PPP governments. A national health scheme (later renamed by the PTI as the Sehat Card programme) and Multan Violence Against Women Centre were introduced by PML-N. The PTI government repackaged some of these same policies while introducing only the planting of 10 million trees in the country. All these programmes have gaps or discrepancies but overall, they were created with marginalised citizens at its focus. Under the PDM government, with the 2022 floods devastating the country, there is some hope of state-led climate change initiatives designed for the most affected people but otherwise this government is silent on addressing socio-economic structural inequality. It seems to only be firefighting the current cost of living crisis and with far too much energy focused on political wrangling with Imran Khan and his followers.
Mr. Kejriwal’s polices of free electricity and internet hotspots in Delhi are best practices our politicians can reflect on, perhaps even be inspired by to go even further. And as citizens, perhaps we should ask why large-scale socio-economic disparity is so blatantly being ignored. Where is the vision on making Pakistan more equal?
- Benazir Jatoi is a barrister, working in Islamabad, whose work focuses on women and minority rights. She is a regular contributor to the op-ed pages in various Pakistani newspapers.
Twitter: @BenazirJatoi
