(Note: The name of my previous post was changed from "Dictatorship..." to "Dictatorship: Not a curse..." This post is a continuation of "Dictatorship: Not a curse...")
As I mentioned in my previous post, our country, for the past 63 years, has experience both democratic and dictatorial forms of governments. But both have evidently failed to end the misery of the people of our country. What only a few have thought over is that the problem lies not in the form of the government, but rather in the system that has been existing in our country for the last 63 years. The system which is known as Capitalism.
So what is Capitalism? Capitalism originally is the system of economy in which the means of production (industries) are privately owned. The owners simply own the means of production but do not actively take part in the production themselves. Thus. these owners earn profits for which they did not work for and use their supremacy to exploit the employed labourer by not paying what he is entitled to or by not paying according to the work or labour he has employed. As a result, the owner gets the profit which he doesn't deserve and the labourer doesn't get what he truly deserves and thus, the exploitation of the labourer.
Capitalism isn't only restricted to industries. But it is also spread over the agrarian economic system (based on agriculture). Feudalism, which is an agrarian substitute of Capitalism, is one of the greatest curses that exists in our country today. The feudal lords have large amounts of land, thousands of acres, under their possession and thus, just like the industrialists mentioned above, owning the means of production, they are able to exploit the peasants and tenants who work on their lands resulting in their cruel and harsh treatment.
When these industrialists and land lords (feudal lords) have control over such resources they begin influencing politics, policies made by government concerning water, food, electricity, medical and educational facilities etcetera. They also have influence over the law enforcement agencies and take part in illegal activities without any problems. Since they use their influence on the above mentioned not for the welfare of the people but for their own interests, it is evident that they would want the masses to remain dependent on them for all sorts of commodities and remain uneducated so that they may not rise to challenge them. That is the reason why our country still faces problems like shortages of food, electricity along with other basic necessities and lack of education.
These high-class people eventually start taking part in politics and become politicians working on "behalf" of the people in our country. And this is how Capitalism spreads from the economic system to the political system as well. Because these politicians belong to the high class, they can not be expected to understand the problem of the lower class. In other words, they can not understand nor solve the problems of the masses since they do not bring themselves to their level.
What Capitalism actually does is that it creates a class difference. By making the lower class dependent on the high class it creates a difference between them. And this class difference breeds inequality which in turn breeds injustice. The oppressed remain oppressed as no one is able to question the oppressor. And slowly, this inequality evolves into inequality between genders, inequality between different races as well as religious discrimination and sectarian differences. This is all because one thinks that he is superior to the other.
The inequality between genders results into a society with male dominance because of which the women in our country, especially the ones living in rural areas, are treated harshly and are subjected to cruel treatment. Their rights are suppressed.
"We are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live."
- Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Religious discrimination which is also a form of inequality also arises in this system. We have seen that for the past 63 years our country has been engulfed in clashes between various religious groups and sects. All these problems come to surface because of the inequality that is the result of Capitalism.
Capitalism is the reason our country divided in 1971. Why? At the end of Ayub Khan's rule, who pushed forward Capitalism, only 22 families controlled the entire economy of Pakistan which included industries, major banks, insurance companies etcetera. The lower class was dependent on these 22 families. Moreover all these families were in West Pakistan. So East Pakistan was dependent on West Pakistan. That eventually became the reason for development difference between the East and the West and resulted in the partition of our country.
"I have said it already, I am convinced that the way to build a new and better world is not capitalism. Capitalism leads us straight to hell." - Hugo Chavez
Therefore, one thing is certain. To end the misery of the people and improve their condition and the condition of our country, Capitalism should be and must be abolished. The politicians who are working currently under the Capitalist system can not be allowed to take part in the management of our country. Feudalism will be abolished. And all means of production will come under the state control.
What more we need is a sincere leader who understands fully the problems of the working people of our country. He must be the one that the people of the country should accept as a leader. He should be an authoritarian chosen by the people. In other words he should be a dictator of the people, by the people and for the people. He should be the dictator of the proletariat. This way there would not be multiple, conflicting authorities, but only one who will be answerable to the people.
Many would think that without Capitalism the country will falter, it will not progress nor develop. But this thinking is wrong, because the system that will replace Capitalism will bring equality for all people regardless of their social class, their race, their religion or their gender. Everyone will have an equal opportunity to advance which will mean even more development. The system that will replace Capitalism is called Socialism.
To be continued...
- M.S.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Dictatorship: Not a curse...
Dictatorship...when most of us hear the word "Dictator" we, in our heads, spontaneously imagine images of Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein or any other ruler who was involved in mass killings and genocide. And thus, I decided to clarify the position of dictatorship and Bring A Change in our thinking.
Firstly, most of us confuse dictatorship and fascism as being one and the same thing. That is our misconception because both have a different meaning. In the modern world fascism is mostly related to a rule that is cruel, harsh and has at some point promoted or practiced widespread killings which might have included killing of innocents. Fascism opposes social justice and equality. Many people believe that fascism can only be brought through dictatorship. That is where they are wrong. Because on 31st May 2010 the whole world saw as a state, having a parliamentary democratic government, was involved in the killing of some innocent human rights activists. This very state, during the last 20 years, has been involved in the killing of over 5000 people in the region which included innocents, women and children. This only proves that fascism is not only restricted to dictatorship but extent is spread over all forms of government.
Now moving towards dictatorship. Dictatorship is a form of government where the whole power rests with a single body. Whether it be an individual or an organisation. Just like all other forms of government can be used for the welfare of the people as well as the opposite, same is the case with dictatorship. In the past the rule of a dictator has been used to rejuvenate nations, stabilize them, pull them out oppression and even make them a world power. On the contrary it has also been used as a platform for promoting racism, widespread discrimination and genocides. In short, just like everything else on this Earth, dictatorship too has both: its positive and negative aspects.
The rule of a dictator is commonly believed as the one in which the people have no rights to question. But dictatorship too has many forms like other systems of government. A rule in which people are deprived of their rights must be condemned in all ways. James Madison very rightly said:
"The rights of persons, and the rights of property, are the objects, for the protection of which Government was instituted."
Thus, dictatorship too has a form that supports the people, in fact in that form it is the people, or rather the working class of the country that place the dictator through revolution. And that form is named the Dictatorship of the Proletariat (Proletariat: The working class). A dictator such as that of the people, by the people and for the people. A perfect blend of traditional dictatorship and democracy. The dictator becomes fully answerable to the people. But at the same time he is has the full authority. It only makes sense that there should be a single ruling body, which holds all the power, as multiple ones can result in confusion and mismanagement.
For the past 63 years we have seen both dictatorial and democratic governments. Dictatorial ones failed because it was the Dictatorship of the Capitalist (opposite to the Dictatorship of the Proletariat/forced dictatorship in which the dictator is not answerable to anyone). And the Democratic ones fell prey to corruption, mismanagement and creation of a class difference.
Hence, the Dictatorship of the Proletariat is something which our country, Pakistan, needs at the moment. To stabilize it, to eliminate corruption, to end the misery of the poor and to bring social justice and equality. It is high time for the people of Pakistan to realise this and work towards achieving this aim.
-M.S.
Firstly, most of us confuse dictatorship and fascism as being one and the same thing. That is our misconception because both have a different meaning. In the modern world fascism is mostly related to a rule that is cruel, harsh and has at some point promoted or practiced widespread killings which might have included killing of innocents. Fascism opposes social justice and equality. Many people believe that fascism can only be brought through dictatorship. That is where they are wrong. Because on 31st May 2010 the whole world saw as a state, having a parliamentary democratic government, was involved in the killing of some innocent human rights activists. This very state, during the last 20 years, has been involved in the killing of over 5000 people in the region which included innocents, women and children. This only proves that fascism is not only restricted to dictatorship but extent is spread over all forms of government.
Now moving towards dictatorship. Dictatorship is a form of government where the whole power rests with a single body. Whether it be an individual or an organisation. Just like all other forms of government can be used for the welfare of the people as well as the opposite, same is the case with dictatorship. In the past the rule of a dictator has been used to rejuvenate nations, stabilize them, pull them out oppression and even make them a world power. On the contrary it has also been used as a platform for promoting racism, widespread discrimination and genocides. In short, just like everything else on this Earth, dictatorship too has both: its positive and negative aspects.
The rule of a dictator is commonly believed as the one in which the people have no rights to question. But dictatorship too has many forms like other systems of government. A rule in which people are deprived of their rights must be condemned in all ways. James Madison very rightly said:
"The rights of persons, and the rights of property, are the objects, for the protection of which Government was instituted."
Thus, dictatorship too has a form that supports the people, in fact in that form it is the people, or rather the working class of the country that place the dictator through revolution. And that form is named the Dictatorship of the Proletariat (Proletariat: The working class). A dictator such as that of the people, by the people and for the people. A perfect blend of traditional dictatorship and democracy. The dictator becomes fully answerable to the people. But at the same time he is has the full authority. It only makes sense that there should be a single ruling body, which holds all the power, as multiple ones can result in confusion and mismanagement.
For the past 63 years we have seen both dictatorial and democratic governments. Dictatorial ones failed because it was the Dictatorship of the Capitalist (opposite to the Dictatorship of the Proletariat/forced dictatorship in which the dictator is not answerable to anyone). And the Democratic ones fell prey to corruption, mismanagement and creation of a class difference.
Hence, the Dictatorship of the Proletariat is something which our country, Pakistan, needs at the moment. To stabilize it, to eliminate corruption, to end the misery of the poor and to bring social justice and equality. It is high time for the people of Pakistan to realise this and work towards achieving this aim.
-M.S.
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