Capital suggestion – Transfer of power
by Dr Farrukh Saleem
Courtesy: The News
Power has already moved from Islamabad to Rawalpindi. Power, as a “measure of an entity’s ability to control the environment around itself”, has moved from the President House to GHQ. Power, as a “measure of an entity’s ability to control the behaviour of other entities”, has moved from the civilian executive to the military headquarters.
The study of politics in essence is the “study of power in a society.” And, there are at least four readily identifiable sources of power: force, knowledge, expertise and delegated authority. Round 1 has, once again, gone to GHQ because GHQ has managed to capture the first three sources of power-force, knowledge and expertise. Our ruling politicians are left with just one — delegated authority (via elections).
Force, as a source of power, could be military might, violence, a threat to violence or ‘intimidation to obtain compliance’. Knowledge, as a source of power, means “skills acquired by a person or a group through experience and/or education.” To be sure, knowledge and power are deeply, deeply linked. Finally, expertise becomes a source of power when a person or a group is perceived to be “judging or deciding rightly, justly and wisely.”
The PPP and the PML have proven to be totally ‘path dependent’ — their preference to stick with tradition — and history — even when superior alternatives are available. The PPP and the PML are capable neither of acquiring new skills through experience and/or education nor have they proven to be able to ‘judge rightly, justly and wisely’. As a consequence, PPP’s history is its future and the same goes for the PML.
Institutions have ‘structures and mechanisms’. Institutions have a well-defined social purpose. Institutions have permanence. And, institutions transcend individual human desires. Both the PPP and the PML are — and have been — mere political entities incapable or unwilling to transcend individual human goals. Both the PPP and the PML have been, and continue to be, internally non-democratic and are both adamant in remaining so. Both the PPP and the PML lack institutional capital and both are adamant in remaining devoid of such capital. GHQ has ‘structures and mechanisms’. GHQ has a well-defined social purpose. GHQ has permanence. And, GHQ transcends individual human desires. GHQ is an institution, perhaps the only one on the face of this country. Up against an institution, neither the PPP nor the PML stand a chance.
What is PPP’s strategic vision for Pakistan? What is PML’s national security paradigm? How should Pakistan’s military, political and economic power be used to further Pakistan’s interests? What are Pakistan’s strategic vulnerabilities? Have our mainstream political entities developed think-tank capabilities to take Pakistan forward?
GHQ, for sure, has a national security paradigm a paradigm that diligently uses Pakistan’s military, economic and political resources to sustain the survival of the Pakistani nation-state. Yes, GHQ’s paradigm is India-centric and could very well be criticised for not being ‘people-centric’. But, GHQ has one. And, until our politicians come up with a superior paradigm this is all we have.
Imagine; not too long ago the Pentagon tried to play with GHQ’s security paradigm. GHQ won, the Pentagon lost out. Not too long ago, the US Department of State tried to pressurise GHQ into submission. GHQ won, the State Department lost out.
Has the PPP created formal ‘structures and mechanisms’ to develop negotiation strategies with other states? Is the PML capable of knowledge management and information control? How about technical measures and operational processes to maintain the survival of the Pakistani nation-state? Given the state that the PPP and the PML are in will they be able to control the environment around them? Do they have the intellectual reservoir to control the behaviour of other entities, GHQ for instance?
The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. Email: farrukh15@hotmail.com
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Indus Asia Online Journal (Click here to go to home page)
Interesting article. I like it.