Every society has a few centers of power. Politics is the formal process of handing over power to these classes. Politics cannot create a new center of power. If this is understood, many doors automatically open.
The journey from sword to vote is a statement of this fact. The powerful groups in the society have been fighting for power. Earlier, this battle was decided by the sword. There was a lot of loss of human lives in it, which human nature used to whiten without a cloud. Then it was decided that instead of the sword, power would be decided by the opinion of the people. Earlier, this right was given to a limited number of people. It did not include ordinary citizens and women. Gradually the principle of adult suffrage was accepted.
The centers of power in society change little. Their appearance, however, has been changing. Generally, these centers are three: nervousness, power, and religion. Whoever occupies one or more of these centers, the power is transferred to him. It can belong to a tribe and a community and to a person as well. Power belongs to wealth and to reason. Religion took the form of ideology in modern times. The centers of power remain the same. Only their appearance changed.
It has also happened in history that these centers have unitedly and shared power. Until two centuries ago, Europe was ruled by a coalition of kings, churches and feudal lords. In modern times, Pakistan is an example of this, where the rulers, religious people and capitalists together held the power. In Iran, when the people of religion gained absolute power, their power was established. In Afghanistan, when the gun gained this status, the one who had more gun hands came to power. Capital plays a central role in bringing power to the United States, etc.
There are five centers of power at the social level in Pakistan. A capital. One party in the power struggle is the one who has unaccounted wealth. The second religion. Religion is represented by two groups. One pir and the other traditional scholars. They are also part of the power game. The third center is feudalism. The fourth is tribalism, which is mostly tribal or family. The fifth center is the gun. In Pakistan’s seventy-five-year history, power has never gone beyond these groups. The struggle between them for power continued. The gun dominated. That is why its tenure is also the longest. There is no possibility of any change in this scenario in the coming days.
In a democracy, people decide which of them should be given power. Power, however, must remain with one of these groups. These groups influence public opinion individually or together. If necessary, they form political parties. The leadership of a political party is also in the hands of representatives of one or more of these groups, which are the center of power in the society. The gunmen also turn the election results to whomever they want. Thus, power never comes out of these centers. When power is transferred from one group to another by popular vote, people are happy to bring about change. They do not see that power did not come out of these centers.
Is this going to continue like this? Is there no possibility of change? I think it can be changed. The only way to do this is to change the centers of power in society. The level of consciousness of the people should be so high that they know the reality of this power game. Let them know that politics is not a field of change. It is to spend energy in it, to destroy them. The real fight for change must be fought in society.
It has happened in the world that the ancient centers of power have either disappeared, or power has gone out of their hands. It also happened that a group had to change its attitude to stay in power. In Europe, for example, there was a social change, and Class was no longer a power center. The result was that he was out of the game of power. Religion is no longer the center of political power. Similarly, the institution of feudalism ended. In India too, when feudalism was abolished as an institution, political power also went out of the hands of the landlord. When the capital faced popular resistance, it too had to change its attitude to maintain its grip on power.
However, it cleverly did not allow power to get out of its grip. In the West, power remains with the capitalist.
Pakistan is an intellectually backward society compared to Europe or America. Power centers here today are the same as they were fifty-five years ago. Therefore, there is no possibility of change due to any political struggle. Since the political process is going on, we cannot disassociate from it. We participate in elections and express our likes and dislikes. It’s natural. However, we should always be careful that there is no possibility of any nuclear change because of this process. If these social centers of power are established, power will also remain with them.
The exploitation of the people here is not just in the name of politics. This exploitation is social. Politics strengthens it. For example, when a Pir reaches the houses of power with a vote, it reinforces the exploitation that is already going on. It should be clear that if Pir is the center of social power, political parties will also give tickets to it. Look at the ranks of all political parties that have the potential to win. Where did this ability come from? It is emanating from some social center of power.
Until there is awareness at the national level, the exploitation of people will continue. There is no possibility of any significant change in his life. To make the political process decisive in the people’s favor, traditional centers of social power must be abolished, or their role changed. Their representatives must realize that further exploitation of the people is no longer acceptable.
If we want characters to come to power, then character must be made a social force. If money is the center of social power, it cannot be that the character reaches power. Then the doors of the house of power will be opened only on the money. If the estate is the center of power, then the power will also remain with the landlord. If the people’s heads are bowed on their toes, the government will be too.
Today we are at such a level of social chaos that political change has become meaningless. The reins of the state are no longer in the hands of politics, but in the hands of the economy. When the reins of the economy are not in the hands of the state, it is called default. We should pray that this bag does not go out of the hands of the state. That may be the first and last priority now.
Author: Sumaira Manzoor – Lecturer in Political Science, Govt Graduate college for Women Satellite Town Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).
Image Source: Zewandering