Over the last two articles, I had been alluding to my intent to jot down my views, on the lack of, and perhaps even on the ways to incite, trust amongst our ruling elite, but the fact that I haven't, or decided not to, has nothing to do with today's title; I have not chickened out! It's just that I realize now that any kind of trust amongst the various factions floating around in the domestic political arena is impossible, and hence no point wasting time dabbling over something the chances of which happening are beyond remote.
Democracy is a zero sum game and the winner takes all; there are no prizes for coming in second. Bernie Sanders is not the guy who sells fried chicken, that I believe is some colonel; Bernie lost the American presidential nomination of his party, a few years ago I think, but who cares, he lost! I am sceptical if anyone of us will even be able to recall who contested against the despot next door in the last elections, I for one don't and frankly am not even interested; why clutter your mind with irrelevant information. In fact, there is a likelihood that the masses will struggle to recall the name of our own previous Prime Minister. While the schemers behind democracy tried to portray the opposition as a necessary component of the whole, a pillar, the foundation stone of accountability, but all that is bullshit. In essence the loser can do absolutely nothing, not even get an FIR registered if the Government does not want to; the second best just fades away.
And in any developing country like Pakistan, the chips are stacked heavily, in fact completely, against the loser. It is very difficult to dislodge those in the driving seat in a police state, which, again, are most all developing nations and then some. While the media might try to portray it differently, the politics of chaos is, and as demonstrated by our nation's political history, has always been, the chosen path for those in opposition in Pakistan. By hindsight, it appears that creating chaos is a rational strategy for every player in Pakistani politics outside of government.
Educated masses vote as well as we do, which is why Trump and Modi; the difference is that literate people make it difficult for the opposition, people like Sanders (not the chicken one), to create chaos. Democracy isn't working in the west too, except its failures there simply get lost in civilised debate at think tanks. That is why when media muttonheads, the bloated kind with the pseudo deep-toned voice, compare politics in Pakistan with what happens in comparatively highly educated societies; you end up in a fantasy. It's not even like comparing apples and oranges; the best I can come up with is comparing Santa Claus with Kali.
Now, after this more than longish preamble, I eventually get to "Chicken". As far as I could research, the name for the game of Chicken has its origins in the film "Rebel without a Cause". The "chickie run" is where two characters in the movie race cars towards an abyss and the first one to jump out is called the Chicken. In economics, Chicken is a conflict model, under The Games theory, where two people compete and the one to make the first move, in a manner of speaking, loses.
The Pakistani political version, or the domestic democracy version, of Chicken is the car racing towards the financial cliff, or probably already tumbling down, while all the actors are busy slugging it out with each other for the unfathomable privilege to drive it over the cliff. Albeit while all of them are very worried about their appearances, none of them seem to have a driving license! If conciliation rather than conflict was the norm, perhaps everyone together can put the car in reverse, or at least in the short term, slow down the car and then eventually pull it out. But that happening, a unified approach, is improbable, considering its not beneficial for any participant to yield, especially when they themselves are unlikely to fall into the abyss with the car! Trust has nothing to do with this situation; it just does not make sense for anyone to yield, short of throwing in the towel and going home once and for all.
So, unfortunate as it may be, as economic challenges get more complicated, with an increasing current account deficit and depreciating rupees, we will continue to be entertained with chaos by its cheerleaders, the narcissistic media. As the world gets exceedingly more and more dangerous, with every passing second, spend a few minutes in front of any television channel and you will be horrified to find out what, in the meanwhile, ails us as a nation. We would rather enjoy a chicken karahi than discuss the game of chicken.
Prologue: I maintain, the Americans are not miffed by cartoon network; but as the story goes if you Glove Slap the dollar, be prepared for Armageddon.
Epilogue: I have been trying to reduce the foreword and spend more space on the economic punch line of the write up, and seem to be failing every time. As I try, try, try again, I only hope that readers nonetheless find the reading experience enjoyable, and end up thinking!
(The writer is a chartered accountant based in Islamabad. Email: syed.bakhtiyarkazmi@gmail.com)