Letter of disillusionment

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Dear Mr. Prime Minister

Being at the helm of affairs of a country such as Pakistan will often put you under criticism for various things. However, I’d like to point out one aspect of our country which you can proudly point out in most forums.

I realized this when my cooks husband had an accident and suffered multiple fractures in both legs around 2 weeks back. Incapable of affording treatment and unable to get it from any government institution, he is living a limp and painful life. It just made me realize that if there is anything such as a true capitalist state, its Pakistan ! This is a country where you are COMPLETELY on your own and where there is absolutely no government intervention in your life. If you dont somehow rigor it out and make a money, rest assured you WILL die of hunger. People will bicker about how pathetic the tax to gdp ratio of the country is, but no one really pays taxes. And in line with the true spirit of capitalism, the vanishing communal values and growing individuality has ensured that its every man for himself.

Mr Prime Minister, you know how the world, led by the West, ever since the collapse of Soviet Union has come to have blind faith in capitalism. Interestingly, most forms of capitalism do have some role of the government but not Pakistani capitalism. Laisez Faire capitalism is one in which demand and supply determine prices and the only role of the government is protection of property rights. Pakistan is certainly not a laisez faire state since only the current occupants have the right to property. Similarly, Pakistan is certainly not a social market economy version of a capitalist state since the government provides no social security, unemployment benefits or labor rights protection. And our state is definitely not capable of driving state capitalism. I believe i dont even have to bring up welfare capitalism here. This is not like one of those Western capitalist states where profit is private and loss is public. This is a society that is following the basic tenets of capitalism in its purest form.

Would Karl Marx be proud of this economic model or what ! A model where there is no intervention by the state to make anyone rich; a society which contains enough greed for 190 million people; a place where there is no centrally driven altruism that would get in the way of people giving out of their own free will. A nation state full of happiness.

Yours Sincerely
Disillusioned Patriot

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