The pervasive nature of corruption in Pakistan, particularly within the civil service, poses a significant challenge to the country's development and prosperity. That no serious attempt has been made to root out corruption leads one to argue that the vested interests have deliberately encouraged corruption and consciously groomed corrupt officials to weaken institutions of governance in the country. Weak governance helps sustain elite's social control over the masses.
The roots of corruption as a tool for social control in Pakistan can be traced back to the colonial era. The British established a system of land ownership that favored local elites and powerful landlords, leading to the concentration of power and wealth among a select few.[1] This system of state-sponsored social control has persisted, with powerful agricultural elites continuing to exert significant influence on successive governments and undermining attempts at reform.
To maintain their privileges and power, the ruling elites in Pakistan have deliberately sustained illiteracy and poverty, creating a society in which the majority of citizens remain dependent on the corrupt system for their basic needs.[2] Another ploy the ruling elites employ to maintain their social control is to keep civil service weak, incompetent, corrupt, and unprofessional. This is achieved through the illegal induction of corrupt civil servants and the appointment of corrupt individuals to lucrative and important posts within the government.[3]
The elites patronize corrupt officials in the district administration and police. Upright
and competent officers are viewed as threats and are quickly replaced by
compliant officials who are willing to do the bidding of their corrupt masters.
This creates a culture of corruption and sleaze, where honest civil servants
become a rarity, and most government institutions are rendered ineffective.
A
competent, honest, and professional civil service is a threat to the ruling
elites, as it opens alternative avenues for the common people and challenges
the status quo. These people do not brook the possibility of their voters benefiting
from a just and professional service delivery system, which will create
additional avenues for their straightjacketed voters and lower the ruling elite’s importance
in the estimation of these poor masses.
The
widespread corruption in Pakistan has led to government offices becoming dens
of chaos and inefficiency, where no file moves without the payment of bribes.
This has a detrimental impact on the country's development, as it stifles
entrepreneurship and perpetuates poverty and inequality. But, in the presence
of such a system can only the ruling elites thrive and maintain their social
control – let it be at the cost of country’s economic growth and social progress. While
these elites resist to any form of reform that may undermine their control of
land and resources [4],
the country has been inexorably and rapidly falling behind in every avenue if
compared with its neighbors and countries in other regions.
In
short, corruption in Pakistan has deliberately been allowed to thrive as a tool
of social control. The elite capture of power and wealth, coupled with the
deliberate weakening of the civil service and the appointment of corrupt
individuals to important posts, has led to a society in which corruption is
ingrained and institutionalized. To break this cycle and pave the way for a
more equitable and prosperous future, it is imperative that Pakistan addresses
the issue of corruption head-on, through comprehensive reforms and the
establishment of transparent and accountable institutions.
References
De Soto, H., & Albright, M. K. (2008). "Making the law work for everyone." Working Group Report (Volume II). New York: Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor and the United Nations Development Program.
Montgomery, J. D. (1972). "Allocation of authority in land reform programs: A comparative study of administrative processes and outputs." Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 62-75.
World Bank. (2003). "Land Policies for Growth and Poverty Reduction. Policy Research Report." Oxford University Press. New York.
