Routes of re-colonisation

Dr Muzaffar Iqbal

Nineteen months ago, when General Musharraf proclaimed that henceforth he would be the CE of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, he was following a beaten track. Many a military general has done that in various former colonies since their so-called independence. This is because army, as we know it today, was a creation of the colonising powers which had that ambition built into the very structure of this institution.

Army, the civil service and the judiciary were the three institutions used by the colonising powers to control the vast territories they had acquired during the nineteenth century. In laying this structure of governance, these powers ensured that their grip on these colonies would not diminish after their physical departure. It is no wonder that all three institutions have continued to play the role assigned to them. Almost all former colonies are being ruled by these three institutions which draw their members from a small segment of population.

It is an historical irony that these three institutions are branded as the backbone of national existence while in fact, they are the direct descendants of the ruling structure erected during the colonial era. Those who were inducted in the Civil Service of the former colonies were trained in the art of administration as demi-gods who stood a step higher than the masses. The judges were trained to follow the examples of their worthy white colleagues and the generals were trained in the military academies of the colonising powers or, since the second World War, to the military academies in the land of freedom and opportunities. But in all three cases, the common denominator is the vast gap that separates members of these three institutions from the multitude of poorly educated masses which they rule.

This built-in mechanism of re-colonisation has worked wonders. There is not a single former colony where economic conditions have not worsened, not a single country that does not bear the shackles of poverty, under-education, malnutrition, internal strife and a fractured national existence. There is not a single country where the great multitude of people has been allowed to exercise full rights as citizens and where any degree of stability has been achieved. All former colonies have been re-colonised through routes that are amazingly similar.

The structural foundation of re-colonisation lies in the continuity of institutions that were set up during the colonial rule. In addition to the three frontline institutions mentioned above, there is the second line of institutions that provides manpower to the frontline institutions. This second line consists of educational and research institutions. Education in the former colonies was seen as the most effective means of perpetuation of the European worldview. Institutions set up for education replaced the traditional institutions and in doing so, they effectively erased the worldview that had been cherished by millions of human beings for centuries. Instead, they created a new vision of life whose ideals were based on the European models.

Thus, during the late fifties and early sixties, when all across Africa and Asia new countries were popping up on the world map, a great undercurrent was running through these societies which ensured that the new rulers would not upset the institutions established by the colonising powers. In all cases, this undercurrent succeeded in achieving a remarkable feat. All that happened was re-christening of the old names: the Indian Civil Service (ICS), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and many other institutions set up by the colonising powers just changed names but remained the same in their vision and goals.

The structural transformation of the colonies was not limited to these institutions. Social fabric was also radically changed to suit the long-term goals. In time, a new class of citizens was produced that looked up to their colonial masters in all areas of life and tried to live a life that would be a carbon copy of their masters'. In doing so, the colonial rulers created a local model for the masses which acquired currency and became the chief propagating force in the post-independence period.

A clear sign of the success of this model building strategy can be seen in contemporary past colonies. When a Macdonald's opens in Lahore or Karachi, it becomes an immediate success not because it offers food that is extraordinarily delicious or healthy but because the general public flocks to buy its burgers to emulate their models. The same is true for the immediate popularity of a various electronic gadgets ranging from cell phones to pocket electronic address books. In emulating these foreign models, the masses are merely doing what they have learned through education and social rituals. There is no conscious effort to discern and examine these emulations.

At another level, re-colonisation has been provided institutional base through the establishment of certain international institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank. These institutions have succeeded in providing a means to effectively control past colonies by creating an economic dependence on loans. It is no wonder that when an IMF delegation arrives in one of the former colonies, it is given a royal reception similar to what a viceroy would have received. These new viceroys come with bailout packages and provide cushions to the rulers. But a simple glance at what they demand in return is enough to shatter all illusion of independence. Their demands range from raising the postal rates to the price of natural gas and from the imposition of general sales tax (GST) to establishment of full-scale revenue and tax systems on the patterns that exist in the United States of America. These demands are often met and with each new acceptance of these demands, the suffering of general population increases, a small segment of population becomes more privileged the country becomes more dependant on the vicious loan-interest cycle.

A more recent version of IMF-World Bank route is the process of globalisation. This new version of economic colonisation comes in various brands but the goal is the same: to achieve more control of the economic and human resources of the former colonies by means of free trade agreements that favour the Western economies. Globalisation has several flavours that encompass a vast arena of contemporary life: from cultural to economic globalisation.

But in all cases, the goal is to produce societies which will look like the western societies with a smattering of local flavouring. These new societies will also provide huge markets to the ever-increasing range of consumer goods that are now being mass-produced in China by all major western companies. These new consumer markets are also effective means of replacing all traditional lifestyles through an incisive process that will painlessly uproot old values and worldviews and in time give birth to a global civilisation in which the dominant paradigm will be an extraordinary attention to material wealth and physical pleasures.

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The author is the President of Centre for Islam and Science (circle@icrossroads.com)

This article was published in the issue of daily the News (internet edition) dated 1st June, 2001