A disparaging reference to municipalities in the Jammu and Kashmir
assembly last week brought to mind how deeply hierarchical contempt is
embedded in the psyche of many across our country, not least in
Kashmir. It is a point I made in `The Story of Kashmir.’
While speaking on the motion of thanks for the Lt-Governor’s address, a
member urged that the assembly should avoid being a `glorified
municipality’ by passing politically loaded resolutions. That would
implicitly mean that a municipality has no glory—and that there’s nothing
political about its work.
Any nuanced sociological analysis of why municipal schools in many
South Asian cities are sub par would make it clear that the reason is
deeply political. Why certain roads are better, drains in certain
neighbourhoods covered, flyovers built on certain roads—all are
politically and sociologically loaded decisions.
The member may have meant to disparage the work of cleaning drains,
removing garbage, lighting and repairing streets, and keeping cities
functional. No glory in any of that, only in identity politics—for that is
what the speech recommended.
But there is a flip side to that. The castes and classes who typically do
the work of cleaning drains and removing garbage are generally
contemned by the classes that tend to get elected—for elections require
large expenditures. And it is dominant communities, or those that aspire
to dominate, that engage most in identity politics, perhaps because they
have the wealth and leisure to do so.
The need to better the lives of those who are relatively low in the
hierarchical social scale in Jammu and Kashmir was one of the reasons
given for the constitutional changes that were effected in 2019. Such
changes are indeed required, although the sad fact is that precious little
has actually been done since.
This sort of attitudinal bias among even those who have been elected to
bring about a better future for the peoples of the union territory does not
augur well. The deeply embedded contempt will not lessen. It might
even increase—for, it ties in with the dynastic successions that have
become the norm in several major parties in the Kashmir Valley.
An axe and a razor blade
It has been well said that `The razor blade is sharp but can’t cut a tree;
the axe is strong, but can’t cut hair.’ The concept of Dharma too is that
everyone is important according to their own purpose—and Islam
teaches equality. So, the saying goes on: `Never look down on anyone,
unless you are admiring their shoes.’
At a structural level, a constitutional system of liberal, democratic
government envisages separate, parallel roles for various organs of the
state apparatus. Assemblies, district development boards, panchayats
and municipalities all have separate functions and responsibilities. It is
not meant to be a hierarchy.
A truly democratic mindset would see that those who represent the
people, and the institutions in which these representatives work, ought
to have equal respect—just as each individual citizen should have
exactly the same rights and recourse to legal redress, however wealthy
or well-connected the citizen, or their family, may be.
Indeed, the historical role of cities and city councils in wresting powers
from monarchs, including a say in taxation, was seminal for the
development of democracy in the Greek city states, Rome, the Italian
city states, and some other parts of the world where democracy came
about organically through years, even centuries, of struggle.
Indeed, such is the importance of a city council in some places that,
within the limits of the City of London, the Lord Mayor has protocol
precedence over even the prime minister of Britain, a right established a
very long time ago for the limited area of the ancient city of London.
Only the monarch has precedence over the mayor within the city limits.
Polarisation suits the conflict industry
That recent assembly speech recommending identity politics became
immediately divisive, for Jammu and Kashmir is home to an array of
identities, largely endogamous communities which are often uneasy with
each other on the basis of historical memories, lived experience, and the
rhetoric of some community leaders.
The effort of political leaders ought to be to build trust, mutual respect,
and social harmony. This is especially important since the global,
regional, and local conflict industry unfortunately plays a high stakes
game in Kashmir. The British first weaponised the human rights of
Kashmiri Muslims way back in 1876, and managed to get their first Gilgit
Agent appointed the next year.
General Zia-ul Haq, who presided over the `Black September’ killings of
Palestinians in 1970-71, played a key role to radicalise Muslims and
push them towards violent jihad after he seized power in Pakistan. The
people (and geopolitical position) of south Asia, and also parts of
southeast Asia and the Levant, are still paying the price for that process.
True leadership requires strenuous efforts for peace-making, even if it is
at the expense of one’s immediate benefits.