For a welfare state

Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to transform Pakistan into a welfare state after winning the general elections, declaring that public welfare and poverty alleviation would be his government’s top priority.

Millions of exploited workers, peasants, young unemployed people, poor and marginalised also wanted to see Pakistan as welfare state. They wanted a state which protects its poor, elderly, women, children and economically weaker sections of society. Pakistan needs a transformation from a security state into a welfare state to satisfy the aspirations, wishes and needs of tens of millions of people.

But unfortunately in its first 10 months in power, the PTI government has so far failed to go beyond lip service and slogans. We understand that a welfare state cannot be established overnight. It will take time, effort and lot of resources; but ten months are enough to set the direction of economic policies.

The government did launch a poverty alleviation programme, the Ehsaas programme, for poor people. But programmes like Ehsaas and BISP are not enough to establish a welfare state. To realise the vision of a ‘welfare state’ the government needs to go further. Economic, judicial, administrative reforms and large-scale social programmes are needed to realise this vision.

Without radical reforms in state, economic and social structures and massive spending on education, health, housing, production and skill development, the dreams of a welfare state will not be fulfilled. A welfare state requires more social spending on human development, education, health and social services and more resources allocated to social protection programs.

Contrary to its claims and promises of building an Islamic welfare state and increased social-sector spending, the government has decided to implement austerity measures. It has announced to cut higher education allocation in its 2019-20 budget. A welfare state cannot be built with such neoliberal economic policies.

We heard a lot from PM Imran Khan and other leaders of the PTI before they took power. They told us that there are 25 million children in Pakistan who are out of school. They repeatedly told us that nearly half of all children under the age of five are chronically undernourished. But no concrete measures have been suggested to tackle these issues. No specific scheme has been announced to enroll these out of school children. No incentive has been given to the poor parents of these children to send them to school. How can a state claim itself a welfare state when it cannot provide education and proper nutrition to its poor children?

The modern social democratic welfare states were established in different European countries after the Second World War. These welfare states were the result of working class and youth struggles. The Social Democratic, Labour and Socialist parties in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Britain have carried out reforms to address issues like poverty, reconstruction, inequality and falling living standards. These parties introduce policies to improve the working conditions and living standards of the working class.

For instance in Britain, the Labour Party government took control of important parts of the economy through nationalisation. It nationalised coal mines, railways, industries, electricity provision and the Bank of England. It built council housing to provide houses to the poor and working class communities. Free education and health services (NHS) were provided. State pensions, social security protection and old age benefits were provided.

The welfare state provided education, housing, health, and unemployment benefits, sick, maternity and annual leaves, child and elderly care, economic opportunities, decent wages and other services. Public transportation, utilities and other public services were also provided. The state played an important role in income distribution through progressive taxation; it imposed high rates of taxes on the rich to provide all the basic services, utilities and needs to the poor and weaker sections of society. This it did by taking money from the rich and spending it on the poor.

History shows us that certain conditions are needed to establish a welfare state. In Europe, the long boom of capitalism enabled the ruling class and social democratic parties of working class, radicalised layers of the middle class and poor people to undertake massive social spending programmes. Strong working class movements and revolutionary struggles forced the profit-making capitalist class to give concessions.

A strong working class movement and its political voice are necessary to put pressure on the capitalist ruling class to introduce reforms. The rise of the working class and student movements and the move of societies towards Left ideas and boom in the capitalist economy created the conditions in which the welfare state emerged in Europe. It rose from the ashes and destruction of the Second World War. The presence of the Soviet Union and strong radical Left movements also played their part in that development.

Progressive taxation system and pro-working people economic policies are necessary to establish the welfare state. The welfare state protects the poor and vulnerable against the powerful. Social and economic justice, equality, human dignity and freedom, democratic and economic rights and equal opportunities for all citizens are the basis of any welfare state.

Pakistani ruling classes and elite have failed to transform it into a democratic welfare state in the last 70 years. They have failed to decolonise the colonial state structures and undertake the project of national reconstruction. Incremental adjustments and half measures cannot develop a welfare state. It needs new progressive policies and measures.

The writer is a freelance journalist.