The good of the many

With the possibility of another week of lockdowns to ensue, there is much discussion surrounding the economic impact of a prolonged shutdown. It is pertinent to understand that the macro and micro economic ramifications of the lockdown are not what is fuelling layoffs, salary reductions and business plan upheavals. There is a larger storm on the horizon, one which businesses and economists can see, but are unable to assess the impact of. It is the impending global stagflation which is the catalyst to these decisions. It is predicted that the global economy, ranging from FX to trade, will be in dire straits for the foreseeable future.

It is widely understood that lockdowns have rendered many jobless, from blue collar daily wagers to white collar contractual employees. This is not specific to Pakistan but is the case worldwide. There is enough rhetoric on the reasons behind the lockdown and opposition on the same. The most significant being to flatten the curve in an attempt for our already broken healthcare system to cope, and the fact that daily wagers would be affected. However, a multitude of epidemiologists, social scientists and economists agree that, looking at the bigger picture, with foresight, lockdowns are essential in slowing the rate of transmission, as no developed or developing nation has the capacity to respond to not only the healthcare requirements, but also mortuary and grave requirements. However, crass it may sound, for the common man it is not only costly to live, but it is also costly to die. The argument you seldom hear, which was purported by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, rightly so, is that this pandemic is setting the pace of action, everything else we do is simply an attempt to catch-up. In catching up, I personally do not think either an economic or epidemiological approach should be adopted, rather it calls for an understanding and execution of the ideologies surrounding Justice and Ethics.

A Socratic thought, moral philosophy is one which governs every one of us, and though one does not need to understand the theories surrounding ethics and its effects on justice for all, it is important to understand the general foundation of ethics and how it remains the prevailing ideology during this pandemic. When one moves from the state of nature (survival of the fittest) to that of a community it relies on a legitimate government. In a country torn by party allegiance, or no allegiance at all, it is important to constructively request, but also lay trust in both the provincial and federal government; simply because this plight affects the entire polis, all communities, and only governments have the power to affect the curve. In laying trust in our governments we must also lay trust in the fact that the moral worth of their actions lay on a motive of duty, not an economic or epidemiological duty, but a duty to the existence of each and every one of the ~200 million population of the country, and ~49 million population of Sindh. In doing so, it must exercise the utilitarian thought of the greatest good for the greatest number of people; essentially, for the good of the many. Though my thoughts indeed stem from a place of privilege, one must understand that the economy is organic, global stagflation is imminent, and make no mistake, businesses will close, and unemployment will rise. These lockdowns may have accelerated these unfortunate events, but rest assured, this will happen, and is happening, world over. It is no easy duty to have, the duty of morality in a time of a global pandemic, but as aforementioned, we must lay our trust in the foresight and forethought of the government, much like what we have seen with the Sindh government, and now the federal government.

Though the lockdown has opened a pandoras box of economic and social issues, the morality of duty can be seen all around us through commendable acts of charity. Given the lockdown scenario, governments and philanthropists have taken to relieve the plight of the daily wager, the less fortunate. Whole communities and individuals across the spectrum have come out in spades, anonymously donating what they can. If Pakistanis were to choose one word which would characterise them, it would have to be ‘charitable’. Though much has been pumped into the province of Sindh by way of money, cooked food and rations, it is unfortunate that however much one tries, in a densely populated province not every deserving person is assisted and not every assisted person is deserving. With regards to distribution there is a computable NADRA based system in place which several NGOs, and of course the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, follow. Regardless of such a system being in place, it is unfortunate that those who do and do not deserve alike take total advantage of the system, much like the videos making the rounds of women selling ration bags in local back alley markets in lieu of cash and non-staple items. Low income areas are communities in the truest sense, with neighbours assisting each other in times of need. These organic communities ensure they all stay afloat together. In hard times such as these, communities will sustain the have nots to a certain extent. The undisclosed in need are the white-collar middle class, those between the haves and have nots. Those who are monthly contractual earners, those who do not ask even though they need. These are the people that require assistance with regards to finances, rations and employment. In a labour-based economy such as ours, the daily wagers will find work once again once the lockdowns are lifted, but the middle class white collar employee will be out of work, and with unemployment on the rise and imminent hiring freeze, they are the ones who will require our help. It is pertinent that all of us, the Governments and society at large, protect those who need but do not ask. With the government freezing layoffs, perhaps the way forward is for the employed across spectrums to take pay cuts, ensuring that even those who need and do not ask have enough take home to sustain themselves to some degree.

We all need to understand that a return to normalcy is far from achievable at the moment. We all need to continue doing what we can for all those around us and instil a paradigm of survival, not survival of the fittest.