Only after being seated in a bus did I notice that I had got inside by jostling and pushing a crowd, which included an old man. The crowd followed me into the bus. But it was quite surprising that the conductor, who often snatches people’s bags to force them inside, did not allow the old man to get in. It bothered me, and I made up my mind to ask him why. Previously, I used to be very hesitant to speak to strangers, but after I joined law school, I have gained courage to do so.
Perhaps more so than necessary, but anyways, I asked the conductor the reason as politely as I could. But by that time, I had got my answer by observing the man. Anyone would have, had they seen him. [break]
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As I was staring at him, I could hear the conductor shouting “If I allow this dirty, stinky old man inside, everyone will leave the bus. Will you keep him by your side?” I turned the other side, towards the window, pretending as if nothing had happened, as I could not say “yes”. I could hear the distant murmur of the poor old man “I have money, I have…I will pay you…” By the time the bus had left him behind, and slowly his voice faded.
A person being socially excluded is not something new. But this was of a kind I had never come across. I used to have a very high opinion of myself in terms of being a moral creature, but my conviction faded away with the voice of the man. His pale, questioning eyes still haunt me, making me feel guilty for not doing anything. The incident compels me to think about the forces behind its occurrence.
If one is born in the right part of the world and with the right social status, all problems have their solutions at the nearest ATM points. But if the situation is reversed, one might end his/her short life fighting poverty. A person who is poor is subsequently entrapped by exclusion. Since he is very poor, he cannot keep himself clean. So the sophisticated, modern, and highly moral people like me (and you) hesitate to go near him or let him come near, fear to touch him, and treat him like a host of contagious disease.
Poverty is an evil created and maintained by human decisions. Neither the government, nor we, the people, are free from the guilt. Let’s take an example of government’s action: The government can acquire (and has been acquiring for numerous projects) people’s land in the name of “public purpose”. It does not have a mandatory policy to provide land for land, and the law does not even require the full payment of compensation before asking the owner to vacate their land.
By the time they receive compensation, the price hike (including other factors) prevents them from buying the same quantity and quality of land. In search of appropriate land, they end up becoming landless. We don’t speak about it because we believe it is done for benefit of the majority, for a “public purpose.” In fact, we believe what benefits us to believe. Thus, our inaction too ends up being responsible for a landless squatter’s plight.
The government’s offense is not limited to performing unjust acts, abstaining from responsibility is also a part of it. The government is unable to pay returns of the taxes paid by the people. It is neither able to empower them to earn, nor to provide for their basic needs of food, healthcare, shelter, education and so forth. Not only the government, but some fortunate citizens also owe to the people.
The government collects taxes (indirect) even from poorest of the poor, and spends on the education and scholarship of potential doctors, engineers, and other human resources. These are the people who people dream about, and end up settling and serving in, European and American countries. Can there be greater irony than the world’s poorest people subsidizing the facilities of the richest? Sometimes I think these guilty people should be made to sign a contract and not be allowed to leave the country unless they serve the country and make the investment on them worthwhile.
Expression of dissatisfaction is far from complete if we don’t blame a breed of people the people have learnt to mistrust: the politicians. Even if they do something good, people doubt their motives. They are entirely unembarrassed because they feel they can deceive us again and again. They are guilty for not fulfilling their commitment to the people and of creating instability which makes escaping the cage of poverty almost impossible.
Hence, none of us is innocent. We are all responsible in one way or other, either by action or inaction, for pushing the poor towards further poverty and pain. By not allowing them in public vehicles, not sitting by their side, and by socially excluding them, we give them more pain.
Whether it is my cynical nature or the reality, I see only victims and culprits, with me in the latter category. In this world full of guilty people, innocence has lost its existence. Nevertheless, we can correct our track, not by blaming others as I just did, but by working together to break down the structures suppressing and excluding people.
The author is an LLB from Kathmandu School of Law
saumire@yahoo.com
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