by PATRICK COCKBURN
The army projects a messianic image of itself in which it selflessly takes power to save the nation. It likes to contrast its soldierly virtues of incorruptibility and efficiency with the crookedness and ineptitude of civilians. “The army is very good at claiming to be the solution to problems which it has itself created,”? complained a local politician in Punjab. “It is also good at ascribing all failures to civilian governments, which cannot act because the army monopolises resources.” He added caustically that in his area, the floods had arrived on 6 August and the first army assistance on 26 August.
The Independent for more
(Thanks to Salim Amersi)