| 24 June 2004 | Thursday | 05 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425 |
Fokker replacement
'Romancing Trotsky'
Why only terror cases?
The budget and common citizens
Jamaat chief's response
Nawaz Sharif and Indian democracy
Excessive bank charges
Ronald Reagan
Housing industry
Sharea Faisal
Lahore canal bridges
Absence of discipline
Traffic hazards
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I am writing this with reference to the letter "SDPI report on curriculum" (June 7). It is strange that instead of discussing core issues related to education like reforming schools, teachers' training and decentralization of the education system, we are indulging in things like an endless discussion on Islamic ideology, the two-nation theory and jihad.
To reduce public spending and increase efficiency in the use of resources, we must take recourse to decentralization. Bureaucratic control has failed to tackle the issues of teachers' posting and payment, purchase and distribution of books and equipment for free distribution or maintenance of buildings.
Two important stakeholders, i.e., students and teachers, are merely silent spectators and watching this fiasco from behind the scenes. In the UK, after the Education Reform Act 1988 was introduced, detailed and painstaking research was carried out through the Primary Assessment Curriculum and Experience Project that culminated in two well-documented books published in 2000, namely What Pupils Say and What Teachers Do.
It would be interesting to know that most academic institutions remain closed for six months on account of weekends, summer holidays, winter vacations, public and local holidays, examination preparatory leave and teachers' casual leaves.
If we impart education to our children only for six months and that too only for five hours a day, stressing memorization, then it will be a fallacy to expect any significant or radical changes.
We must introduce the 9 to 5 working culture in our schools and colleges, leaving no time for private tuition. The issue is simple but our politicians have a tendency to complicate matters to remain in the news, not knowing the extent of the damage caused.
They are advised to stay away from this important national issue for which they are neither qualified nor competent and let educationists decide what is to be taught.
I suggest that an independent body should be formed to grant registration to all private and public sector educational institutions and teachers all over Pakistan.
CDR. (R) NAJEEB ANJUM
Karachi
Fokker replacement
It was interesting to read the report "PIA Fokkers to be replaced with new aircraft" (June 19). The report challenges the PIA decision to buy SAAB-2000 aircraft. I would like to make a few observations in this respect.
The report says that sources have objected to the PIA board's decision. The same sources consider senior PAF officers to be unfit to make a decision on commercial aircraft.
The question arises: if the PIA board is not supposed to make decisions, then who should? It is well-known practice that it is experts who make recommendations to the board based on their considered evaluation.
Members of the board usually endorse or reject the proposal. I am sure PIA experts must have made the recommendations after considering all the pros and cons. As regards PAF officers, they spend a lifetime flying and assessing aircraft, including transport aircraft.
Therefore, we have to give them the credit for at least being able to evaluate the performance of an aircraft, an important parameter for its induction. The report goes on to claim that production of the SAAB-2000 was stopped three years ago and the company now deals in cars and defence aviation.
SAAB has always been a car manufacturer and went into the aviation business later. It produced fighters, trainers and transport aircraft. SAAB-2000 is their newest aircraft and can be manufactured to order. It's a turboprop aircraft like Fokker but flies higher and faster.
Being fully computerized is quoted as a factor against the SAAB-2000 because dust would ostensibly affect the functioning of the computers. I am sure the correspondent knows that these days all new aircraft are highly computerized and automated. If his contention were correct, PIA would be hard put to find a new aircraft in the market without computers.
AIR CDRE (retd) A. WAJID SALIM
Lahore
'Romancing Trotsky'
A very lively debate has been taking place in these columns for the last few days. This debate was started after the reports published in the press about the book-launching ceremony of the Urdu version of the autobiography of Trotsky.
The Russians fought their own war on the basis of their own concrete realities. It did not even conform to the philosophy of Karl Marx. Is society a static thing? Decades have elapsed since this controversy was unleashed but never anywhere could the Trotskyites perform the long-cherished desire of an egalitarian socialist revolution.
Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution and dislike of the peasantry did not go anywhere. Trotsky was clinging to the classical version that only the proletariat can create revolution.
People like Raza Naeem, Manzoor Hussain and Lal Khan have ignored the ground realities vis-a-vis the make-up of classes, their numerical strength and political consciousness, the economic conditions of society and classes and moreover the organization of a revolutionary party.
In the era of communication and technological revolution, new needs and alignment of classes have emerged. In this new situation, the revolutionaries should not only remain clinging to the classical version of Marxism. They should be creative.
Stalin was not as bad as he has been painted to be in the media. Positive and negative points are part of human beings. We abhor fundamentalism but our attitude is like that of fundamentalists.
The followers of Lenin and Trotsky should stop fighting and try to ascertain the requirements of our society and base their movement for change on that basis. We are slaves of personalities and we wrongly claim we are fighting against the personality-cult.
S.AFZAAL MAHMOOD
Lalamusa
Why only terror cases?
Recently, I came across a headline in your newspaper saying "Musharraf wants speedy disposal of terror cases". I would like to ask our president: why only 'terror cases' and why not all the pending cases, especially civil litigation which takes generations to decide?
As a practising advocate, I am in court every day and believe me no other department does even half the hard work put in by our judiciary. In which other department would you find that work starts at 8am, cases are heard till late afternoon and then judges write judgments till dusk? A civil judge deals with at least 100 cases on average in a day. The district judges are also extremely overworked.
The facilities which the civil and district judges get are extremely meagre. Even judges of the higher courts work from early morning till late evening and don't get salaries which their status and workload demands.
A former colleague of mine now, a civil judge/magistrate in a small town, has to daily travel to and from court on a motorcycle rickshaw, often sitting beside the same persons who appear before him as accused. It is only the form of transport he can afford in his inadequate pay cheque.
Mr president, why can't the government provide better facilities to the judiciary? Everyone loves to criticize but few have seen the working environment of the judiciary, its facilities and pay structure.
The judiciary is the last bastion of hope for every individual. It is the bedrock of every civilized society. If we want to improve ourselves, we need a judiciary which is free from monetary worries and has a better work environment and reasonable workload.
TAFFAZUL H. RIZVI
Lahore
The budget and common citizens
The people at large are still wondering which aspect of their life has become easier after the announcement of the federal budget 2004-5. Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz made tall claims of improving the national economy and putting it on the path of progress and prosperity and said he had provided relief to the common man.
He announced a reduction of a mere 10 paisa per unit in the electricity bill tariff to domestic consumers but the next day he clarified that the cut would not be available to consumers using up to 300 units per month as they were already getting some subsidy in this regard.
The proposal dashed the hopes of low-income people. The price hike in ghee is another blow to those who can hardly make ends meet. Have the prices of necessities such as pulses, vegetables, meat, beef, chicken, atta, rice, soft drinks, soap, cloth, tea, sugar, medicines, etc., come down or shown a declining such trend? Mere jugglery of words and figures cannot solve the problems of the people of our country.
Pakistan is reportedly importing 1.5 million tons of wheat during the next year. Why this big and abrupt shortfall as the country had become self-sufficient in this commodity a few years ago? This decrease is surprising.
MAQBOOL AHMAD QURESHI
Gujranwala
Jamaat chief's response
This is apropos of the article "In response to allegations" (June 10) by the chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami. He has tried to wipe out the stigma of the Jamaat's opposition to the creation of Pakistan.
The role of the founders and their opponents will always remain a pertinent part of the history of Pakistan. The services done to Pakistan by those who caused a change in the ideological geography of the nation by forming "Al Badr" and "Al Shams" in the former East Pakistan to fight against their own brethren ar still remembered.
There was no need to give call for a strike by the MMA. The angry mob protesting was enough for the ill-fated city of Karachi. The call for a strike was just to add fuel to the fire.
GHEEWALA A. G. M.
Karachi
Nawaz Sharif and Indian democracy
Recently, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif told The Indian Express that "I really admire the beauty of Indian democracy". He further stated: "One prime minister is voted out and he quietly leaves without a fuss while another moves into the house. You have a Muslim president and a Sikh prime minister. Your democracy has grown and deepened. You should be proud of your democracy."
Such an advanced level of democracy is the result of years of institution-building efforts by Indian leaders. The fact that individuals belonging to Indian minorities can rise to the nation's top offices while members of Pakistan's minorities are legally forbidden to even seek these offices shows how far Pakistan is behind India in the area of equality of citizens.
The question is: did Mr Sharif even try to use his party's vast majority in the previous parliament to quash such discriminatory laws? Mr Sharif claims to have become a great political friend of Pakistan's other disappointment, Benazir Bhutto.
This development exhibits a disregard of the spirit of genuine politics. Their two parties should struggle to regain power on the basis of their own specific manifestos, not a whipped-up mixture of their leaders' personal interests.
When Ms Bhutto was prime minister and Mr Sharif was Punjab's chief minister, their disregard of each other had virtually paralyzed federal-provincial relations. If they have become political friends, now, it must have been motivated by a desire for power.
While commenting upon America's support for the current Pakistan government, Mr Sharif remarked: "Tell me, why is America supporting a military dictator? I don't understand."
America didn't object when Mr Sharif during his days in power violated the tenets of democracy. Why does he expect America to get involved now that he is at the losing end of the lack of "the beauty of democracy" in Pakistan?
Mr Sharif should know that democracy doesn't grow on trees; it consists of traditions and precedents that have to be set by politicians themselves, especially when they are in power.
SIDDIQUE MALIK
Louisville, KY., USA
Excessive bank charges
This is with reference to the letter by Mr Khawar Ahsan (June 18). My son opened an account in a private bank of Lahore for applying for shares offered to the public by the privatization commission.
He was not too disappointed when he found that his name was not among the lucky ones. But he was utterly dismayed when he received a bank statement in which his account opened with Rs500 had gone down to Rs100.
Why? Because Rs200 per month was charged as minimum balance penalties by the bank. Private banks seem determined not to encourage small investors to participate in the privatization process.
Likewise, small account-holders are being discriminated against. Surprisingly, these matters are being overlooked by the State Bank and the finance ministry.
Small account-holders need to be protected and the regulators have a responsibility which seemingly is being avoided. This was never the case with the state-owned banks which provided a fair opportunity to all.
I request the president and the prime minister to look into this matter so that their efforts to reduce poverty are not hampered by the "anti low-income group" policies of private banks.
SHAMS ZAHEER ABBAS
Lahore
Ronald Reagan
With the death of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of America, an important chapter in the history of the US has come to an end. While in office for two consecutive terms (1980-1988), Ronald Reagan had his critics, as well as admirers. But one of his characteristics that won him many admirers around the globe was his superb oratory.
When he spoke, statesmen would listen. According to the need of the situation, he used to modulate his voice and punctuate his speech with suitable pauses and necessary intervals.
He was undoubtedly one of the most suave speakers whom his foes and friends both could not help liking. His wife Nancy played an important role in his life and as such deserves special mention. During his illness the former first lady was as devoted and dedicated to his ailing husband as one could imagine.
RAFAT MAHMOOD ANSARI
Islamabad
Housing industry
The only incentives for the housing industry in the federal budget 2004-05 are duty-free import of machinery used in construction (not produced in Pakistan) and abolition of 10 per cent excise duty on paints and varnishes.
This is peanuts compared to the magnitude of the crisis in the housing industry where the cost of construction of A-class houses has risen from Rs500 per sq ft in 2000-01 to Rs800 per sq ft.
What was needed was abolition of 15 per cent sales tax on cement, steel, bricks, timber and sanitary ware which could bring the cost of construction to about Rs600 per sq ft.
LATIF QURESHI
Lahore
Sharea Faisal
One can only imagine what prompted the city government of Karachi to uproot parts of Sharea Faisal's middle island to replace it with kerbstones at great cost to the city budget.
The island may not have looked as nice as it does now but it was not an eyesore either. It could have been maintained in its present shape for some more years and instead the millions spent on its beautification would have been used elsewhere where they are needed more.
SHAHID CHAPPRA
Karachi
Lahore canal bridges
The demolition of some bridges along the Lahore canal has caused great inconvenience to the residents of nearby localities. No consideration has been show for pedestrians or cyclists who have to cross the canal from Jauhar Town. Old people and children using bus services have to walk to the Doctors Hospital bridge and then slog further to go to the opposite side.
The canal road passes through the university area with hostels on one side and teaching departments on the other. The whole day students move from one side to the other.
There were protests when the Muslim Town bridge was dismantled. But the government was not moved by the sight of people walking precariously across pipes to cross the canal in order to avoid a detour of many kilometres.
By demolishing the canal bridges, problems are being created for the people who do not own cars. All appeals to consider this matter sympathetically have failed. Our so-called representatives have not raised their voice to remove the grievances of the people.
An expressway joining Wagah to the Motorway may be a good idea that would enhance trade with our neighbours but has anyone considered the hazards and inconvenience it would pose for the residents of the colonies through which it would pass?
M. F. ZAFAR
Lahore
Absence of discipline
This has reference to the Press Gallery by Ashraf Mumtaz in Dawn (June 3). I corroborate the writer's views by narrating my own tale of woe that throws further light on the prevailing law and order situation.
I had to travel to Chakwal from Sialkot on June 8. There was no advance reservation available, and I was told by the booking clerk of a travel service in Sialkot that the 'first come, first served' principle was observed at the time of issuing tickets.
I reached the bus/wagon stand an hour-and-a-half before the wagon's departure time. The booking clerk issued me two tickets in the third row. A man with his wife and four children arrived an hour after me and was issued four tickets in the second row.
He made a telephone call and soon he was given two more seats in the front row dislodging a couple occupying those seats even before my arrival. When I protested against this high-handedness, I was manhandled by the gunman and hawker of the bus stand.
On my return to Sialkot on June 11, I lodged a complaint in this regard with the district police officer, but to this day no action has been initiated against those who roughed me up in front of my wife and many others.
S. MUHAMMAD ANWAR KAZMI
Sialkot
Traffic hazards
The move by the traffic police against tinted glasses is welcome. However, government vehicles are not stopped for the same violation. The DIG, Traffic, should order action also against cars with high intensity laser lights that have been installed by some car owners against traffic rules.
These lights are blinding for both incoming traffic and those directly ahead of these errant drivers. It is a nuisance that must be done away with.
MAQBOOL JAFRI
Karachi
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