| July 10, 2005 | Sunday | Jumadi-us-Sani 2, 1426 |
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Freedom for the elite
‘Costly consultants’
Women victims
Kalabagh Dam
Free trade reversal
One-dayers vs Tests
Return on NSS
Indian visas
Warning on Baglihar
Billboards
THE National School of Public Policy (NSPP) is an initiative of the government to help restore the respect of the public servant. My introduction to the ordinance to provide for the establishment of this school came when I was invited to attend a planning workshop for NSPP.
Once the phrase ‘civil servant’ conjured up the image of a smart gentleman, well-groomed and dedicated to be of service to the people. Gradually this picture dimmed and the new image took over — a mediocre individual of average capabilities, a poor administrator, an extortionist who networked with the feudals and influentials and misused power. The civil servant lost his glory.
NSPP needs to be carefully handled, as it is extremely critical for infusing new blood into the civil service. The spirit of the school should not be ruined by making it into another university. It should benchmark with the best international players in the field and then come up with a direction that allows it to fit in successfully with our local environment and requirements. The school should provide a platform that brings together academics, civil servants and politicians for a healthy exchange of ideas. NSPP should clarify concepts and lead to the development of civil society and improvement in public policy. Honest individuals who believe in the improvement and amelioration of public service should form a part of the administration.
This prime objective of this new school should be to groom public servants to critically evaluate current procedures and think creatively to bring about a positive and healthy transformation in civil society to ensure the smooth running of the governmental machinery.
A common plea taken for ineffective performance by civil servants is undue and unfair interference by politicians. This school should train the civil servant to deal amicably with the political government without letting elected representatives be a hindrance to the performance of their duties. If the school offers special courses for coordination between politicians and civil servants, there is a possibility that the situation might improve. NSPP should provide training for aspiring politicians also that allows both these critical groups to work together as a strong team rather than opposing forces.
NSPP is a brilliant idea that should be able to inspire young intelligent and promising men and women to enter the civil service. This ordinance has revived some hopes and if properly promulgated, the inefficient civil servant may be replaced by a reformed individual with commitment, dedication, seriousness and a strong desire to serve the people.
BADIA RAZA
1Lahore
CONTRARY to the vision of the Quaid-i-Azam, national freedom in our case has meant freedom for the ruling elites who for long periods exercised power without legitimate authority derived through open, fair and direct elections.
The common people for long have been denied rights which vest in them as citizens of a democratic polity. On account of interrupted and stunted political development, the elite continue to make decisions which govern the destiny of the entire country and the majority in whose name and for whom these decisions are taken remain silent, non-participant witnesses to the process.
It is true that traditional elites have lost some ground while emerging ones have gained limited access to power. Pressures, no doubt, are building at the middle and lower levels of society and a new leadership is being thrown up. The ruling elites, however, seek alliances with these flag-bearers of protest and try to absorb them into the existing political culture.
It has been noticed that those who start as the harbingers of a radical new order are seduced into compliance by the blandishments of the established elite, and soon turn to the politics of opportunism and self-aggrandisement, and willingly become the instruments of exploitation and tyranny. Such is the nature of the political culture that, in spite of this, they retain their populist postures and their radical masks.
The intelligentsia, which was once in the forefront of reforms, has unfortunately also got soft and a sizeable section is content to play second fiddle to the wielders of power in society. Our intellectuals have not been able to provide an effective antidote to the masses against divisive and diversionary tactics which are often resorted to by ruling elites to prevent them for achieving the solidarity that could lead them to goal-oriented radical action. At the level of rhetoric, the masses no doubt are promised a place in the sun, but in reality the business of everyday living is becoming difficult for them.
The politics of deception and deceit misguides them and they cannot unite to take action for Pakistan’s transformation into a civilized, progressive democracy with an equity-premised dynamic economy.
This gives cause for concern, but one need not be unduly pessimistic. It is possible for strong human will and concerted action to get a different type of leadership. There is much truth in the adage that people get the government they deserve. When the limits of human endurance are reached, there will be a demand for a new kind of leadership.
AFTAB AHMAD KHAN
Karachi
THIS has reference to Mr Arshed Bhatti’s letter ‘Costly consultants’ (June 23). The correspondent has not fully answered the technical questions covering my letter (June 8). Instead, he expresses unfounded suspicions about my being “a part of senior bureaucracy or having been briefed by it.”
I have offered independent advice to innumerable government functionaries and important personalities, but have never been a part of any administration. Irrespective of who I am, technical points are always judged purely on merit, irrespective of their source.
Consultancy has become a sordid profession and the questions raised in the National Assembly about the huge expenditure on brazen appointment of consultants in government are quite relevant.
I learn from Mr Bhatti’s letter that he never received the formal feedback from the ministry to his final draft. This mystery, unfortunately, has become a normal feature of the functioning of government offices in recent years, although the Norwegian embassy — in response to my letter to the Norwegian ambassador — informs me that the technical assistance to the ministry is governed by a contract between Mr Bhatti’s organization and the embassy.
As a professional consultant I could not have sent my comments for publication in a national newspaper without reading the draft of the youth policy. My second reading of this draft confirms my earlier conclusions. My question to Mr Bhatti remains remains: Where is the central document, i.e., the youth policy notwithstanding, policy perspective, vision, aims and objectives, programmes, strategies and plans, given in the scheme?
The consequences of a carelessly drafted policy can be disastrous in a country with no social fundamentals in place. Foreign grants and state money had better be spent in ensuring supply of potable water to remote areas of Pakistan than on badly drafted policies which will never be approved and implemented.
Para 5 of Mr Bhatti’s letter says: “The policy has been conceived within the constitutional framework and the development priorities of the government.” It is this constitutional framework and its justification vis-a-vis the youth policy which is missing in the document although it explains the development priorities. Para 3 of Mr Bhatti’s letter refers to “a plausible way out that in our opinion fits with the government’s limitations and the youth’s aspirations.”
Claiming compliance with the Constitution and simultaneously presenting a ‘plausible way out’ transgress each other. This plausible way out as expressed by vision, aims and objectives and an undefined policy is sadly stuck up in its own fundamental inadequacies and vagueness.
MAHMUD IQBAL BAIG
Rawalpindi
PRESIDENT Pervez Musharraf is right when he says (Dawn, July 1) that it would have been appropriate had the organizers of the conference (in the US) focused on a holistic approach to discussing violence against women occurring all over the world — with case studies of not just Mukhtaran Mai alone but others also to keep the subject in its broader perspective. In other words, Pakistan should not be singled out in such matters.
The fact which must be accepted is that conditions in our country are worse when it comes to the illiterate, socially oppressed, and extremely poor and deprived men and women in the far-flung areas. Although demoralizing and heart-breaking incidents are reported in newspapers quite regularly, it is understood that a majority of these cases goes unreported due to several reasons already known to us.
Since the situation in our country is already alarming and a large number of women are being victimized, there is a more-than-urgent need for the people at the helm of affairs to tackle the problem with full force and without any further loss of time.
What must again be appreciated is that the president does not pinpoint any particular situation when talking of Mukhtaran Mai. He says ‘women victims’ which obviously include women who are being wronged, cheated, lured and coerced into ignoble acts, such as a husband having vanished into thin air after having the wife admitted to the hospital or a man getting an under-age village girl illegitimately pregnant and disappearing. There are so many cases like these being reported in the media.
Mukhtaran Mai now having achieved prominence should start working for such women by reaching out to them personally and helping them out of the various problems being encountered by them. Walking in the footsteps of Maulana Abdul Sattar Edhi, she too can become a legend.
A. B. S. JAFRI
Lahore
THIS is with reference to the letters on Kalabagh Dam (July 2 and 3) and the reports published in your paper about the flooding of river Kabul, resulting in the inundation of some areas of five districts of the NWFP.
I wish to compliment correspondent Iqtidar H. Siddiqui for presenting a summary of the whole issue. As to his remarks regarding introduction of politics in the 1980s, I happen to have some information which will be of interest to the readers.
When Gen Fazle Haq was NWFP governor, on one occasion he was going from Peshawar to Mardan. At Nowshera he came across a crowd that had blocked the narrow passage through the main bazaar. On inquiry he was told that Wapda had marked some houses at Nowshera which were likely to come under water due to the Kalabagh Dam. The people were protesting against the dam. At that time the governor said he would not let the dam be constructed.
Subsequently, the anxieties and apprehensions of all the other districts, especially those on the banks of the River Kabul, presented an obstacle for the construction of this project. It seems that public relationing, award of compensation and persuasion of the general public as well as coordination with the provincial government were ignored by Wapda. After all, when Mangla was constructed, old Mirpur was submerged and the advantages of that dam were not restricted to any one province. In any case, Fazle Haq appeared to be ignorant about Wapda’s plan, and made sure that no one agreed to the project.
As to the point made by Mr Imran Sial regarding the interests of one province and forgetting that of the others, may I state that we often add up three provinces and oppose the one in total disregard of the fact that one province alone has 63 per cent of the country’s population? If you look at the topography of Punjab, all districts north and west of the Salt Range are dependent on rain, springs, lakes and tubewells for irrigation. Out of 29 or more districts of Punjab, except for four or five districts on the left bank of the Indus, all remaining districts are irrigated by the Jhelum and Chenab or underground water. So, anybody who thinks that only one province is going to benefit is not aware of the ground realities.
We have already lost 30 years of precious time debating and discussing, raising the cost of construction many times. The Kalabagh Dam will greatly help the NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan. The concerns of the affected people must be addressed, necessary compensation provided, and a time-frame laid down so that unnecessary harassment and misery is avoided. But it must be realized that no other dam can store extra water from the Kabul river.
The NWFP finance minister wants Rs5 billion from the centre to rehabilitate those affected by the current floods. I think they will need Rs5 billion almost every year if climatic conditions remain the same in the future. Perhaps a more appropriate way to rehabilitate such individuals is to find a more permanent solution and stop creating obstacles in the construction of a project which will usher in a new agricultural revolution.
If India and Saudi Arabia, one by integrating all its water resources and the other by using more scientific methods, can become self-sufficient in grain production, we can let all prejudices be washed away and make this engineering project a reality.
BRIG (retd) KHALID HASSAN
MAHMOOD
Karachi
THE Americans are great salesmen of global democracy and free enterprise. They preach international trade and investment without barriers. Thus globalization is their recipe for peace and plenty in the entire world. But when it comes to practising this golden mantra at home, things are different.
Two years ago, President Bush imposed hefty import tariffs on ‘cheap’ steel from abroad. This was a clear violation of the WTO regime. When action finally seemed likely at that international forum, the tariffs were reluctantly withdrawn.
Next, the Americans targeted Chinese textiles, threatening quota restrictions. The Chinese very wisely pre-empted this move by levying export duties on their textiles.
Now the US Congress has passed a resolution asking the US administration not to permit the Chinese oil giant CONOC to take over American oil company UNOCAL for $18 billion in cash. This is quite a turnaround for the messiahs of free trade and free investment.
H. N. AKHTAR
Karachi
FIRST it was against Pakistan and now it is against Sri Lanka that Brian Lara, the star batsman of the West Indies, has opted out from the one-day matches. He has defended his decision saying that it is Test cricket that fascinates him most and he wants to prolong his Test career. Before Brian Lara, Shane Warne of Australia had also decided to discontinue one-day cricket and he too is concentrating on Test cricket.
Incidentally, Brian Lara and Shane Warne are record holders in their respective fields of the game. Brian Lara is the highest scorer in Test and first class matches and Shane Warne is the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. What is the reason behind their reluctance to play one-day cricket any more?
In fact, the game of cricket has been commercialized to such an extent that it keeps the players busy round the year. It is taxing on the mind and the body of the players. Although it is more rewarding in terms of money, the quality of game has gone down. Too many one-day games have changed the style of the players — and even the Test matches are being decided within three or four days.
The neutral analyst would agree that not only for the sake of their own future but also for the game of cricket, Lara and Warne have taken a wise decision. The beauty of cricket lies in Test cricket and it should not be sacrificed for money.
It is up to the ICC to protect and enhance the image of Test cricket. This can be done only by reducing one-day cricket and concentrating more on Test matches.
RAFAT MAHMOOD ANSARI
Islamabad
I WELCOME the report (Dawn, July 6) that the government has decided to increase the rate of return on NSS and to convert the NSS directorate into a high-level government authority.
Making it a scheduled bank would have been a better choice in order to ensure close vigilance over its operations by the State Bank of Pakistan and to save it from the pitfalls and administrative lapses which blighted the National Development Finance Corporation.
QUTUBUDDIN AZIZ
Karachi
I WANT to draw attention to the apparent discriminatory practice of the Indian government in issuing visas to American citizens of Pakistani extraction. As a person belonging to this category, I applied for a visa to visit India on or about Aug 21, 2004, at the Indian consulate in Chicago. The stated purpose of my visit was to attend the wedding of my niece on Dec 24, 2004.
While any other US citizen is generally granted a visa on the day the application is submitted, I was told that my application would be forwarded to New Delhi because I was a Pakistani national before becoming an American citizen and that it might take over eight weeks before a decision was made in that regard. Sadly, to date I have not received any response from the Indian consulate.
I appeal to the ministry of overseas Pakistanis, the Pakistan foreign office or any other appropriate government agency to take up this issue with the Indian government.
IRFAN SUFI
Via email
“BAGLIHAR Bridge washed away”, headline, Dawn, July 4.
“Baglihar Tunnel collapses” (Dawn, July 7).
India has been building the Baglihar Dam in contravention of the Indus Water Treaty and in defiance of Pakistan’s protests of many years. Now, when after much Indian opposition the case had finally gone to the World Bank, nature’s ‘court’ appears to have swung into action.
According to the July 7 report, construction activity had to be suspended (which Pakistan had also been demanding) at the controversial site after 150-200 metres of the 550-metre-long diversion tunnel No. 2 was washed away. Furthermore, the other diversion tunnel of the 450mw power project is also under threat. A cable crane is sinking into the dam and, experts say, if the situation continues to worsen, the power house, too, might be threatened.
India should heed nature’s warning and stop working against the interests of its lower riparian neighbour.
KHALID CHAUDHRY
Karachi
THERE are many huge billboards in and around the major cities of Punjab which display photographs and words of praise of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat.
The ordinary people feel concerned about who is footing the bill for such personal advertising, the party, the government or the Chaudhrys themselves? Can anybody enlighten us on this?
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
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