| May 23, 2006 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 24, 1427 |
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Plight of Johi
Respect for Constitution
AE technologies
New examination system
‘The old refrain of corruption’
Road accidents
Special people
Pigs
‘Neither Ayub, nor Zia’
Hydrant closed
‘Lootocracy’
NEWSPAPERS are full of reports about the performance of various electricity providers in the country. This is due to the low generation of electricity in different parts of the country.
Though at the government level a number of steps have been taken that include privatisation of the KESC in Karachi, the electricity providers are unable to provide uninterrupted electricity to the people on one pretext or the other.
It is the duty of the government to look after its people and make sure that during summer additional electricity is generated to save the citizens from the soaring heat.
Many people live in apartments constructed by the builder mafia, which are no bigger than pigeon-holes. In the absence of electricity, it is difficult for the people to remain in the apartments, as they cannot even breathe properly.
This is one of the reasons that during forced load-shedding people come out from their residences, raise slogans against the government, pelt stones and burn vehicles on the roads.
At the start of the day and until the midnight, the consumption of electricity rises to its maximum level. There is no such policy made in the country that how many bulbs should a shopkeeper use to display items in the showcase.
A careful study of different shops and bazaars in Karachi reveals that uncounted bulbs are used by shopkeepers in each shop that raise the undue consumption of electricity. Moreover, neon signs are put on for the whole night, whereas streetlights are not turned off during the day.
In the present circumstance a comprehensive electricity programme should be chalked out. For example, with the start of the summer season effective March 1 until Oct 31, all shops and offices in the country should shut down operation at sunset, except those that provide emergency services, so that electricity can be conserved. Shopkeepers should also be asked to open their shops at 9am every day instead of opening them around the afternoon, as this is a normal practice in all developing countries.
During the season of Eidul Fitr a grace period of five hours should be given to shopkeepers for 15 days, starting from the 15th of Ramazan, so that people should buy necessary items during the grace period. During the season of Eidul Azha, again a grace period of 15 days should be given to shopkeepers for selling essential items.
Moreover, all marriage halls in the country should shut down their lights at 11pm sharp. People should wind up marriage-related functions and ceremonies by 10.30pm.
There should be no bar on illumination by the people or the government on specific days like Jashan-i-Eid Miladun Nabi and Independence Day. By taking these steps shopkeepers will not lose business, while electricity providers in the country will also be able to supply uninterrupted power supply to residents, particularly during the summer.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
JOHI taluka in Dadu district is among the most backward areas of Sindh. Its population is dependent on agriculture and due to acute shortage of irrigation water agriculture of the area has been destroyed.
It has resulted in throwing the majority of people in abject poverty. Finding no alternative sources of income, a majority of the people are leading a life of hand to mouth.
Due to constant deteriorating standard of education and continuous ban on jobs, local youths are finding it hard to contribute to the development of the area.
In other areas in Sindh there are alternative sources of income such as the industrial zones in Kotri and the industrial area at Nooriabad. But there is no industrial base in Johi. Moreover, while the government always boasts of developing small and medium-sized industries in rural areas, there is no sight of this or institutions that can provide loans to the poor and assist them in starting their business.
BHP, a multinational oil and gas exploring company, has established its base in Johi and is extracting oil and gas from there but it has also failed to meet the expectations of the people. Instead ,it has created fear among the people of skin diseases caused by chemicals emanating from its chimney.
Local residents are of the view that underground water is rapidly changing into brackish water and according to the majority view of local population it is due to extracting of oil and gas that is causing the conversion of water from portable to salty.
There are many NGOs working in Johi. They are doing a relatively good job by providing youths of the area employment according to their capacities, as well as providing health and education facilities.
While NGOs are a better option in comparison to governmental institutions, their capacity is very meagre and it needs to be expanded. It is a fact that the government is responsible for providing all amenities of life to its population in spite of the good or bad area they live in.
Unfortunately almost all past governments, as well as the present one, have neglected this area.
GULSHER PANHWER
Johi
IT’S a fact that whenever generals in Pakistan mounted a coup and grabbed power, they showed scant respect for the Constitution. Gen Zia publicly said the Constitution was nothing but a piece of paper which he could tear up anytime. They all claimed they would establish real democracy but they were only interested in prolonging their rule.
First, they organise the farce of referendums to manipulate popular mandate for their rule, declaring 98 per cent of the people have voted in favour of them. Then they set up assemblies with morally bankrupt politicians. Although generals claimed themselves as savours of Pakistan, the Quaid-i-Azam had declared categorically that Pakistan had only its destiny with establishment of parliamentary democracy. But all general-rulers opted for presidential system.
All the actions that General Musharraf has taken to establish ‘genuine democracy’ over the last six years were only meant to consolidate his power and establish the rule of one man instead of strengthen a parliamentarian democracy. During the rule of one man, good governance is not possible.
Our Constitution envisages a parliamentary system in which the prime minister is the chief executive and the president is just a state figurehead, who only acts on the advice of the prime minister but at present the prime minister is following the orders of the president and Chief of the Army Staff. This is no parliamentary democracy.
Military dictators believe that militaryt might can change civilian life. They forget that only political power can make things happen outside the barracks. As military dictators spend most of their time on ensuring legitimacy of their rule and how to hang on to power, they are not able to keep the promises made to the nation, and are even unable to take decisions thatare good for the country. As in the case of Gen Musharraf who failed to bring madressahs under government control and to change their curriculum and abolish the Hudood laws.
The interest of the country will be best served if Gen Musharraf hands over power to civilian politicians who have a mandate.
S. T. HUSSAIN
Lahore
THIS is in the context of the Alternate Energy Ordinance that was promulgated a few days ago. The industrialised world has been chasing the mirage of replacing traditional fuels like petrol, fuel oil and nuclear energy with renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, bio-fuels, water (including wave motion and temperature differential between water layers in oceans) and fuel cells since the oil crisis in the 1970s.
Western and Far Eastern countries have invested billions upon billions of dollars in researching and developing technologies utilising non-traditional fuels like ethanol and other plant oils but the end-result is that the goal of achieving a mass product capable of efficiently generating energy still eludes them.
Take for example solar energy technology. The solar panels that are used to collect sunlight and generate electricity are too costly to produce, costlier to maintain and even costlier to store any significant amount of energy. And on top of that, it is impossible to achieve an efficiency of anything near a traditional fuel-driven generator.
Then there is wind power. It is even costlier to set up a wind-powered generating unit than to set up a solar-powered one. And it generates energy at even lower efficiency than the solar panels. Other such energy production gadgets are not yet even out of experimental stages (like wave or tidal motion generators) and some haven’t yet left the drawing boards of theoreticians (like technology for utilizing temperature differential between two ocean layers).
The most promising and most efficient alternative energy (AE) production schemes involve thermonuclear energy but it remains the domain of the most intellectually advanced countries.
In a country where creativity is shunned and progressive ideas are discouraged, it seems highly unlikely that any progress could be made on the front of AE energy sources.
A country that spends most of its income on repaying debts and defence liabilities, it is impossible to develop anything more efficient than a wood or coal burning stove.
GHOUSE MOHIUDDIN
Karachi
MY children, all studying in federal government schools, were amongst the first to take examinations in the hot month of May this year as most educational institutions were considering starting summer vacations early.
Load-shedding was the other problem we faced during the exam period.
As a result, children could not get proper sleep. Above all, the new system of examination has not prevented the wastage of time, the main idea behind the decision.
I think the decision, taken without any public debate, has flopped and it would be better to revert, without delay, to the previous system.
EHSAN-UR-RAHIM
Peshawar
YOUR editorial ‘The old refrain of corruption (May 17), though it may have merit, has undesirable inference, therefore needs to be addressed.
Whereas there are no two opinions on the desire to strengthen institution of democracy in Pakistan, in your eagerness to denounce dictators from the army you have inadvertently condoned corruption.
While identifying democracy as the surest method of cleansing corruption and in the same breath unqualified reference to corruption scandals in the democracies of western Europe, Japan, America and India negates the stand and injures the noble cause of democracy.
While speaking of Pakistan’s executive leadership, your reference to America, western Europe, Japan and India for frequent headlines of corruption cases (probably never linked to a head of state) and its comparison with Pakistan is grossly misplaced.
If not impossible, it is highly improbable to identify even one executive head of state of India from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to the incumbent Dr Manmohan Singh being involved in a corruption case or in import of under-invoiced Israeli product in host country Saudi Arabia, under misdeclared country of origin (Dawn news).
And for that matter, any executive head of state of Japan, western Europe or America. You may be aware that western Europe, Japan and America do not let go even the CEO of a public limited company for corruption.
The executive or the minister resigns or is sacked. Enron’s CEO, British interior minister Clarks and John Prescott’s issue is a point in the case.
We may have difference of opinion or disagreement on account of national interests, we should not malign the above-board leadership of other countries, more especially in editorial write-up.
I leave to your good judgment that is it democracy or the dispensing and delivery of justice without delay and at affordable cost the surest, most effective and long-lasting system/institution to promote national well-being, good governance ,including democracy?
And does it not deserve the topmost importance for earliest implementation?
In the absence of prevalent speedy dispensing and delivery of justice, all forms of governments or ‘accountability’ will remain ineffective and good governance may not be achieved.
KHAWAJA ABDUL SAMEE
Karachi
THIS has reference to your editorial ‘The old refrain of corruption’ (May 17). When will we learn that it takes two to tango? Blaming the left hand without considering the right is but half the story. It is necessary to introduce what is working based on our tradition, which Napoleon institutionalised in his time; and that is accountability of the executive must lie within the executive.
Just look at France and other European countries. In many ways this approach is preventive because the institution of administrative courts has the funds and professional assistance to ensure the evidence is unearthed and judgment pronounced by it in good time.
Such courts have their hierarchy for right of appeal with a council of state at its apex. Article 216 of the Interim Constitution of Pakistan of 1972 makes provision for this Islamic institution. Incidentally, this effectively insulates the three pillars of executive, judiciary and legislature from each other.
It appears we do not want to contain corruption but to talk about it ad nauseam, so let the show continue.
MASOOD HASAN
Lahore
THIS is apropos of the fatal accident that occurred on May 20 near Barakou, Satra Mele, Islamabad, which resulted in the death of 13 persons, including Tahir Manzoor, our beloved colleague. Such accidents normally occur due to reckless driving. Some points are worth mentioning in this regard. Traffic police fail to check vehicles for overspeeding; there is no standard criterion for restricting licences to skilled drivers; authorities fail to check the suitability of public transport vehicles that travel on the roads and drivers are generally ignorant regarding traffic rules and signals
There is an urgent need to redress all these issues so that people can travel safely. A traffic awareness drive should be initiated, especially among those who are running public transport.
Moreover, there should be a strict policy with regard to the issuance of licences and certification for public vehicles. Hopefully these steps will help to mitigate the number of road accidents.
IMTIAZ AHMED KHAN
Islamabad
VERY few commercial outlets in our country are accessible to physically disabled people. As most restaurants and shops have a flight of steep high stairs for accessibility, people in wheelchairs cannot reach these due to the non-availability of wheelchair ramps.
The lack of accessibility is social and legal discrimination against physically-disabled people. Disabled people face explicit, implicit, visceral and systemic or institutional discrimination. Much has been written to illustrate this but it bears repeating.
Disabled persons have the inherent right to enjoy all the rights set forth by the government. They have the inherent right to respect for their human dignity. Disabled persons have the same fundamental rights as their fellow citizens of the same age, and as such they are entitled to the measures designed to enable them to become as self-reliant as possible. Disabled persons are entitled to have their special needs taken into consideration at all stages of economic and social planning.
NOORUDDIN S. BHAMANI
Karachi
I enjoyed reading Kamran Shafi’s letter (May 22), where he states, “the population of pigs in Islamabad is rather large”, and goes on to suggest they be shot. Yes, I know, I’m probably smiling for the wrong reasons.
S. ASIF
Besancon, France
PRESIDENT Musharraf said at a press conference that he was ‘neither Ayub, nor Zia’. He is right because he seems to be a combination of both when it comes to the Constitution of Pakistan.
If the president chooses to re-elect himself through the present assemblies, as he seems to have suggested, then it will be mandatory for him to remain in uniform to sustain this yet another unconstitutional act.
The move will make him a greater violator of the Constitution of Pakistan than Ayub and Zia put together, in terms of the number as well methodology of violations.
It is indeed a pity that the country founded by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who was one of the greatest constitutionalists of his times, has to live through violations of the Constitution over and over again.
HUMAYUN BASHIR
Canterbury, UK
THIS refers to a news item that the KWSB closed a hydrant in a Karachi locality.
Such is the power of the KWSB. If it cannot deliver the basic requirement to the people, it can at least make consumers miserable.
One may wonder why the people of Karachi buy water at a rate many times more than the rate of the KWSB. It is quiet obvious that there is no water in their water pipeline.
The KWSB was created to provide water to the people of Karachi. But it failed to do its job. Instead of improving the system it is depriving the people of this facility.
Similarly, the KWSB makes a hue and cry about the use of suction pumps.
If water flowed sufficiently pipelines Why would anyone bear the cost of a suction pump bear and the energy it consumes?
The fault lies with the KWSB and not with the consumers. Those responsible for provision of water should provide a solution to the problem.
SYED HASSAN SHAH
Karachi
HAVING earlier ruled and plundered the national wealth for 11 years, Mr Nawaz Sharif and Ms Benazir Bhutto are now ready with a ‘charter of lootocracy’ for yet another go.
Have Pakistanis enough wisdom left in them to reject forever these modern-day spoilers and demand of them the return of all that they have acquired through political clout?
ARTABAN
Karachi
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