| January 21, 2007 | Sunday | Muharram 01, 1428 |
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Cure for Bush
Saddam and US
In emergency situations
Parting kick
KSE and mutual funds
Unfair deal
Half empty or half full?
Five-day week
So the game plan is out
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
THIS refers to Ms Zubeida Mustafa's article 'Teaching in mother tongue' (Jan 10), in which she has laid down the case of Nadia as a basis for the primary teaching to be imparted in the mother tongue rather than English.
That is a fine idea but there are so many cases where this logic may not apply. Here is the case of Rayan, which is opposite to Nadia's case. Rayan does not understand Urdu or any regional language of Pakistan, except English. The reason is when he was one-year-old, his parents left for the UK and stayed there for about seven years, during which Rayan got his primary education there but lost touch with his mother tongue.
When his parents came back to Pakistan, Rayan was admitted to a private school where he had to do Urdu. Rayan finds it difficult because he could not speak and understand it.
Briefly, Rayan is as much brilliant as Nadia but the dividing line between them is Urdu and English.
However, the two cases of Nadia and Rayan are different but highlight the common problem that has been hanging around for quite some time - the issue of medium of instruction at primary level. To break this deadlock, here I would suggest that only English should be declared compulsory as it is the international language and the language of business, market and jobs and Urdu/regional languages be made optional, to be left to the child to do any language in addition to English.
The problem is not with language but with the system and recruitment and training of teachers. Our educational system is over-politicised and class-ridden: hence suffers from political interference, bad governance, corruption and favouritism. Such evils are playing havoc with the education where children like Nadia suffer and their talent goes untapped.
There is an argument that for the survival of Urdu and regional languages, it is imperative that these languages be introduced at primary level as medium of instruction. I do not agree with such an argument as the survival of any language depends not on teaching at primary level but on how the material conditions and market support a language. In case of Pakistan, this material base is very weak or does not exit for Urdu and regional languages. And that is why all the languages, including Urdu, are becoming irrelevant and facing the prospect of doom, at least in the job market.
English has comparatively proliferated fast and transcended across the globe, it is not because of Shakespeare or his poetry but because material conditions, at home and abroad, supported its expansion and adoption by different nations living under the colonial system of the British Raj. In the subcontinent, the first thing British rulers did was to replace Persian with English as office language. The second step was to introduce English in schools as second language to create faithful ruling elite who would serve the interests of colonial rulers and produce a class of lower-level local functionaries to help in day-to-day administration.
This way the base for its expansion was laid down. Hindus lost no time to embrace the language but Muslims after initial hiccups adopted English, as there was no alternative for them if they wanted to be a part of British imperial economic and political system. This way English has progressed to the unparalleled status of global language.
The ruling class of Pakistan after its creation has continued with this colonial legacy faithfully. In fact, to follow this legacy is a necessity, given the initial integration of Pakistan within British, then US imperial framework of military and economic alliances and the nature of the global economic system that is emerging now.
Coming back to the language controversy, which is haunting Pakistan hard, since its genesis, I would say that it is not language that has created apartheid-like situation but it is the political system and socio-economic structures that have been raised by the combo of civil-military bureaucracy. As long as this alliance exists, I don't see any hope for a child like Nadia to rise and lift herself and her family out of the vortex of abject poverty.
MANZOOR ALI ISRAN
Shah Abdul Latif University
Khairpur
IN her appeal, ‘Act fast’, Mrs Rahman, while rightly entreating the Americans to put a stop to all the turmoil being caused by their president, has said: “He (Bush) needs a psychiatrist real bad. He needs help, so somebody please help him.” (Jan 15).
I am afraid seeing a shrink won’t help Mr Bush. The well-known American psychiatrist and bestselling writer of some books, Dr M. Scott Peck, had written from years of experience in “People of the Lie”, which deals with the question of human evil, that while most of his patients would benefit from psychiatric treatment, there were a few whom no amount of treatment seemed to cure.
After considerable reflection and research with an open mind, he came to the unexpected but serious and convincing conclusion that some kind of evil force possessed such folks and the only hope for them could be through exorcism. Take into consideration the amount of evil Bush has unleashed on Iraq by speaking lies - making him the grandest among the ‘People of the Lie’ - and attacking it largely for Israel’s benefit, which has cost nearly 700,000 Iraqi lives, causing unprecedented and endless suffering to them.
This also includes the sacrilege of the Holy Quran in the camp at Guantanamo Bay, as confirmed by some of its inmates and independently by the Red Cross and conscientious American guards, as well as the atrocities on mostly innocent human beings in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and Bagram, who had no recourse to legal defence, in addition to the renditions via the CIA.
All of this happened with the advice or collaboration of leaders such as Tony Blair, Ehud Olmert, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and generals like James Mattis, who said about Afghanistan: “It’s fun to shoot some people.” This appears to fit them all into Dr Peck’s classification. Bush’s and Blair’s claims about divine communications also appear to confirm the spiritual dimension of their problem.
Why has this happened? A major culprit seems to be the Zionist tail that has been wagging the American dog for many years, which has directly and indirectly so mesmerised the American leaders and important officials in particular and, through the media and other means, the ordinary Americans that it requires an outside observer to understand their problem.
Thus, George Bush should be exorcised to free him of the Satanic and Zionist influences. If that doesn’t work, then he should be ‘Saddamised’, that is hanged in Baghdad - along with his pet poodle Blair and some others — latest by next Christmas. This is necessary to free the Muslims, especially, and the world, generally, of the leader who, according to opinion polls in Europe and elsewhere, is seen as the greatest threat to world peace. He and his collaborators have indeed set many parts of the earth on fire, with Somalia being the latest, while Iran, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are also in their crosshairs.
A TROUBLESHOOTER
Karachi
AFTER the worldwide outrage caused by the hasty hanging of Saddam Hussein on the Eid day and the recording of its video, the United States quickly tried to distance itself from the incident and make the politically correct noises, as did Tony Blair (after a studied silence).
However, in a similar episode of humiliating the late Iraqi president, the British tabloid Sun had published a frontpage photo nearly two years back, showing Saddam clad only in his underwear. Other photos inside showed him washing his clothes by hand and sleeping in bed. The newspaper had said it had obtained these and other pictures from 'US military sources' that had reportedly been taken over a year ago (Dawn, May 21, 2005).
After that caused uproar around the globe, the US military had said it was aggressively' investigating how these could have been taken and by whom. Saddam's lawyers had said they would sue the Sun and thought these were taken inside the place where the Americans were detaining him. A story accompanying the photographs quoted US military sources as saying they handed over the photos in the hope of dealing a blow to the Iraqi resistance, which exposed the hypocrisy of their claim of "aggressively" investigating.
The newspaper had cited one source as saying: "Saddam is not a superman or God, he is now just an ageing and humble old man. It's important that the people of Iraq see him like that to destroy the myth. Maybe that will kill a bit of the passion in the fanatics who still follow him. It's over guys."
That could have been the motive this time as well. The moral seems to be that the American leaders and officials keep doing what they want to; but if it offends the international community, then they act innocent and try to shift blame on to any scapegoat. That usually boils down to its former dictator friends or the Muslim 'terrorists', but if unavoidable, then even the low-ranking US troops are roped in.
M. ALI
Karachi
I RECENTLY had a bitter experience at the hands of the Motorway police. At 9.30am I was called by my assistant on the mobile phone about the arrival of a stroke patient in very critical condition. Accordingly, I directed my driver to hurry me to the clinic. On the road opposite the CMH, Nowshera, the Motorway police signalled us to stop and we obeyed. Suddenly an inspector came in front of our car and told us that their speed camera indicated that our car was travelling 10 km beyond the authorised speed limit and that we would have to pay the penalty.
I explained to the inspector that I was in a hurry to reach a patient in critical condition, and that may I please be allowed to proceed to my clinic without further delay and then I can pay the penalty there. The inspector’s reply was that they were not concerned with any human problem and he would not allow me to move an inch further. I was hence detained at that site for about half an hour and was allowed to proceed only after I paid the fine.
On reaching the clinic I was told that the patient’s relatives, disappointed at my being late, had taken their patient away. I only hope that the patient had not expired because I was not able to reach there earlier.
Leaving aside the rude attitude and unbecoming behaviour of the police officer, what I would like to know from the relevant authorities is, how should a medical doctor reach his patient in an emergency situation? Should they be equipped with sirens on their vehicles for use in an emergency situation? I would be obliged if any better alternative can be suggested, enacted and notified.
DR MUHAMMAD REHAN
Nowshera
THE outgoing intelligence director, Mr Negroponte, has delivered a parting kick by saying that Al Qaeda now has a safe haven in Pakistan.
This is the same network which suggested that Iraq had WMDs, which later turned not to be wrong.
In recent times, Pakistan had been given an honourable mention for being the frontline state in the Afghan war. It was also titled a non-Nato ally. It is incredible to witness the changing tides of international politics.
The government spokesperson has vehemently denied this allegation as a pall of uncertainly prevails over Islamabad. The president in the meanwhile should ask for clarification and subject future cooperation to a clear settlement of the matter.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
APROPOS of Mr Khalid Khan's letter 'KSE and mutual funds (Dec 31), I would like to convey my appreciation for Mr Khan in expressing his views in such depth on important issues concerning mutual funds. I believe such discussions would encourage and facilitate in bridging the gap between the management of mutual funds and the general investors at large and shed light on the current challenges facing the mutual fund industry.
It is our understanding that the writer is under the wrong impression that the offering of right shares was done to increase the assets under management of the mutual funds so that they can increase their management fees that are based on the average net asset values.
Instead, the offering of right shares was primarily done to create liquidity as significant amounts were held up as part of the frozen shareholding of shares in the oil and gas sector on the privatisation list of the government of Pakistan (GoP). In other cases, the rights were issued to take advantage of bullish market conditions. Given the payout by the close-end funds over the last few years, it can be concluded that handsome amounts were distributed to the certificate holders.
It is pertinent to mention that the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) through its circular No.12, dated Aug 21, 2006, prohibited the closed-end funds from issuing right certificates at a price which is less than average of net asset value of certificates over a 90day period immediately preceding the announcement of right issue.
On recommendations of the Mutual Fund Association of Pakistan (MUFAP), the SECP has incorporated necessary provisions in the revised NBFC rules sent to the GoP for approval to allow closed-end funds to purchase treasury stocks with the objective to reduce the prevailing discount in the market prices of the closed-end funds. This is a step in the right direction and would benefit the investor by giving him higher value for his shares which otherwise would fetch amount below par value.
Further, to protect the interest of investors, the MUFAP and the SECP have recently agreed not to allow funds to issue bonus shares to unit holders/certificate holders in case the net asset value/market price of such units/certificates is below par value.
On behalf of the MUFAP I would like to emphasise that the mutual fund industry has achieved many milestones in the recent past in terms of its growth, performance and innovative products to meet the needs of the diverse base of investors. Mutual funds have paid phenomenal returns to investors not matched by any other comparable investment.
However, the industry has a long way to go to reach its full potential and one of the key challenges facing the industry is education of the investors. I would, therefore, encourage such discussions in the media to disseminate critical information on key issues affecting them.
NAJAM ALI
Chairman, Mutual Funds Association of Pakistan,
Karachi
I TOOK my family to the recently-concluded Life and Style exhibition. It was a wonderful experience and all was very well organised and enjoyable. There were a lot of promotional packages offered by different manufacturers. We took some of them. All was well until we opened the package of one of the leading bottlers who have recently entered snacks business.
It was a jumbo pack with getting one pack free on purchasing of one. Each pack had 18 pieces in it. To our utter disappointment, we found that the product offered had an expiry just four days from the date of purchase. This was bit unfair. Some one might say that it was our fault that we didn’t check the expiry date but honestly speaking it should have been pointed out by the people dealing at the stall. I think most of the people might have not even checked the expiry date reaching home and consumed the product.
Consumers should be made aware of such facts about the products. Under the circumstances, it appears to be purposely hiding the fact or saying more straight forwardly bluffing the clients. There is no objection to selling a product at cheaper rates nearing its expiry dates but we should have courage to let the people know about the reason of selling a product at 50 per cent rate.
DILAWAR HUSAIN
Karachi
I HAD an opportunity to watch the fireworks display organised by the city district government on three consecutive days at Seaview with my family. There was a huge crowed enjoying the display. To my utmost surprise, there was not a single mishap even when the whole road was blocked as people got down from their cars to get a good view of the fireworks. I salute Mustafa Kamal, Nasreen Jail and the Sindh governor who organised all this to portray a soft image of Karachi. In fact, Karachi is always full of life as compared to some other cities. I fail to understand why the print and electronic media seemed to ignore this mega event
May I also refer to the letter by Arsalaan Haleem ( Jan 17) who seems to look at the glass as half full? Instead of strengthening hands by encouraging the city government and enjoying what is being provided at this time, he is all set to criticise. After all, Karachi is a huge metropolis of 175 million people, at least half of them coming from the rest of Pakistan. I thank the city nazim for the marvelous arrangements.
NIGAR AFAQ HUSSAIN
Karachi
THE news about the government’s intention to introduce a five-day working week (Jan 17) is ominous. It can only be a recipe for disastrous consequences. This is because under the new system, many people will get off work at 11am on Fridays and will not return to work until late on Mondays, the universal excuse being that long weekends entail a visit out of the city.
It can well be imagined how much work will get done with the remaining hours at the office. The longer daily working hours are unlikely to translate into more work being done. This scheme, which was tried out some years ago but failed, will only bring down output in terms of work accomplished. The authorities are, therefore, requested to continue with the present six-day week schedule and to conserve energy through other measures.
SAMAR AZEEM KHAN
Rawalpindi
I AGREE with your editorial (Jan 19) that the proposal for re-election of President Musharraf for another five-year term by the existing assemblies is a “joke with democracy”.
Such a ludicrous proposal will make Pakistanis, and overseas Pakistanis like me, look silly and a laughingstock in the comity of nations. Instead, the next Pakistani president should be a civilian and not from the military cadre. He or she should be democratically-elected as laid down in the (amended) Constitution of 1973.
JALALUDDIN S. HUSSAIN
Quebec, Canada
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