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| April 02, 2008 | Wednesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 24, 1429 |
Conflict in Iraq once again
Voluntary blood donors
OTHER VOICES - European Press
A HUNG parliament is a blessing. We know from experience what havoc parties with ‘a heavy mandate’ can play. The prime minister can utilise the present situation to make parliament the vehicle of change — an instrument for seeking the approval of his policies and involving the parliamentarians in a meaningful way in policymaking. The beginning has been satisfying, because Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani very appropriately announced the ‘package’ in the National Assembly after the House reposed unanimous confidence in him. Now that the prime minister is to craft a new law and order policy, we hope it will be unveiled in the Assembly, for it is likely to concern such issues as suicide bombings and the militant insurgency. Along with the deteriorating economic conditions, especially food inflation, nothing is of greater importance for the coalition government than to tackle the monster of terrorism. The issue has grave foreign policy implications, too, and it remains to be seen how the Gilani government is able to meet the challenge.
The prime minister has said that he will negotiate with those militants who lay down arms, and similar declarations have come from the ANP leadership, which is in a better position to talk to the Taliban for obvious reasons. However, before talking to the militants the coalition partners must themselves agree on policy outlines. What better way is there for doing that than going to the National Assembly? Obviously, a 342-member body cannot deliberate effectively and formulate policy. Hence this process must take place through parliamentary committees, which unfortunately have not been developed adequately in Pakistan. This is not strange considering that democracy itself has eluded us. The elected leadership must use parliamentary committees as a powerful institution for scrutinising and honing state policies. This does not call for deliberations only among the committee members themselves. They must listen to non-parliamentary actors as well. In recognised democracies, parliamentary committees hold public hearings and invite experts in related fields to know their views. This gives the committees an insight into a given issue and helps them discover flaws in legislation and policy and recommend amendments to the government.
The committee system is serious business, for those associated with a parliamentary panel must have the necessary qualifications to be there. For instance, committees on defence, foreign affairs, education, environment, women, minorities, etc must have parliamentarians who are well-versed in these subjects and can conduct meaningful hearings. Now that talks with the militants are in the air, an NA committee must devote itself to examining the pros and cons of the issue and invite members of the public, especially those involved in Fata affairs, to give their views on the issue. The prime minister’s faux pas about the Frontier Crimes Regulation shows the disadvantage of not having specialised parliamentary committees. Strengthening the committee system will not only help the government seek a consensus on all issues of vital concern to the nation, it will give all lawmakers, even those in the opposition, a sense of participation in governance.
THE recent crackdown on Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi militia in the southern Iraqi city of Basra has had the opposite effect of what Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki intended. Instead of bolstering his position ahead of the October provincial polls, what he called the ‘decisive and final battle’ to root out criminal gangs invited a swift and bloody reaction from the Mahdi militia that had until then observed a seven-month truce. The fighting spilled over into other cities including Baghdad, and the overall death toll in the weeklong hostilities between the militia and the government backed by the US and UK militaries stood at more than 400. The violence showed that internecine conflict in Iraq is not confined to fighting between the Shias and Sunnis. In singling out the Mahdi militia for corrective action, Mr Maliki has opened another front: conflict between rival Shia groups. In fact, the ceasefire called by Moqtada al-Sadr on Sunday may prove to be short-lived if the Maliki government does not adopt an even-handed approach in its dealings with various militias. Such rifts could then become a permanent feature of Iraq’s political landscape, making peace more elusive than ever. It would then become difficult for US-led forces in Iraq to reduce their numbers, let alone consider a total withdrawal.
The recent hostilities also make it clear that Baghdad should be more active about seeking cooperation from Iran, instead of taking instructions from the US. After all, it was with Iran’s help that the ceasefire was negotiated, and there is no getting away from the fact that for millions of Iraqi Shias, Iran is more of a natural ally than the US. This may be a troubling reality for Washington that is opposed to any role for Tehran inside Iraq. Such an attitude only backfires in Iraq. Constant antagonism towards Iran and efforts to downplay its importance in Iraqi affairs can only lead to a negative role by a country that wields powerful influence over various Shia factions and equips and trains them for conflict situations. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent visit to Iraq had been a positive development, heralding an era of friendly ties between two former foes. This needs to be carried forward so that the central government — at least until it builds up its own credibility — can rely on Tehran’s restraining hand when militias turn to violence as a means of registering their demands. The consequences would be tragic if Washington interfered in this process.
CONSIDERING the chronic shortage of donated blood in the country, it is no surprise that patients requiring transfusion often have to undergo long and excruciating waits before the necessary amount and group can be procured for them. In fact, according to speakers at a recent seminar in Karachi, only half of Pakistan’s annual blood donation requirements are met — through commercial, voluntary and replacement donors. The latter, who are generally friends of or related to the patient, contribute to the bulk of blood donations each year. Although replacement donors may be better than professional ones, in many cases they are reluctant to donate, while the blood of commercial donors, many of them drug addicts, often contains dangerous pathogens.
It is unfortunate that the category — voluntary donors — that should ideally be donating the most blood each year, is giving only a small amount. Unfortunately, there has been no attempt to promote a culture of voluntary blood donations. Neither have health officials actively tried to clear the misconceptions of potential donors, many of whom are either apathetic to the needs of patients or believe such donations pose a risk to their own state of physical wellbeing. These attitudes must change if the amount of healthy blood donated each year in the country is to be increased to meet the requirements of all transfusion patients. With nothing to lose, voluntary donors are more likely than the other two categories to give accurate information about their medical background and lifestyle, and thus are a generally safer bet — even though their blood would go through the mandatory screening. A sustained drive is, therefore, necessary to educate people on how such donations save lives while requiring only a small amount of their own blood which the body’s system replenishes quite fast. Only awareness that strengthens the spirit of voluntary giving can give respite to patients urgently requiring blood.
Dramatic licence
The Independent
THERE is discontent in theatreland, or at least in those regions not prone to bursting into song at moments of heightened emotion. The director of the Old Vic, Kevin Spacey, has criticised the BBC for promoting the West End musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber through a succession of prime-time Saturday night shows designed to find stars for his productions.
It is hard not to feel some sympathy for Mr Spacey’s argument. Television programmes such as How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria, Any Dream Will Do and the latest, I’d Do Anything, do indeed look like pretty hefty publicity vehicles for Lord Lloyd-Webber’s business interests.
One does not have to be a staunch critic of the unchallenging brand of entertainment that Lord Lloyd-Webber peddles to wonder whether this is really what the BBC ought to be spending licence payers’ money on.
One might equally argue that the BBC gives free publicity to Hollywood studios, at the expense of domestic theatre, when it reviews the latest releases or invites stars on to its chat shows. And, anyway, are such shows as I’d Do Anything really doing any harm if they attract new audiences to the theatre?
Mr Spacey is not entirely wrong about the skewing of the BBC’s coverage towards musical theatre. But in truth, perhaps he doesn’t need to make quite such a song and dance of the problem. — (April 1)
Water shortage
Cyprus Mail
THE angry reaction by businesses to the decision to impose drastic water cuts in most towns has forced the agriculture ministry and the water boards to carry out a reappraisal of the measure….
However, it would be extremely optimistic to expect a rational policy to be bashed out by a meeting…. All we should expect is a slapdash deal…. This would solve none of the long-term problems nor would it qualify as effective crisis management…. By what logic could the water boards have decided that the state hospitals would have an uninterrupted water supply while private clinics could not?
It is unheard of that hotels in the Yermasoyia municipality will not experience any cuts while… other Limassol hotels will have running water for 10 or 12 hours every 48 hours. The latter would have to buy water from other sources, thus increasing their operating costs….
… Admittedly, the perennial water shortages are a complex issue that cannot be solved in a few days or weeks, but the current situation requires drastic measures. One measure that should be considered is cutting the supply of water to the farming sector which takes huge amounts and makes a negligible contribution to GDP (three per cent).… The cost to the economy would be much smaller than if hotels, clinics and drinks factories are made to operate with significantly reduced quantities of water…. — (April 1)
