| April 18, 2008 | Friday | Rabi-us-Sani 11, 1429 |
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Obama and racism in America
A journalist languishing in jail
Police flag march
Children’s vaccination
Change of ID cards
Schools in Punjab
Seeking UN probe
Are we counterfeit?
Climate change – a problem
PIA ticketing system
Manhandling of KU teacher
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
THE reports ‘Food crisis may lead to wars, riots: experts’ and ‘Pakistan, 34 other states face shortage’ (April 14) and your editorial ‘Global food crisis’ (April 15) are most alarming. Pakistan has been declared as one of the countries where serious shortage of food is apprehended by the world financial experts. Studies, however, show that Pakistan suffers more from man-made food shortage, a result of lopsided policies of the previous regime in favour middleman-cum-commercial-industrial entrepreneur at the cost of agriculture, rather than any natural disaster.
For the wheat and sugar crisis the blame squarely rests on the shoulder of Shaukat Aziz and Salman Shah who, despite uproar in the media pinpointing names of hoarders and smugglers sitting in the assembly, did not pay any heed and allowed the situation to worsen.
On the contrary, they always took shelter behind increasing world oil prices. They were even able to convince President Pervez Musharraf that increasing numbers of mobile phones and motor vehicles are signs of prosperity. Worse still, they even went to the extent of fudging the figures of wheat production to show better yield and rate of GNP growth in order to prove decline in poverty from 30 to 25 per cent.
Throughout the period of eight years they cultivated friendship with stockbrokers and the so-called industrialists-turned-into-cartels and patronised bankers. The nation was befooled with slogans such as ‘in the progress of business lies prosperity of the nation’. It proved to be other way round as with progress of business, only a few businessmen prospered.
Agriculture, which is the backbone and an indispensable source of the economy, becomes anathema and the rural areas were dubbed as dens of so-called feudals. The yield which a farmer produced did not earn him livelihood but was a source of luxuries and opulence for those living in the cities; brimming with all sorts of urban facilities.
The grower was left to live in abject poverty and misery without potable water, proper healthcare, electricity which only comes two to three hours a day.
It is time the authorities paid heed to the World Bank’s warning, “Time running out to avert food crisis” (April 15) and set their priorities right. They have to recognise the vital role the agriculture sector plays in the development of a country. The agriculture sector not only feeds the entire nation but is also the largest employer and a source of foreign exchange earning.
Sabihuddin Ghausi in his article, ‘Well-paid growers only guarantee to food security’ (April 15), has very rightly pointed out that in order to encourage farmers to grow more, the government should phase out subsidy of urban consumers and pass it on to the grower.
Besides, the new government should also prepare a comprehensive plan taking the farmer community into confidence regarding supply of subsidised urea and electricity to run tubewells, supply of quality seed, availability of easy credit facilities and, above all, saving them from the highhandedness of middlemen and the agencies such as the police, revenue, irrigation and food.
The problems faced by the rural community engaged in the agriculture activities are though myriad but if the above-mentioned suggestions are implemented in letter and in spirit, the future of our food security will not look so bleak.
MANSOOR UL HAQUE SOLANGI
Karachi
WHEN I watch Obama, he reminds me of JFK. I have always felt confident that he will galvanise the Americans to racially unite their country because of his right ideas and right approach.
His lecture on “Racism in America” delivered at Philadelphia was so moving that it touched the very core of my heart.
His speech covered how the Declaration of Independence, though signed, was ultimately unfinished because it was stained by the continuation of slavery and how this declaration was not enough to deliver slaves from bondage or provide all citizens their rights and how Americans during successive generations had to protest, struggle and fight a civil war to narrow the gap between the promise of the nation’s ideals and the reality.
As a son of a black man and a white woman raised by his white grandparents, as a person with a black American wife and with brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins of every race scattered in and beyond the US, Obama is the most qualified American to discuss racism in the US and also its eventual eradication.
It takes rare guts and sensitivity to speak out so openly and so well on this issue. Most of the presidential candidates would have accepted the advice from their ‘handlers’ to circumvent this subject. But not Obama! He took the issue by the horns and in his typical forthright style put forward his views before Americans.
His denunciation of Rev. Wright’s divisive speech but at the same time his refusal to disown him illustrate strength of his character. He seems to act according to his convictions.
As an immediate effect, he lost a few points in popularity, but he quickly recouped. Thus his trust in the basic fairness of American public was proved correct.
It is not for nothing that 76 per cent of respondents in a CNN/Essence Magazine/Opinion Research Corp. poll said the country is ready to be led by an African-American.
I have been mentioning to my American friends and relatives that over these last 30 years since I first set my foot on the US soil, I have noticed blacks more and more comfortable with whites and vice versa. The emergence of Obama as a formidable candidate who eventually might win the White House this November substantiates my observations.
K. B. KALE
Indonesia
LEST we forget, Pakistan has had a journalist who has been languishing in jail for more than 10 years. He is editor-in-chief of The Frontier Post, a Peshawar-based newspaper that has been a witness to the ups and downs in the ‘societal norms’. His name is Rehmat Shah Afridi.
Mr Afridi was convicted in a farce trial, in which he was charged with possessing hashish. And the punishment he got initially was death, later commuted to life imprisonment. Mr Afridi’s trial was reportedly the first one in the legal history of Pakistan when audio and video evidences were accepted.
That Mr Afridi objected to the quality of the multimedia should also be emphasised. Mr Afridi has been in jail for more than a decade now. No one can claim back these years for him. The absence of Mr Afridi’s case from the media struggle is equally sad. Except for the print media, which has raised his issue on and off, the electronic media is hushed up.
Mr Afridi is a brave man. In one of his interviews, Mr Afridi claimed that his exposing of how Nawaz was burning the funds of Osama bin Laden for personal political ends made him clash with Nawaz. No one can deny that.
It was only recently that Qazi Hussain Ahmad admitted that Osama too offered him funds for the IJI, an anti-PPP alliance, back in 1988. Mr Afridi’s relation with the PPP were always friendly. Now is the time for the PPP-led government to bail the man out of the cell. Lest we forget who he was, Mr Afridi needs to be recognised. His imprisonment must end now.
MUHAMMAD ISMAIL KHAN
Islamabad
THE metropolitan pages of Dawn (April 11) carry a photograph of ‘Flag march’ showing a big column of police vehicles boastfully passing through a thoroughfare. These flag marches are now common sight in our country.
Whenever some incidents of some serious proportion occurred, later on these marches are made to show their presence and raise the morale of forces, i.e. rangers and the police.
However, as a Pakistani I feel ashamed as these very forces are more often than not found missing. It happened on May 12, 2007 when on the roads of metropolis more than 50 innocent people were savagely killed in broad daylight, and this gory spectre was transmitted live by more than dozen local and foreign TV channels, just to stop the chief Justice of the country from addressing the Bar.
Where were these forces when on April 8 a former minister was beaten in Lahore and the very next day 11 people were brutally murdered, including six baked to death, with more than 50 vehicle torched in the business capital of Pakistan.
Had such incidents taken place in some other country, I am sure the law of the land would have taken its course and not only those involved in callous laxity taken to task but the families of victims would have been adequately compensated.
But alas in this land of pure those killed without any cause are forgotten in the expediencies of politics and those who were paid from public taxes to secure their lives and properties have the temerity to show their belated ‘raw-power’ on the road through flag marches. What a shame.
BADAR JATOI
Port Coquitlam, BC
I SHALL be grateful if any child specialist could provide information about essential vaccinations for the newborns.
It is understood that six types of vaccination are essentially required. The public sector hospitals provide these six vaccinations free of cost.
However, the position is not clear as regards Hib and PCV-7 (pneumococcal) vaccinations. Parents are advised to arrange these two vaccinations from their own pocket.
Hib vaccination is recommended at the age of 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 months. And the PCV-7 vaccination is to be given thrice at the age of four, six and eight months. These are costly vaccinations, costing Rs3,300 and Rs13,500 respectively.
The middle-income parents can hardly afford it. Are these two vaccinations mandatory, or can they be ignored without any potential risk?
And what is the percentage of risk? Can parents choose to skip these two vaccinations?
If these are mandatory, is the government considering any proposal to provide these vaccinations free of cost?
M. AHMED
Lahore
WHY are the identity cards in our country required to be changed every now and then? Do our physical features change every year? Most people consider this a clever tactic by the government to extort money from the already hard-pressed people. The government officials must look into this matter and answer this question.
In several countries, even passports are issued for 10 years, let alone ID cards. As a result, people do not have to pay the renewal fee after every five years. But such facilities are provided to the people in a civilised society. Pray, where is our society headed?
SYED AZIZ AKHTAR
Karachi
A NEW report released by the World Bank calls for a re-evaluation of education policies in the context of a dramatic increase in private schools for primary education in Pakistan. The report presents facts and findings from a survey of all public and private primary schools in 112 villages in the Punjab province and lays out important policy options based on detailed data to facilitate evidence-based policy-making.
The Learning and Educational Achievement in Punjab Schools (LEAPS), the result of collaboration between the World Bank and researchers from Harvard University and Pomona College, says for profit private schools have become a widespread presence in both urban and rural areas, providing parents another option for investing in their children’s education.
The report provides an excellent starting-point for guiding educational policies which needs to take into account the relative strengths and weaknesses of private and government schooling.
The report says a large fraction of rural Pakistani households no longer live in villages with one or two government schools. Half the population of rural Punjab lives in villages where parents can choose from seven or eight schools.
Children in private schools score significantly higher than those in government schools, even when they are from the same village. In fact, it will take children in government schools 1.5 to 2.5 years of additional schooling to catch up where private school children are in Class III.
Better learning results in private schools do not arise from higher costs — it costs half as much to educate a child in a private school (Rs1,000 per year) compared to a government school (Rs2,000 per year).
The report calls for a modified role of the government for discussion and debate. This would focus on policies complementary to, rather than in competition with, the private sector.
One, the report suggests, the government should provide information on the quality of every school — public or private — to enable households to make informed decisions and increase beneficial competition between schools. The suggestion is based, in part, on the results of an ongoing Randomised Control Treatment Experiment.
It also proposes that the government should correct the imbalances arising from unequal geographical access to private schools, and ensure that all children acquire a set of basic competencies.
It also urges the government to become an innovator willing to experiment with and evaluate ‘out-of-the-box’ reforms such as public-private partnerships where financial support is given to children regardless of the school chosen.
The report says that improving quality in government schools requires rethinking teacher hiring and compensation in a fundamental manner. It presents a number of different options for teacher reform — from decentralising teacher hiring to districts to decreasing additional duties such as attending workshops and administering polio vaccinations to performance-based pay.
The report clarifies that each option has its own strength and weaknesses and discussions are required to inform the way forward.
Finally, the report says that educational policies need to recognise that there are weaknesses and strengths in both sectors. The relative strengths of the government sector are a better educated and trained workforce that is equitably distributed.
The relative strengths of the private sector are the ability to cut costs by paying teachers according to local conditions and performance and eliciting higher levels of effort from their teachers.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
THIS refers to the news report, ‘NA calls for UN probe on BB’s assasination’, (April 15). The National Assembly, in an emotional outburst, has asked the government to refer Benazir Bhutto’s assasination to the UN for investigation to determine the hidden hand.
Let us be wise and carry out a detailed analysis of our decision before we approach the UN rather in haste to satisfy our ego. Ms Bhutto was a great national leader and a probe by the UN would not add to the height she had already achieved.
Here, it is pertinent to mention that the assassination of our first prime minister was not probed by the UN, nor were the assassinations of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Princess Diana. How can we trust a body not held in high esteem in Pakistan to consider issues that are so sensitive to the nation.
The UN has seldom shown fairness and honesty in dealing with issues important to Pakistan, what is the assurance that they will now?
Besides, the international probe commission would demand access to the sensitive material which, if allowed, may adversely affect our relations with some countries.
I wonder if our friends, who have expressed reservations, have been contacted and consulted to avoid any embarrassment.
It is worth noting here that the UN was forced to inquire into the assassination of Mr Hariri because one of the powers involved wished Syria to be blamed and punished. What would be our reaction if the inquiry points fingers at outsiders?
KHAN. A. SHAMSHAD
Karachi
WE refuse to accept tainted money but have no qualm if tainted people are appointed to high posts.
Are we devoid and bankrupt of ethics and standards or are we all counterfeits?
A PAKISTANI
Karachi
AMONG many problems the world is facing today the most diverse and serious is the problem of climate change which has compelled all developed countries to pay attention to it.
The temperature is increasing day by day due to rapid change in climate.
There are many reasons why climate is changing, the first cutting and burning of the forests, second industries and vehicles are excreting harmful and hazardous gases and, finally, no planting in large numbers.
Cultivating more trees and plants will be helpful to lower down the percentage of carbon dioxide which reduces the temperature.
Countries like Pakistan where deforestation is increasing very aggressively need to stop this and plant as many new trees as possible to play their role regarding this issue.
Increased temperatures and very hot climate melt glacier, lower areas will sink, floods and storms will be more frequent.
Thus, awareness among developed countries, serious and sensible action and working shoulder to shoulder with others seem to be ways of countering the issue in coming days, in order to make the earth a suitable place for living.
TARIQ
Turbat
FOR the past two years I have been trying to buy PIA tickets online. But every time I search for fares through Online Ticketing System at http://www.piac.com.pk/PIAFares.aspx, I receive the same message: “We apologize for the inconvenience; we are currently in the process of updating our fares”.
I wish one day I’ll able to book PIA flights online like any other airline in the world.
DR MUHAMMAD ATIF TAHIR
Bristol Institute of Technology
University of the West of England
WISH to recollect a stanza from the verse of Qasim Pirzada, who is now the VC of Karachi University.
Qaum agar talab karay tum se ilaje teergi
sahibe ikhtiar ko aag
laga diya karo
You have proved true to your thoughts and words in the soft-handling of this appalling incident at KU.
M. M. KHAN
Karachi
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