| August 12, 2008 | Tuesday | Sha'aban 9, 1429 |
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Improving the railways
Education key to our salvation
Clear-cut stand needed
Learning from others
Regularisation of service
Govt’s apathy
PMDC’s response
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
NOT just Pakistan but the whole world is in the grip of inflation. In situations like this the best the government can do is to manage the situation since much of the cause of the inflation (high oil and commodity prices, a weak dollar) are outside its control.
In this context I have to say that certain government measures have only added to the inflationary trends and these are as follows:
a. The raising of the minimum wage to Rs6,000. Wages in neighbouring South Asian countries (India and Sri Lanka) are less than in Pakistan.
All over the world governments are in negotiation with their workers to ensure the minimum possible wage increase so as not to fuel inflation. We have done the opposite.
In India the minimum wage per federal law was set at Rs80 per day in September 2007. Even allowing for the fact that their currency is worth around 45 per cent more than ours, this should equate to Rs116 per day in Pakistani terms.
In Bangladesh the latest rate set for garment workers is a minimum wage of $25 per month (equating to Rs1,800 of Pakistan).
Sri Lanka refuses to set a minimum wage because they feel that this will be a disincentive to work since both good and bad workers will be on an equal footing.
The Rs6,000 level set by our government works out to Rs230 a day on a 26-day month. I am not surprised that our exports are having a tough time competing in the international market.
b. The other point to note is that when you set things like minimum wages, you establish a bureaucracy to audit and check whether it is being properly implemented. In our case this is an inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy which adds to the cost of manufacturing.
c. Over 61 years our various governments have not learned that wages are a question of supply and demand. A well-educated work force is also an exportable asset. If they fail to get decent employment at home, they will take themselves off to somewhere more lucrative.
This will force employers to pay them a good market wage. Unfortunately we have neither invested in our educational infrastructure (while all the time never failing to instruct the private sector educational institutions how they should be running — more bureaucracy) nor in any proper vocational training for our manpower.
How then can we justify charging so much more than neighbouring countries and that too for a less qualified worker?
d. Another unjustified inflationary tactic has been the raising of the sales tax rate by one per cent to 16 per cent This has meant that the end-price of a product has risen.
This at a time of falling consumption due to high prices and inflation. We are an import-dependant country, both for our raw materials and for our basic needs. With the declining rupee and the rising prices all over the world, customs duties and sales tax revenue will increase in Pakistani rupee term anyway.
There is no need to increase the rates of taxes (in fact, there may be some room to lower them). This is a further blow to our manufacturing sector at a time when employment prospects are dimming.
The sensible course would be to backtrack on both these decisions.
FARHANA MOWJEE
Karachi
MY recent train (Tezgam) journey from Rawalpindi to Karachi took 34 hours, giving me the feeling that the Pakistan Railways (PR) had badly shortchanged me without giving me worth the Rs3290 which it charged me for transporting me on schedule as published in advance on the Railways Time Table for public information.
This brings me to the point that the PR has improved in no department, notwithstanding the proud boast of former railways minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmad in the National Assembly on which he made a case for upgrading the services of railways employees.
The addition in the pay or the grades of Pakistan Railways employees has not inspired them enough to work with dedication or to improve the services for the passengers, which is at deficit considering the inflated fares, raised thrice since June 2007, on the flimsy excuse of the rise in oil prices.
What should oil prices have to do with the increased cost of bedding charges, food catering or shortage of water or unfixed electric slots, bulbs, or inability to maintain the desired temperature in train compartments, or failure to provide tumblers in bathrooms?
The food ordered on the train is served without drinking water, and the passengers must perforce purchase mineral water.
When bedding was ordered, the attendant requested an additional Rs10 because, according to him, the contractor would not pay him for laundering and ironing the pillow case and cover sheet.
The item also came without a bed sheet, which had been withdrawn from the list, although it was supplied with the bedding at one time.
Two years ago I had an opportunity to travel second class on the Indian railways.
There was a conductor guard attached to every train bogey, and we were served food according to the menu we desired, full bedding as well as newspaper in the morning.
All this was put in the fare which, two years ago, was less than Rs2,000 for journey from Kolkata to New Delhi, which took 13 hours.
Would the railways minister, Mehtab Abbasi, do something to improve the Pakistan Railways; and do something to reduce train times between Rohri and Karachi which takes about 12 hours in these times?
JONAID IQBAL
Islamabad
Pakistan will celebrate its 61st year of independence on Aug 14. However, the problems faced by the nation are still similar to those as when we saw the first birthday of our motherland. In fact, over the years, simple tribulations have grown more complicated.
Despite various efforts by the government, crimes against women have not been put to rest. Child labour is practised extensively. Corruption cases are mounting with each passing day. Added to all this turmoil, Pakistan is facing a great danger from terrorists.
The question arises, what is causing all this trouble? I believe it is lack of education. In 61 years we are unable to design a system which could offer quality education to all. Many young hands are still ploughing fields or helping their parents in household chores while the world out there is progressing rapidly. Further, the fortunate ones who go to schools are taught a syllabus which does not meet the requirements of the technology-oriented world.
The local board examination system has many flaws due to gross inefficiencies. The system itself invites students to use unfair practices in order to pass examinations. In such conditions it is impossible to have expectations from our students to compete with the outer world.
Although they would grow up to attain degrees but would lack the knowledge on how to contribute to their country, in particular, and the world, in general.
Wall-chalking, destroying flower beds and treating children and women as inferior symbolise an illiterate nation which is not interested in their country and its sovereignty.
The need of the time is that the government should focus on increasing the literacy rate. Education is the only key to our salvation.
UROOJ JAFRI
Karachi
SHEHZAD Roy’s new album, ‘Lai lau Qismat Apnay Haath Mai’, has been receiving a lot of publicity these days, particularly the song ‘Laga Reh’, which is being aired on almost all Pakistani music channels.
Many reviewers have called it a display of ‘political consciousness’ on the part of the singer, perhaps comparable to the Junoon frenzy in the 1990s.
In my opinion, however the song is merely a stereotyped version of Pakistan’s predicament where politicians have always been held as the main culprit. Lack of reference to the military generals also as part of the problem is interestingly shown in the video, now that an ex-army general still remains in the President House.
The tone of the video seems to be of a neutral and diplomatic nature as everyone from lawyers to politicians to the common man has been targeted. This appears to be more of a stint to capture publicity. It has won him raving reviews in the media.
A little more perspective and the expression of the singer’s opinion, instead of the usual “All is bad” mantra, would have given the video a more mature look.
Unfortunately, the distinction between right and wrong is quite blurred today. We need clear positions on issues instead of vague pessimistic expressions.
ASMA QADIR
Islamabad
I.A. REHMAN, in his thought-provoking article, ‘Learning from others’ (24 July), has touched upon a most pertinent though sensitive subject of the day.
He has rightly analysed that most of the officers sent to the western world for study or training behave, on return, like “foreign bureaucrats on deputation to the Pakistan government”.
Undeniably teaching in the latest technique makes them proficient in relevant fields of knowledge but after considerable stay abroad they become more westernised than the westerners in their demeanor, dressing, communication, approach, etc.
They reprove everything which is local as uncivilised and uncultured, though it is the same society that has provided them the status and the occasion to achieve success and, in turn, to serve it.
Unfortunately, donor countries, mainly the capitalist West, while offering loan assistance ensure that maximum of the amount given as ‘assistance’ is ploughed back for the benefit of their societies in the shape of procuring of armaments and capacity-building training of the officers.
The amount spent on trainings include TA and DA, board and lodging and payments to faculty and guides who conduct tours for the officials. In this way, a big chunk of the assistance goes back to their economy activities.
Thereby these loans serve more than one purpose for them.
For instance, before the world donors claim credit for providing assistance to developing countries, they so chart out a plan that the aid money mostly goes back to them.
The plan is simple: they send their officials to train officials of the aid - receiving countries or call the latter abroad for that purpose.
In either case the aid money is used to meet such expenses, ie a substantial amount of the aid money flows back to the donor’s advantage.
In the instant model of our public servant, directives of the famous Minutes of Macaulay (1835) are squarely applicable. Macaulay , as directive goes, wished to create “a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.’’
DR KAZI KHADIM HUSSAIN
Hyderabad
THE federal cabinet has decided, in principle, to regularise the services of contract employees in Grade 1 to Grade 15 who have rendered more than two years of service. This is a step forward to win the confidence of the poor and middle class people.
The contract employment culture has hurt the interest of the general public who does not get the full reward of their services whereas employers are taking full benefit by imposing their policies and rules.
Some organisations have shown interest in regularising the services of their contract employees like PIA where contractual employees who have more than nine months’ service will also be regularised. However, most of the organisations are still firm on taking contract staff only.
The Trading Corporation of Pakistan, which mostly hires contract employees, does not provide the correct data of such employees to the government whenever it is asked to do so. This misguides the government about the correct employment situation.
The prime minister and other persons concerned should look into the matter and take necessary actions against all those who are not following the government decision.
TABISH NOORI
Karachi
FISCAL year 2007-08 comes to an end with June 30 but with its departure, it leaves some pains and worries regarding monetary matters and we, the interns of the much-hyped-project started by the previous government, the ‘National Internship Programme, get the worst effect of it as our fate hangs in the balance.
We have been getting our monthly salaries smoothly till now but with the end of the financial year 2007-08 budget, which contained about Rs90 million in terms of interns’ salaries too, there seems apathy as after one-and-a-half months it did not come back from the federal government.
As a result of this inconvenience, we have not received our salaries for the month of July yet and there still seems no chance for the August salary.
This inconvenience by the government has proved to be painful for us as we work hard all day long but do not get the reward in time.
I request the authorities concerned to look into the matter and help us get out of this uncertain situation so that we can work with greater commitment and enthusiasm.
ZAHEER AHMAD
Dhakku, Chakwal
THIS is in response to your editorial, ‘PMDC needs to wake up’ (Aug 4).
The advent of the private sector has helped to raise the standard of public sector institutions where conditions were pathetic and nobody bothered. The HEC has recently doled out over a billion rupees to each public sector medical university for improving their facilities.
Market forces are at play and the private sector is bound to improve and surpass its competitors to survive. It has proposed to the PMDC to conduct a licensing examination of all fresh graduates for the sake of uniformity and for a fair and just comparison. Surprisingly, this is being resisted by the public sector institutions.
The editorial laments about “the manner in which the PMDC secretary was sidelined”.
After defying the unanimous resolution of the senate for his return to the ministry of health, his appeal to hang on as secretary was finally rejected by the Islamabad High Court, and his plea has been referred to the Federal Services Tribunal for repatriation to the ministry of health.
On the one hand, public sector institutions were not inspected for 25 to 30 years, in gross violation of PMDC regulations and, on the other hand, private institutions were inspected and re-inspected, over and over again, and were kept waiting for up to 15 years and denied formal accreditation.
On the directives of the Supreme Court, after final inspections in a given timeframe, majority of private medical universities and institutions were regularised and some were closed down.
A baseless assertion has been made that one of the ‘owners’ of a private university of Karachi ‘publicly enjoying close links with the government’ is influencing the PMDC.
In fact, at present only five private sector universities and institutions, out the recognised 29, have been given representation on the PMDC council of 54 members.
The editorial in question said that election to the provincial representative of registered medical practitioners of Sindh was ‘held after 13 long years.’
In fact, two regular elections of five-year term each were held by the PMDC during this period in which the Pakistan Medical Association showed no interest.
It is only after the completion of the five-year term of the undersigned in 2005 that a high-profile representative of the PMA contested these elections, marred by violence and postponement on two occasions.
He received just over 1,000 votes from over 50,000 registered medical practitioners of Sindh. A poor performance by any standard.
In contrast, his opponent, a private practitioner from Mirpurkhas, has pleaded in the Sindh High Court for the counting of the permissible postal ballets from the interior of Sindh, which may fetch him the majority.
DR S. BAQAR ASKARY
Member, PMDC (Sindh)
Karachi
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