A man dreams so much. To achieve his desires, he pursues all his efforts single-mindedly. He achieves incredible success but lacks something in life. The outward success makes him feel great. But inner hunger for something missing in life keeps his worries alive. Every man has made his own principles and wishes to get the maximum number of things in the shortest time possible. So shortcuts become a way of life for him.
Parents want their children to be healthy, intelligent and disciplined. The child should get the highest marks in class. So, they hire expensive tutors and books. To get them to study, parents supervize their every move. Still, the child does not get to work cheerfully.
Teachers want students to be more attentive to their lectures; more responsible in delivering assignments. But expectations remain expectations.
A businessman expects a lot from his employees. Despite paying them handsomely with a good working environment, the employees do not show loyalty to the organization. For instance, a merchandiser working in a garment unit of one of the largest group of businesses is paid very handsomely. On such a high payroll, he could live comfortably in a posh locality. But he derives his share from the suppliers, too. Only those who have had good monetary understanding with him can do business, while others are not entertained. No matter how good the products other vendors can provide.
The government wants to take steps to ensure revenues grow. But all efforts go in vain as officials do not respond. Many businessmen want to pay taxes honestly. But complicated tax laws and tax officials are the main hindrances. The procedure of tax collection and audit of tax accounts makes a businessman vulnerable even if he is paying taxes honestly. In an effort to make the Central Board of Revenue’s functions transparent, the government lets off more than 1,000 corrupt officials. But due to the lack of evidence, the court ordered their reinstatement. The corrupt practices, carried out nowadays, are more transparent.
Many government departments or functionaries are deserted by the very persons who run them. Every train in Pakistan runs fully loaded. But Pakistan Railways always shows losses. All tourist resorts owned by the government are money-making machines. But due to negligence of the concerned officials, they lie in ruins. The attendants get salaries irregularly and below the minimum salary fixed for the employees by the government. While visiting Kirthar National Park, I was shocked to learn that an attendant at the rest house was employed at Rs1,100 per month. And he had not received his salary for the last five months. Even the animals kept there do not get their food daily.
Our tourist resorts do not attract foreigners. Our Embassies abroad are doing nothing to promote tourism. The tourists do not get special facilities in our country. First, they are overcharged by taxi drivers. Then shopkeepers fleece them. And the police, too, harass tourists if the opportunity ever arises.
Our government hospitals have the best physicians, surgeons and the best treatment. But ordinary people do not get timely treatment. We have no law to protect the rights of patients. Our private hospitals are so expensive that even people belonging to the upper-middle class cannot afford them.
According to an expert opinion, the average life of business in Pakistan is fourteen years. Have we ever thought why organizations, even multinationals, fail in our country? There are many reasons but the most prominent among them are: * Management involved in corruption. * Management loses the desire to compete. * Businesses do not react to competitors’ initiatives, changes in taste and advances in product or process technology. * Always plan short-term goals and never bother with long-term planning. * Not established statistical standards for our products and processes.
We, as a nation, have lost much. Our failures include part of our country and image of our countrymen abroad. Only individuals succeed in our society. And individual alone cannot bring success, happiness and stability to the country in the long run. Their success is short lived and often based on quick fix approaches.
Running after monetary targets, without considering standards, has kept us behind in the international markets. It is high time that we realize our mistakes. We need to change our way of thinking. We need to change our way of working. Instead of criticizing others, we must look at our own drawbacks. It is only the strong character of our people collectively that would make us stand in front of nations.
A man dreams so much. To achieve his desires, he pursues all his efforts single-mindedly. He achieves incredible success but lacks something in life. The outward success makes him feel great. But inner hunger for something missing in life keeps his worries alive. Every man has made his own principles and wishes to get the maximum number of things in the shortest time possible. So shortcuts become a way of life for him.
