The battle for the biggest and the best
The war of superlatives is a cruel joke for the masses
By Kamal Siddiqi Editor Reporting
KARACHI: Earlier this week, our president informed us that the world’s tallest building would be built on an island off the coast of Karachi. While the details of this unique project have not been released as yet, it is believed that this building will add to the stature of the country and will be a testament to the present wise and able leadership we are bestowed with.
For some reason, Pakistan seems to have the best and biggest of many things and yet people continue to be ungrateful. For example, we were told that the Karachi Port Trust had spent public funds to build a fountain, which was touted as the highest fountain in the world, at a cost of Rs225 million.
The KPT may be unable to respond effectively to an oil spill which led to irreparable damage to our eco-system in 2003. It may still not have put in place a system to effectively check the spread of oil and a plan to deal with the recurrence of such an incident. But the KPT has built the world’s highest fountain (which is now the second highest fountain for some reason) and has grand plans to build towers, plazas, entertainment complexes and much more.
Operators may complain that the KPT runs a port that is inefficient and where corruption is endemic. But the KPT does have a lot to its credit. It has cleared vast tracts of mangroves to build an officers colony. It has funded an underpass which regularly gets flooded but no one is held accountable for this. The accommodation that the KPT offers to its junior staff may be crumbling. But the KPT does have plans for projects on a BOT basis with the private sector.
Development, our president tells us, comes at a price. He says that people may have objections to the fact that hundreds of trees were cut down to make way for flyovers, underpasses, bypasses and overhead bridges. The General says that we will not let such objections come in the way of development. And so it is.
It is the superlatives that steal the show. Governor Sindh informs us that the Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim is the “largest park in Asia.” Last year, the President approved the launch of a bullet train which would run between Rawalpindi and Lahore at a speed of 250 kmph (the fastest possibly in Asia?).
If that is not all, we have one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The best performing markets in the region and the most impressive record at eradicating poverty as within one year we “changed” our figures with the result that suddenly millions of people were no more under the poverty line, according to our official statisticians.
But then, why are the people upset? There may be some reasons, which we can only talk about briefly lest we spoil the mood of this piece. Pakistan may be the only country in the world where the number of illiterates continues to increase in real terms. Poverty continues to rise in real terms as well. Our literacy rate is the lowest in South Asia. Our health and social indicators one of the worst in the region, with the possible exception of Afghanistan. Our corruption figures are also very depressing.
And yet these numbers mean nothing to the people. What they do know, however, is that the price of flour has gone up. A naan which was available for Rs1 in 1999 is now priced at Rs4. The price of milk has risen despite the government’s best intentions. The price of essential commodities has risen in the past five years by an average of about 50%.
The rises are staggering in other areas as well. Real estate prices have risen several fold, which in turn has put pressure on rentals. The cost of durables has also recorded a remarkable rise.
At the same time, crime has increased manifold in both cities and rural areas. In Lahore, for example, the number of FIRs registered has risen five-fold in three years. This despite the fact that most crime in Pakistan goes unreported.
Crime against women, minorities, children, and other disadvantaged classes has also increased. Theft, burglaries and street crime have also gone up by leaps and bounds (forgive the expression). At the same time, the government’s expenditure on law and order has risen as well. However, this has not had the desired effect.
Governance continues to be an issue for a leadership that had a single agenda of good governance when it took over. Disputes between provinces and the centre are settled by force and not consensus. More recently, the federal government leased out two islands off the coast of Karachi to a Dubai-based firm without consulting the Sindh government. When people protested and the Sindh government objected, the President brushed it aside in the name of development.
Billions are being poured into high-profile projects. But the infrastructure is crumbling. In main cities like Karachi and Lahore, the water supply system has almost collapsed. Sewerage overflowing onto roads is a common sight. Garbage dumps in the middle of busy urban areas are also very familiar. As are potholes on roads, pavements that do not exist and power lines that snap regularly. We don’t have funds to pay teachers salaries but the minister of education sanctions millions for his official car. We don’t have money to put policemen on the streets for patrolling but senior police officials are able to get ten guards to protect them. We don’t have a proper public transport system but there are jets available for our leaders to fly across the world.
The railways ministry launches new train services, unmindful of the fact that this delays the scheduled services by several hours. We are building towers in our hospitals despite the fact that money is needed to treat patients and refurbish facilities that already exist. The government is so pro-development that it is willing to look the other way while the city government in Karachi works at leasing out a famous park - the Kidney Hill park - to a private party to turn it into a commercial area.
In the final analysis, one can say that we may be the biggest and the best in many things, but one needs to also understand that we need to be just good and bearable in others as well. Wonder when that is going to happen.
The News.
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=45355
