Two serious risks that threaten the nation’s future are illiteracy and poverty. Both are inextricably linked. Some countries inherently suffer from both; others develop them because of their lopsided policies. The poverty level in our country has risen, according to the recent budget survey. Reportedly, twenty-seven million people have been pushed into poverty, according to the latest figures.
To realise that about 46 per cent of the overall population lives below the poverty line is painful. What perplexes educated and sensitive citizens is the disparity between the living standards of the poor and the fabulously rich. Even more perplexing is the fact that, instead of reducing its size, the government continues to add more departments to its inventory. Most of these departments are renamed as ‘authorities’.
It is surprising to note the number of new multi-storey buildings being added to the public sector. How are the funds being managed when the country holds out a begging bowl before the IMF? One’s mind goes back to the bureaucracy, whose members have to be housed in palatial buildings, not to mention the contractors who build them.
Now consider two of the most devastating reports recently published in this newspaper. The first report was titled ‘Audit uncovers billions in irregularities across federal ministries’, and another followed a few days later: ‘Civil service reforms face toughest hurdle – bureaucracy itself’. There was hardly a ministry left in the reports. The basic mission of any administration is to ensure that the country it governs progresses. Instead of progressing, the overall situation of the nation is depressing. Surviving on foreign loans year after year is hardly a satisfactory state of existence.
As pointed out, many departments, now called authorities, are adding huge losses to the national exchequer. Why not take remedial measures at the government level? Ideally, these loss-making white elephants should be privatised. The Pakistan Steel Mills should take the lead. The basic idea is to economise government spending. We observe entourages of large black vehicles on the roads while ordinary taxpayers are pushed aside. Clearly, the country is divided into two classes.
The late Indian writer Khushwant Singh aptly described ‘hunger’ in his autobiography. "Hunger does not mean missing one meal or even meals for a whole day. It means never having enough to eat. It means that when you have had something to eat, you are still not satisfied and feel you could eat at least as much again. It also means a situation in which you are always wondering where the next meal is coming from, or even whether there will be a next meal".
Recently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of how the country’s exploding population growth not only challenges economic progress but also makes the lives of the poor unbearable. When the population grows as haphazardly as it does in our case, no amount of progress can keep pace with it. To control poverty and reduce illiteracy, it would have been ideal if the prime minister had issued instructions for radical changes to the country’s administrative system. He could also have been considerate enough to slash the bureaucracy and lower the salaries and emoluments of those who administer the state.
Rulers in the UK conduct themselves like ordinary citizens. I recall visiting London and taking a look at 10 Downing Street. I was surprised to learn that the UK’s woman prime minister at the time cooked her own meals. It sounds unimaginable in our country.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore. He can be reached at: [email protected]
