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Paradigm shift in economy?

The budget season is here and the usual criticism is coming forth. The Almighty never worried about the mathematical equation for the figures given in any budget must speak the language for and of the people. If it does not then the worst will sooner not later emerge as the impact on the people will determine their future course of actions. It is this that has been the bane of Muslim states.
Loyalty is seen as personal, as party-oriented and the same palace intrigues that were there during the Mughal times and then during the nawabiats of Hyderabad, Bahawalpur, Swat to name only a few, are in practice. Go to any government ministry or department and you will find people huddled together in intrigue. Not doing anything, just verbal garbage and it has become fashionable to talk of others' mistakes [not about themselves-heaven forbid] rightly or wrongly and keeping themselves out of the equation.
I had stated very early that dependence on the Kerry-Lugar financial resources, at least for agriculture, should not be in the equation. No one took that advice. Now after about six or seven junk tours and the next one this month it has become clear that the finances would be spent on their own scientists located at three research stations-CIMMYT, ICARDA and FAO. Apni dari dosron ke haath me detay jao. [literally let others do your job for you.
The papers I have seen are the same that came under the project that PARC [1987-1992] was allowed with the American company under what was called MART [management of research and technology project]. I met up with the author of MART project design and when we exchanged notes on what actually happened he held his head in shame.
He was a New Zealander and not given to denials. I took over after the massive rake-off that had taken place under the watch of people who portray themselves as patriots and angels today. Devils reincarnate would be a mild word for them. They played the game of their foreign masters and they were slaves to their lordships from the West.
The budget I maintain is not about collection of revenues but about welfare expenditures and including the excluded. The Chinese thanks to the President of this country and his sagacious mode, able to line up the all-time friendly country that has no foreign policy axe to grind. Pure and easy in their help to this country, they have been steady friends. It would be a pity if their help is wasted and not taken to its logical conclusion and that means that the next budget would be easy on us.
The next budget may also be the last of this political party, if it does not put its act together. The party elects can hardly be called people who have worked conscientiously to build the party. Most of them have been in personal benefit and not public benefit. The public is aware of all the misdoing, but do not have the means to expose these public representatives.
The budget is about the use of funds to the benefit and well-being of the people and the majority of those are in the rural areas. Not in Islamabad, not in Lahore and not in Karachi or the big towns that we have. Urbanisation was a pet of the WB and the current State Bank Governor was their consultant, if I am not mistaken and these projects help build the demand structure for the heavy machinery that was to create and continue employment in the developed world.
It would always keep Pakistan and other developing countries mortgaged to the developed western world. Pakistan does not seem to have understood this aspect of the deep imperialist policies of the west. The instability of Pakistan is due to the west. I would say that we, ourselves, are not the best governors of our country, but the matter of governance has also been exacerbated by the western policies.
Take the strategy for growth. It is the most innocuous document for the nature of the printing does not make it a document worthwhile. I can take a bet that none of these have been read by anyone taking these decisions. Gone are the days of Shaheed ZAB who used to write his own minutes on the files.
So the strategy talks of five interventions. It talks of 1) Quality of life, 2) vibrant markets, 3) quality governance, 4) creative cities, 5) energetic youth and community. Pray besides English how you are going to manage this through the lines before each chapter. The document is a hybrid of different cultures that are exposed at the end of the document.
Each of these will take a lifetime, when all decision-makings are in order. Let us take at random the quality governance. Does it mean the stability of the macroeconomic framework or the micro-factors in an economy? Presumably all these are linked but how? Look at the three figures of deficit financing, inflation and employment. These aspects when we are told are stable, then the micro-aspects would be looked after automatically. Let us take employment, the burning crisis of the times. Are the jobs in the public sector only meant for the ministers and the politicians? Should the political system not transcend themselves from this and allow the persons in charge to recruit as per policy so that at the end of the day, he should be able to deliver or answer for his failures.
Examine any of the ministries and check whether political influence has been used or not and if so, to what affect? Is any ministry safe from the use of influence of one kind or another? When the influence does not work, what happened to the person who does not follow the dictates of the minister? The Planning Commission needs to examine the real live situation and then see how intrigue works. The deputy chairman knows his job but does he know the culture of intrigue? He himself was the victim of one when he was last here. An audit of each of the ministry has to be done? What happened to the Crop Maximisation Project [CMP], what happened to the horticulture project, what happened to the salinity sustainable project? How were resources and jobs were handed out? Where are the transports?
Who has the Land Cruisers, why were expensive transports bought for these projects to satisfy the egos of the users? How was money used? How were policies developed? When the CMP in charge was changed, I received a telephone call from Birmingham, of all places, telling me about the seedy developments.
The 18th amendment will create difficulties for those that were siphoning of resources. Not that provinces will be any better, but at least the consequences of their actions will be available to the people at that level. Correction can then set in. There is no question of any correction at the moment. Islamabad, as a part of Washington, is insensitive to the call of the nation. The call of the nation is not about money placements.
Mathematical linearity was never the way of the Almighty. Institutions should be ashamed of themselves for allowing the crude and the rude to rule them. Better to serve in hell, then rule in heaven. Any area you might like to pick. I have just touched the tip-of the iceberg.
The strategy will be further discussed. The next time I will be able to have a look at the remaining interventions and may be touching some aspects of the participants; patriots in the garb of slaves of the west. I am trying to get in touch with them to know, how they have substantially contributed. Know thyself?

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