BATMAN
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Fudge, fraud and fakery
By Chris Cork
Mirages are a form of optical illusion, typically of a poorly-defined set of structures on a far horizon. As you advance towards it then so it retreats from you, and is never close enough to grasp or perceive clearly and eventually the mirage disappears. The perceptual illusion created on the February 18 has now all but faded to invisibility and we have returned with quite remarkable speed to the dysfunctional default positions that have characterised governance for the last fifty years.
The government is stalled, hamstrung by the judges issue and Messrs Zardari and Sharif smiling through gritted teeth shake hands for the media in mock camaraderie, united only by their quest for power. Both, we may believe, want the judges restored but neither would wish a truly independent judiciary, no more so than the president who opened this Pandoras Box of troubles in March last year when the judiciary were snapping at his own heels. Both men, if we are to believe the rumours, are eying the presidential slot in the not-far-distant future; and we may be sure that if either achieves it they will bring neither probity nor humility to the job both of which should be seen as prerequisites. Nor is either man going to be bringing anything new to the table at a time when fresh ideas (that work) are urgently required, and taken together they represent nothing more than a return to both the pre-1999 status-quo and the triumph of the Establishment.
In case you think me unduly pessimistic Dear Reader, a few morsels for you to chew over. Mr Zardari has come from a political nowhere courtesy of his murdered wife, and his current position is far from being a merit appointment. He has finagled himself into the position of Regent whilst his son and heir sows his wild oats and completes his studies at which point he will return and the dynasty will again rule. Maybe. Mr Sharif on the other hand has benefited from the ability of the population to erase its collective memory in respect of his alleged misdemeanours and both men have found the legal hurdles they faced falling before them by the day. The playing field thus levelled to their satisfaction with only the impediment of a grumpy president to dispose of, these two stalwarts of democracy will get on with the serious business of enriching themselves still further, likewise their assorted cronies and hench-persons.
Meanwhile, what of Pakistan and its peoples? That it is in deep trouble is not in dispute, but this hiatus in focused government is steadily eroding the ability to get out of the trouble it is in. When you are up to your backside in alligators its a good idea to drain the swamp and the federal budget would have been a good place to commence operations, but sadly it would seem instead to be more of the same to the obvious satisfaction of the alligators.
Two sectors health and education are crying out for reform and investment and were the new government in its first budget to have made a break with tradition by prioritising either or both, then we may have been comforted. But not so. The education allocation has increased by a shameful 0.4 billion rupees on the 08/9 FY over the 07/8 FY, an increase that is anyway meaningless as it will be eaten by inflation. The defence budget has suffered a nominal cut but is still a bloated 296.077 billion rupees as against an education budget of 24.6 billion. Pakistans governments have never prioritised education or health, and the needs of the military have always overridden the development needs of the population who as a consequence are in poor health and indifferently educated if they are educated at all.
So there we are. Back where we started. Figures are fudged as they always were and will be. Fraud is exposed only if there is political mileage to be gained by so doing and fakery is written across the faces of the players who as these words are written edge towards Islamabad and another pointless confrontation. I wonder what mirage is before them as they march northwards.
By Chris Cork
Mirages are a form of optical illusion, typically of a poorly-defined set of structures on a far horizon. As you advance towards it then so it retreats from you, and is never close enough to grasp or perceive clearly and eventually the mirage disappears. The perceptual illusion created on the February 18 has now all but faded to invisibility and we have returned with quite remarkable speed to the dysfunctional default positions that have characterised governance for the last fifty years.
The government is stalled, hamstrung by the judges issue and Messrs Zardari and Sharif smiling through gritted teeth shake hands for the media in mock camaraderie, united only by their quest for power. Both, we may believe, want the judges restored but neither would wish a truly independent judiciary, no more so than the president who opened this Pandoras Box of troubles in March last year when the judiciary were snapping at his own heels. Both men, if we are to believe the rumours, are eying the presidential slot in the not-far-distant future; and we may be sure that if either achieves it they will bring neither probity nor humility to the job both of which should be seen as prerequisites. Nor is either man going to be bringing anything new to the table at a time when fresh ideas (that work) are urgently required, and taken together they represent nothing more than a return to both the pre-1999 status-quo and the triumph of the Establishment.
In case you think me unduly pessimistic Dear Reader, a few morsels for you to chew over. Mr Zardari has come from a political nowhere courtesy of his murdered wife, and his current position is far from being a merit appointment. He has finagled himself into the position of Regent whilst his son and heir sows his wild oats and completes his studies at which point he will return and the dynasty will again rule. Maybe. Mr Sharif on the other hand has benefited from the ability of the population to erase its collective memory in respect of his alleged misdemeanours and both men have found the legal hurdles they faced falling before them by the day. The playing field thus levelled to their satisfaction with only the impediment of a grumpy president to dispose of, these two stalwarts of democracy will get on with the serious business of enriching themselves still further, likewise their assorted cronies and hench-persons.
Meanwhile, what of Pakistan and its peoples? That it is in deep trouble is not in dispute, but this hiatus in focused government is steadily eroding the ability to get out of the trouble it is in. When you are up to your backside in alligators its a good idea to drain the swamp and the federal budget would have been a good place to commence operations, but sadly it would seem instead to be more of the same to the obvious satisfaction of the alligators.
Two sectors health and education are crying out for reform and investment and were the new government in its first budget to have made a break with tradition by prioritising either or both, then we may have been comforted. But not so. The education allocation has increased by a shameful 0.4 billion rupees on the 08/9 FY over the 07/8 FY, an increase that is anyway meaningless as it will be eaten by inflation. The defence budget has suffered a nominal cut but is still a bloated 296.077 billion rupees as against an education budget of 24.6 billion. Pakistans governments have never prioritised education or health, and the needs of the military have always overridden the development needs of the population who as a consequence are in poor health and indifferently educated if they are educated at all.
So there we are. Back where we started. Figures are fudged as they always were and will be. Fraud is exposed only if there is political mileage to be gained by so doing and fakery is written across the faces of the players who as these words are written edge towards Islamabad and another pointless confrontation. I wonder what mirage is before them as they march northwards.
