The energy conference held to solve energy problems was an echo of all the problem-solving sessions the government held in its miserable four years in power. It was a conference sans substance, it was a conference sans conviction and it was a conference sans solution. Whether it is a seminar, convention, or conference, the format, the structure and the conclusion is a confirmation of how nonplussed the government is on what to do, when and with whom. With all four provincial heads sitting at the head of the table with the prime minister, it was more of a show of ‘we are all together’ than they were all there to relieve the public of the torture of darkness in their lives. The solutions, if that is what we can call them, are gross examples of insignificance. Close the offices and let people vegetate at home at a time when productivity crisis in every government department and sector is at a peak. Close shops at 8:00 pm, a solution that has such a repeated history of failure that in any other sane forum it would not even be considered. Many a times we say that results are not forthcoming because we do not treat the root cause but just the symptoms. However, in this case we are not even treating the symptoms.
The real issue is the liquidity crunch the government is going through that has made it impossible to solve the mountainous circular debt problem. Capacity is not that much of an issue but generation is. The companies already in this business are refusing to produce more if they are not paid their arrears. Issues like power theft, line losses and capacity enhancement are all slogans that are mentioned in powerpoint presentations but remain on the desktop of some junior government official, who being proficient at IT, prepares these fancy slides only to be slid into the records, not to be reviewed until the next conference. The fact that the biggest plan to emerge from this expensive exercise is more holidays for the public sector makes one wonder what is in store for the future. Imagine if the shortfall increases in May and June, there will be shorter working hours and weeks. If closing businesses and offices could solve the problem, then a country shut down would perhaps be the best solution. On top of all this, the president confidently announces that load shedding will end in three months. The opposition leaders who had made such an uproar on the energy crisis and led protest rallies against it lamely gave in and participated in this meaningless conference, saying that since load shedding would be on an even level in all provinces, they would be satisfied. Such is the reckless attitude of our leaders in making commitments they know they will never be able to honour.
It is difficult to make out what is more of a pressing problem. Is it load shedding, is it health disasters, is it the economy crashing, is it education neglect, is it corruption? With so much to moan about, the real reason to mourn has somehow been overshadowed by the constant din of deficits and shortages galore on the media. The crushing of 135 able-bodied and healthy soldiers and civilians under an avalanche is a tragedy beyond description. Aside from deaths in wars, this is perhaps the cruelest single calamity that has befallen the defenders of the frontier. The hope of finding people unhurt and alive faded every passing minute. The reaction of the nation has been deep sorrow but distracted; the reaction of the media has been routine and usual; the reaction of the leaders customary and shocking. While these soldiers are perched and buried under tons of snow on the highest point of contention between India and Pakistan in conditions almost impossible, our leaders are busy either taking their families on personal trips to India or protecting their family members by sending them abroad. The president announced his mysterious trip to India and to date, the confusion remains on whether the trip was personal or official. Whatever the status of the trip, it was definitely something that could have been postponed given the grave nature of the calamity. Parallel to this, the trapped miners in Peru with much better chances of survival had their prime minister rushing to the site and motivating people to carry out the rescue operation with zeal. In contrast, the president’s press office stoically made some cut and paste announcement of how unfortunate the tragedy was and the president proceeded to his luncheon date with Manmohan Singh with an entourage of 40 people showering a million dollars on the Ajmer Sharif shrine while the country is going through the excruciating anguish of barely surviving. The prime minister meanwhile is too engrossed in extricating his younger son from the ephedrine scandal to have actually the time to make a nominal visit to the site of the tragedy.
In a country where the dead are more valuable than the living, the news of people dying of frustration, of natural calamities, of target killings, of bomb blasts is no longer earthshaking. The government is going to announce shortly the price per body that ranges from Rs 100,000 to Rs 500,000. However, the cash crunch is so huge that the likelihood of that commitment being honoured is remote. And the ironic thing is that all this is in the name of democracy. The tunnel vision and the truncated actions of our leaders are ever going to be self-serving in the end. When you suffer from political myopia, you become blind to the obvious, as all you are focusing on is how to get out of the immediate quagmire. Thus with so much on the scandalous plate of the leaders, they are busy ensuring that each day passes by with nominal damage to their skin and kin. However, the physical and financial saving act that they are engrossed in presently is not going to be enough to cover the moral and ethical damage that they have done to themselves and the nation. It is the countdown to the election day that the public is waiting for in the hope that maybe after a full, painful, five-year reign of democracy, the power of the public may overpower those who have disempowered the masses.
The writer is an analyst, consultant and information Secretary of PTI Punjab and can be reached at [email protected]