Daily Times

Our governments never learn from past mistakes and thus, continues their chequered journey, full of about-turns in policies and knee-jerk statements.

Considering the public’s hue and cry over skyrocketing electricity tariffs, which were about to shoot through the roof (thanks to an overwhelming hike of 51 percent announced last week) the government has thought of a novel solution: take back the tariff summary for now, but only for the “protected classes.”

PM Sharif may have believed in the nobility of his intent as he was trying hard to make the best out of the worst situation. Having emphasised the need for “difficult decisions,” many a time and oft, he has already laid down his government’s agenda in clear terms. But to burst the bubble of those who would spend a lot of resources in painting the premier as a hero, the notion of protected consumers is troubling as it is.

If guidelines are to be followed, any unfortunate whose power consumption crosses 200 units even once in six months does not qualify for support. Just as controversial is the extra baggage on his fellow countrymen forced to pay for their own expenses, of those who simply do not pay anything against the electricity they consume and these developmental reforms.

Although the protection of the vulnerable segments of society should be prioritised by any functional government, this should not come at the expense of the non-protected. The lawmakers’ usual response to swirling reports of furious, inflation-battered consumers resorting to violence in such times is the burgeoning circular debt. Like it or not, someone has to arrange the funds to pay our creditors. However, their rationale would only sit well with the affected classes if the government is seen to be working on improving its writ against the privileged classes.

Words alone cannot establish transparency on measures to deal with energy theft and reduce the burden of subsidies given to government officials. Those at the helm of the affairs lost the moral high ground when their calls for austerity coincided with greenlighting an extravagant Rs 60 million to maintain presidential gardens or Rs 290 million for the Lahore Commissioner’s House. No justification can convince the salaried class to willingly slide deeper into the dark tunnel and pay for the luxuries of the wealthy. Even if Islamabad feels the predicament of its citizens, it should have worked on a holistic strategy to address the structural issues plaguing the power sector instead of these temporary reliefs. *