Daily Times

Poverty is multidimensional economic phenomenon that has political and social ramifications. The nature of poverty varies from time to time, community to community and culture to culture. Poverty exists in developing as well as developed economies.

In Pakistan, poverty has become a serious issue. The people of Pakistan are stressed and depressed due to their financial conditions. It has become difficult even for the middle class to survive. Inflation is at peak and poverty is dancing to the music of social injustice and governmental policies. For the sake of the country’s social well-being, it is important to pull the masses out of poverty.

Multidimensional poverty cannot be reduced without launching appropriate focused and targeted programs. Policy makers must consider the Singapore model of economic development.

The territory of Singapore was sandwiched between Malaysia and Indonesia till 1965 which were two large and unfriendly states for Singapore. In Singapore, at the early stage of its inception; 3 million people were unemployed and most of its population was residing in slums. Life was miserable over there. Singapore lacked natural resources, appropriate infrastructure, sanitation and water supply as well. In such bad circumstances, the Singapore government asked the international community to assist. This was in vain and Singapore was left to fend for itself. The only feasible solution was tointroduce aplan of industrialisation. Singapore had no expertise in industry and industrial management, so Singapore’s leaders went beyond it’s borders to spearhead its industrial development.

Now the important thing for the Singapore government was to attract the customers, at that time country need safe, secure, protected, free of malpractices and corruption, low in taxation and unimpeded by union. A very strict law was introduced that anyone caught in drugs trade or intensive corruption must be met with capital punishment. The country’s business oriented but draconian laws became very attractive and appealing for the international business organizations and investors. Furthermore, the geostrategic location and established port system became the advantageous so Singapore became the ideal place for international business community.

Look at the current economic condition of Singapore; it has become an ultra industrialised society. The port of Singapore has become the second busiest transshipment port in the world. Singapore’s tourism industry is also booming and flourishing

After getting progress in many fields, Singapore started to invest on human resource and infrastructure. The country established many technical institutions and also outsource international corporations to train their unskilled workers in all the major fields. The people who couldn’t get the industrial jobs, government provide them opportunity to get enroll in labor intensive untradeable services like transpiration and tourism.

Look at the current economic condition of Singapore; it has become an ultra industrialised society. The port of Singapore has become the second busiest transshipment port in the world. Singapore’s tourism industry is also booming and flourishing. The assets which were in Switzerland have been moved to Singapore. The pharmacy industry is contributing a reasonable share in country’s economy. Singapore’s oil refining continues to play a pivotal role in the economy. It has trade agreement with many countries. There are almost three thousand multinationals performing their operations.

Singapore has a total land 433 square miles and total labor force is just 3 million but its GDP is more than $ 300 billionbut the GDP of Singapore exceeds $300 billion per annum. Average life expectancy is 84 years which is third highest in the world. Corruption is the heinous and the most dangerous crime in Singapore. Singapore has become one of the best places to live on the earth and you feel comfortable with the strict rules.

Now look at the current condition of Pakistan where poverty is prevalent and the society is going to become sick with the passage of time. There are no proper policies and strategies available to alleviate the poverty. Only the political stunts and rhetoric are existed to make the public fool. The people are facing all this from last four decades. In last forty years, there is no progress at all in the sector of industry even the industries are shut down due to the governmental policies and energy issues.

The PTItook many things for granted to just manipulate the circumstances. They have no appropriate plan to curb this menace of poverty. They’re simply playing with the sentiments of masses e.g. 10 million houses scheme is only affordable for those who have already their houses. Simply this government is protecting the rich and creating poverty. If there is any sense of sincerity is existed in PTI government, they must work for some different but productive and result oriented plans.

The top priority of the PTI must be the revival of industry and to bring the multinationals in the country. But they have not yet given any plan about it. PTI government only gives the plans of inflation and how to loot the poor more and more. There are more than one thousand people in Pakistan who are even more powerful than the state. They are simply corrupt and government cannot do anything against them.

Singapore has taken all its money back from foreign accounts to its state accounts but our government used this stunt only to grab the votes from the innocent poor. There is no appropriate plan to bring the looted money back to the country. Only poor public needs to sacrifice. Our public has a problem of short term memory loss; they have forgotten that PTI’s major slogan before elections was to bring the looted and corrupted money back to Pakistan. But after 8 months of the government, they are even unable to provide the plan of it. First the medicines price was raised, then electricity and gas prices and now the petrol prices are hiked. The ultimate victimized is poor public.

There is no reform in education and health sector at all. These sectors are going to be worsening with the passage of time. Incompetent and corrupt ministers are ruling the main ministries and they are simply grabbing benefits for their own. Singapore’s health and education sectors are the role model for the world and it is not as much difficult to adopt their model and implement in Pakistan. But for this, there is a dire need of great will to do which is nowhere existed.

PTI government must realise that only the way to progress and develop is industrialization. This will create jobs and make the economy stable. Otherwise Pakistan will always run its business on the foreign aid. Foreign aid itself underestimates the sovereignty and integrity of the state. Solid and practical projects must be started on emergency basis. Tax net should be increased according to the income of individuals and organizations. There must be a centralized database like NADRA which contain all the record of people; which would produce the tax voucher according to income, property and business, that tax voucher would be send to the taxpayer. If somebody will not pay the tax in due date, he must be fined or other punishments. This is the only way to collect the tax. But for all this process, there be must a corruption free system. Tax aversion and corruption must the included in the most dangerous crime against the state. There is a dire need to introduce a Singapore type model for the economic growth.

The writer is a Scholar in Media and Crime, CSS Coach and author of different books on International Relations, Criminology and Gender Studies