Application and management of technology remains a serious challenge for most developing countries. For a second time the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) failed in the appropriate use of this resource. In the elections held in, 2013 it was the magnetic ink that did not work while in 2018 the Results Transmission System (RTS) failed. In both cases it was the management’s blatant failure. After the last debacle, I had the opportunity of explaining the reasons behind the crisis to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) but lessons were neither learnt, and as usual there was a massive cover-up resulting in another technological failure.
For late starters like Pakistan, technology can be acquired provided there is an absorptive framework as it is a two-way exchange. While science consumes, technology produces provided it is backed with an appropriate business plan. The gap between the developed and developing nations is more of a management issue than of technological know-how. ECP is not alone in not understanding the importance of technological management for its effective application.
No lessons were learnt by ECP after the ink fiasco in the, 2013 elections. According to the available information ECP sent three samples of magnetic ink to NADRA which tested and approved one of them. PCSIR (Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) was then tasked to produce the readable ink locally which it was able to do under the supervision of experts. Samples were approved by NADRA and order was placed by ECP for large scale production. Moving from the laboratory to the production line requires a framework which includes effective quality management, for which there was no expertise within the organization.
In the 2018 elections the RTS system collapsed due to over-loading. ECP tested the system on a by-election and it worked fine. However there were 85000 polling stations for national balloting from which the results had to be transmitted to the District Presiding Officers and then to the central control room at the ECP headquarter for notification. According to reports the system crashed after about 30,000 results were transmitted.
In large scale production variability has to be controlled whereas in case of large scale application of IT Systems the load factors have to be considered to avoid crashes. There is always volume driven variability which has to be understood, monitored and then controlled. Japan leads the world in manufacturability. Technology and its application is still led by the United States mainly through university research. The entire Silicon Valley which now leads the ‘Electronic industry’ came out of Stanford University located at Palo Alto in the Bay Area of California.
There are around 200 R&D facilities at the Federal Level and around the same within provinces taking the total to around 400 research institutions, one of the highest in Asia but with almost nil output. In 2002 as Chairman of the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), I reviewed the import bill of the country. Pakistan is the largest importer of tea in the world, the third most costly item with an expenditure in the range of $ 500 million annually. In order to understand the indigenous potential, I decided to visit the National Tea Research Institute (NTRI) located in Shinkiari near Mansehra where there is small plantation as well. When I asked the researchers why we were importing and not growing, their answer was that they could only research. There were no linkages with the industry. PSF then put up a green tea processing plant in coordination with the Tapal tea corporation.
We must learn to manage the most important resource of our times otherwise not only will the elections be disputed, even our growth will be seriously impaired
Technology has been the strongest resource of our times since the middle of the 20th century. It has been the dominant force of socio-economic development. Countries like Japan and Singapore that have no natural resources have been able to acquire technological capabilities to become world class players in several areas. Toyota is the largest car manufacturer in the world which has gone past General Motors market share while Sony leads the world of electronics. Pakistan can also enter the ranks of ‘Asian Tigers’ by application and commercialization of its research potential.
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Scientific research is a domain of education. While the Ministry of Science and Technology was created in the seventies to link science with technology for socio-economic development which has not taken place. Technology remains misunderstood and mismanaged while the romance with scientific research continues. Research is limited to technical papers and publications. The starting point for application of technology is to apply for patents which can then be enforced for financial gains. The 21st century is dominated by Intellectual Property (IP). The path to development is through technology. As a nation, we must learn to manage the most important resource of our times otherwise not only will the elections will be disputed, even our growth will be seriously impaired. With the new government in place this era of blind leading the blind in this vital area must come to an end, in order for us to succeed.
The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation Email: [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, August 4th 2018.