Absence of vision

Looking at the devastation caused by the floods, it seems that God may have joined the CIA or RAW. The torrential rainfall, which brought the worst floods in the last 80 years in the territory today called Pakistan, must be the work of a god who seems to have defected to the other side.

This idea is probably as ridiculous as similar suggestions about the flood being man-made and probably the work of India, Afghanistan or the CIA who want to take control of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Notwithstanding the fact that the worth of nuclear weapons for security against the threat we face is overrated, such theories basically demonstrate part of the larger farce which seems to be playing out in this country after the natural disaster.

Looking at how everyone seems to be marketing their capacity to provide relief, I was reminded of visits to the cinema during my childhood. There used to be this poor, middle-aged man selling potato crisps during intermission. His shrill voice shouting “babeey chips lay lo” still resonates in my ear, especially when I see how individuals and organisations have been marketing themselves as more competent than others to distribute relief aid. The formula is to rubbish the other so that the opponent does not get more resources. This makes the government’s job far more difficult, especially when the president and his cronies are considered to have hearts of steel.

Just a couple of days ago, I received a telephone call from a Pakistani journalist working for a foreign news network. He was interested in knowing if the relief work had improved the military’s image and how I compared the army’s capacity vis-a-vis that of the civilian government. I almost banged the phone down on him. There are many others like this journalist who are trying hard to present the military as independent of the government. While the army is the most powerful institution of the state, the fact is that any military is technically an arm of a government. Article 245 of the 1973 Constitution gives the armed forces the role to assist civilian authorities in national emergencies and natural disasters.

Since we have never invested in our police or civil defence, it is unreasonable to expect the civil administration to play a role which the armed forces can do better. Of course, there is no denying the fact that the civil bureaucracy and the political leadership at the local, sub-regional and national levels have been slow in responding to the needs of people. Already, rumours are afloat of how aid is not reaching people and is being pocketed.

I also wonder if our seemingly bright civil servants, who are among some of the best-trained and educated in the region and the Third World, would respond to the call of the people instead of being stiff-necked, an attitude taught at the Civil Services Academy. There are many who are gleeful about the floods as it has opened the doors for more aid. Unless the world is watching critically, a lot of these resources might disappear in secret Swiss accounts or wherever they keep their stolen money these days. It will be really sad to see foreign money getting wasted, as happened after the 2005 earthquake. Organisations like the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority did not really deliver and a lot of money was wasted on new cars and facilities for bureaucrats.

Will the media be able to keep an eye on them? I am not sure if they are neutral and above board. It is ludicrous to see some television anchors and print journalists see squalid poverty and destruction from such close range. They are many who are trying to use the opportunity to market themselves as poor-friendly. The other day I saw a female television reporter trying to give a piggyback ride to a young girl.

Although it is too early to judge, this tragedy may as well further expose the lack of direction and vision amongst our leadership. Pakistan will emerge from these floods more desperate for funds, more debt-ridden, frustrated and angry. Without a vision, we will now be even more of a ticking time bomb.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2010.