Pointless exercise
by
Javed Hafiz |
The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP)-led federal government has allocated Rs.34 billion ($ 400 million) in the current budget for poverty alleviation under the Benazir Income Support Programme. Until last month the government was not clear about the modalities and administrative structure of the programme which betrayed its lack of focus and ineptitude. Thus it lost four precious months to indecisiveness. Recently Farzana Raja, a PPP MNA has been appointed its chairperson. She has announced that every MNA can choose 8,000 poor females from his/her constituency for a monthly help of Rs1,000. Three million poor, whose antecedents will be verified by NADRA, will benefit. This programme is a classic example of government’s myopia and self-serving policies.
The PPP started as a leftist, pro-poor party and its vote bank mostly lies among the marginalised segments. Readers may recall the PPP slogans of ‘Islamic Socialism’ and Roti, Kapra or Makan (food, clothing and dwelling for all). However, such slogans are easier to raise but difficult to fulfil. Since 1971, when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto assumed power, we have the fourth PPP government. The poorer segment of the electorate has been rather steadfast in returning this party to power repeatedly. However, the gap between the rich and the poor in Pakistan has widened in these years. A transformed post- Cold War PPP now believes in moving on with the market forces. Neverthless less, the party has kept its links with the hard core political workers popularly known as jiyalas (endowed with raw courage). The party is also known as a promoter of nepotism and cronyism.
Sorry for the digression. We shall now shall try a closer look at the programme, ostensibly started with the noble objective of helping the poor. However, experience has shown that mere pro-poor slogans or half-baked programmes to help them do not alleviate poverty. The Benazir Income Support Programme is not only half-baked but has also been politicised from the very beginning. How can an elected MNA be fair in the selection of the recipients of this largesse? Will he not focus on his supporters and relations? By the same token, will he not sideline his political opponents who may also be poor and deserving? This faulty implementation of the programme would not only amount to wasting taxpayers’ money but also create millions of additional beggars. There is a saying in Bangla that you can either give a hungry man some money to buy fish or buy him fishing equipment to take care of his hunger for years.
In accordance with this Bangla saying the Benazir Income Support Programme should have been used for imparting skills to Pakistani youth from the less privileged segment of society to make them self sufficient. Through this huge amount of money, the government could easily train an additional one million boys and girls in various skills and vocations. Liberal scholarships could be given to poorer apprentices. In Pakistan only 9 per cent of the boys and girls go for technical vocations as against 60 per cent in Europe. We need to train more electricians, welders, plumbers, heavy construction machinery operators, car mechanics, para-medics etc and make them productive and proud citizens of Pakistan. Some of these trained youngsters could find employment abroad and remit the much-needed foreign exchange back home.
Empowerment of women was close to Benazir Bhutto’s heart and this programme rightly focuses on the female population. However, you cannot empower women by giving them monthly doles. This way, you make them dependent, lazy and lethargic. The MNAs will make some political gains but, at the end of the day, the recipients will be short of self respect. A big chunck of this programme should have been used for micro financing of female business activities. Small loans to poor ladies in the rural areas can change their lives by making them fully employed, self sufficient and proud members of the society. One hundred thousand rupees given to a lady to buy a good milk animal or sewing machines can make her self-sufficient in a couple of years. Economic self- sufficiency, and not the monthly doles, is the best way to empower females. DrYounas Khan, the Nobel Laureate from Bangladesh, has done a wonderful job in rural poverty alleviation in his country. His pioneering programme of rural micro financing was female- centred. His Grameen Bank model has been duplicated in many countries. Some NGOs have duplicated it in Pakistan, on a smaller scale. Through the Benazir Programme, thousands of ladies could be given interest free loans. These loans could be recycled to benefit many more recipients.
Ameer Bhutto, a former MPA from Larkana wrote recently in a newspaper column, “The Benazir Income Support Programme is already a flop with all the funds finding their way into the pockets of a handful of jiyalas in each district, rather than the public”. I do not agree with the hasty judgement of this opposition politician as the programme has just about started. However, the government should have undertaken a well- prepared and apolitical programme of long term poverty alleviation and women empowerment. This programme is a sham as it furthers the political interests of the MNAs, at tax payer’s expense. And after eight months, there will be more poverty around in Pakistan.
Javed Hafez is a former Pakistani ambassador to the Sultanate. |
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