From: shafqat@neuro.duke.edu (Saad Shafqat)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Re: Pakistan: what can be done?
Date: 23 Dec 92 02:58:50 GMT
Organization: Duke University; Durham, N.C.



Thank you for your initiative, Jawad.  I think its fun to talk about
how to improve Pakistan and your idea to float a dialogue on those
lines is very welcome.  It might be useful also, but that depends on
what we can do with our ideas.  As for your request for a flame-free
environment, I don't find it necessary.  Flames are excellent indicators
of deep-seated emotions and are quite revealing about the flame-thrower.
Often, a flame will serve as a red flag that further discussion will
be futile.  So I wouldn't count them out.

Ayodhya has provided the pornography for some high-class intellectual
masturbation.  Much of the auto-eroticism is rhetorical.  Practically
all scp subscribers would agree with the need for tolerance and for
better and more widespread education.  The difference between talk
resulting from Ayodhya and change resulting from Ayodhya is money.
I know you disagree with this notion, but try the following thought
experiment.

You are a talented and gifted Pakistani with excellent ideas about
tolerance and education and you wish to improve your country.  The
first thing is to acquire a position of strength or influence.  You
don't want to end up as the urban middle-class professional who's
a perennial armchair critic but is basically a castrated monkey
when it comes to effecting change.  Therefore, you have a limited
number of options:

1.  Attain elected office.
2.  Attain a grade 21 or better post in the civil service.
3.  Become vocal about your ideas in the media - this will only work
    if you're a journalist, celebrity or distinguished academic.

Now let's say you took the CSS and eventually became secretary of
education in the federal government (it doesn't matter what you become
so long as you fit in the options above).  How do you improve
education ?  You have a few options:

1.  Overhaul the curriculum: rewrite the textbooks to reflect the
    values of tolerance (amongst other things) you wish Pakistani
    kids to acquire.

2.  Recruit better trained and qualified teachers.

3.  Organise a major seminar of school principals and provide them
    with guidelines for management.

4.  Upgrade the physical state of school buildings throughout the country.

5.  Introduce diverse recreational facilities (gym, playground, sports
    equipment) that allow students to channelise their energies
    constructively.


Now here's the crux of the experiment.  Imagine yourself trying to do
any one of the above without a budget request. 

Not possible ?  OK.  Throw in the budget.  Try to keep it modest.

Not possible ?  OK.  Place you request with the finance secretary.

What did he/she say ?  

Let me be the finance sceretary.  I'd say, the budget is too tight my
friend.  We have a monstrous deficit and crushing interest payments
on foreign loans.  There is not enough income generation to provide
adequate tax revenue.  You have great ideas but the government has no
money for you.  I'm sorry.  I wish we could generate more revenue
somehow.  If only more wealth was being generated in the country.

So now what do you say ?



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