TV THOUGHTS: Floods, Ramazan and price rise time: And the media is the new battleground

The holy month of Ramazan has begun and this time there has been no controversy in the country about the sighting of the Ramazan moon - the announcement of which was made on the channels on Wednesday evening, and happily it was in the shortest possible time. No waiting and no delays that make people remain in suspense, uncertainty.
One hopes and prays that the blessings of Ramazan have a positive and visible impact on the life of the country - at a time when not only are the people divided on numerous national, regional and local issues, but also faced with the worst ever floods in the history of the country. One ruling party politician, in fact a federal minister, has opined that this is the worst ever flood in this part of the world in the last 100 years.
In a rather obvious sort of way, the Ramazan and the floods are two themes that are being discussed, even though there are talk-show discussants who are able to link these with many other themes dotted in black or red on the country's canvas.
From the floods theme onwards, horizontally and vertically - there has been plenty of discussion on the failure of the government to tackle the situation. The substance is that the government has not done enough and the deeper implication perhaps is that it alone cannot do the job. Therefore, the world has to help, and the United Nations and the US and the UK have stepped in among a few others. But there is a growing feeling which is expressed on TV channels that the friends of Pakistan, including the Islamic countries, have done little or nothing.
One reason according to the vocal critics of the government is that while the image of the country is poor, its credibility because of lack of governance and corruption is low, among other factors the world has not responded as it should have. Perhaps it is relevant to mention here is the Information Minister of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa Mian Iftikhar Hussain has not only accused the Prime Minster of stirring the Kalabagh Dam controversy at this critical time, but he has also stated that the Province is being ignored and funds being diverted to less-affected areas. This, one needs to mention is the sort of complaint and criticism that is heard about scores of issues and problems in the country. It is so evident the division of opinion and the dissent there is within society on a theme of what the government should be doing at any given time. And the media has suddenly become a platform for debate, dissent, conflict and confrontation. In a way, of course, it is a new battle field.
From the look of things recent and not so recent there are signs and even warning signs that the future intense battles between government and opposition, and between various groups and ideological opponents and so on, the media will be a battlefield to watch. One has in mind not only the current ban there is on the two private channels (one of whom has moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday) but also the fact the even the general public and political parties do not appear to have the maturity, tolerance and patience about the expression of opinion that does not suit them. But at the same time there is a need to bear in mind that the private independent media (the TV channels in particular) while it has played, (and still does so) are certainly opinionated in the country's changing socio-political climate and it is a country that is part of a disputed war against terror. Not only are there two views on the involvement of Pakistan in the war, but there are serious questions on the long-term (or even short term) reliability ad credibility of the American presence in Afghanistan. So much that can be said about this.
What happens when the US troops start Kabul pull-out in 2011, and the Taliban shaped groups and policies remerge is a thought that is being expressed. In fact, this was a major theme in a TV discussion on Express English programme The Platform, early this week. It is a discussion that takes place between participants in Washington DC (Via Voice of America) Islamabad (or is it Karachi). This time the theme was the al Qaeda threat in Pakistan. Now and when the US begin withdrawing from Kabul. There were several related themes that were discussed and were disturbing in some measure.
But let us return to the Ramazan theme and that of the floods whose havoc, horror and human suffering are major themes in the country. In fact even live stock is a subject that is being mentioned but the priority is rather inadequate. The loss of animals is somehow out of focus. In fact, to some extent, the television coverage, at times seemed stereotyped and rhetorical, with cold facts and figures - for and against depending upon on where there are coming from. For those of us who have lived through the East Pakistan floods and the cyclones, and the government-backed relief funds that were set up, and the propaganda that was carried out by the officialdom assuring that all was well, and that the government was delivering these are times that those memories become troublesome. In fact given the credibility of the government, in most instances, there is much to wait and see of what the government delivers this time.
It is vital to note that this is not just the worst ever floods whose damage to life and property will be having far reaching consequences on this society, but also that this is first time when private TV channels have a n assignment that is truly enormous. When there was no private Television of this size in Pakistan, disasters like floods - or even those that have local implications, were not as noticed, and society was not involved to the extent that it is today. Why there are being heard complaints or laments that not enough response is coming from the ordinary citizen is a thought worth considering. The distrust factor? Private channels and the PTV have also been trying to reach out to viewers to contribute to the flood relief funds, as indeed the government is trying o make the world realise yet another opportunity to come to the aid of a distressed Pakistan. And a divided Pakistan. The London shoe incident is a fresh example. The details are well known. And on the Ramazan theme not only QTV and Peace TV but also the news channels have plenty of new programmes to enable the viewer to appreciate the deeper implications of experiencing and enjoying the meaning of this holy month.
Ramazan consumerism:
One gets the feeling that while the Pakistani consumer, generally speaking, is not only disorganised as a class or a category, and therefore still more vulnerable as a force to reckon with, but that the Television channels have been unable to give them the voice that they could have had by now. I would imagine that each channel would have some kind of programme that would help ventilate the grievances of the consumer, and would give expression to the way in which the consumer is exploited at each stage, and in so many ways. With Ramazan having begun one hopes that even if there is no regular programme, the consumer's point of view would find a platform in the news shows and that there will be ample footage doing justice to a realistic theme that troubles more in this month.
It was good to see a programme Consumer Crime (Express News) on Sunday evening presented by Huma Bukhari, which was a reasonable attempt to highlight the way in which the common man is faced by rising prices in the fruit, vegetable and grocery markets. The retail seller blames the wholesale dealer, and there is a general blame on the local administration, and the various market committees and price check agencies, official mainly, and the futility and failure of price lists. Interestingly, these price lists do not even reach the retailer, and it was significant when Huma Bukhari showed that the price lists sometimes simply seem to remain stuck from where they originate. The distribution of lists is not done, and when that happens the lists are not followed. And the consumer is a helpless spectator in this process.
Now that Ramazan ul Mubarak is here, the price of food items, which are in greater demand throughout the month, will be a theme that will be under close watch, and the inevitable apprehension based on the experience of previous years will indicate the inefficiency and the disinterest of the authorities and vigilance committees to enforce the rules. Somehow the blame and responsibility will be passed onto the consumer, suggesting that there is no consumer resistance.
On the theme of consumers and prices in a general sense, was a programme Taxi News (Samaa News) in which the presenter becomes a taxi driver and talks to passengers on their day-to-day frustrations. In particular, these include the context of rising prices, shrinking purchasing power of the rupee, and the overall depressing environment that is making domestic budgets smaller, and family life a struggle against heavier odds, all the time. The format of this show was different in a sense. The taxi driver was talking to a man who does two jobs to make ends meet, and in that taxi ride there were present also his (passenger's) wife and two kids. Somewhat symbolic of how children are being brought up to hear about life's economic problems in urban taxi travel. The taxi driver told viewers that he would highlight other problems, next time.
As a viewer while one anticipates that prices in Ramazan and later in the month the price hike ahead of Eidul Fitr will be regular themes with the news and current affairs channels. How different can the channels be in their presentation is what one waits to see. That there is cynicism even distrust of the official machinery to bring home any relief is a point that needs to be kept in mind.
Unforgettable music:
It was a very pleasant surprise to see that the music channel G Ka Boom is still carrying on with that programme. Unforgettables that enables viewers of a certain vintage to be able to see famous Indian film songs from yesterday. And this walk down musical memory lanes spreads over fifty years an even more where possible. I have been seeing this programme for a couple of years now and though not regularly. When I saw it on Tuesday night, almost by chance, in my channel surfing because cable operators play their own game of shifting and closing channels, I was glad. I stopped long enough to see all the five songs that the presenter Nini showed.
What is welcome is not only is there is this programme available to viewers, who should be sizeable regardless of the modern music scene of today, but that Nini has plenty of background information and also ready or considered opinion about the songs that she has chosen to telecast. Like on Tuesday (10th August) she was quite categorical when she selected a song from that celebrated film Dulari that Geeta Roy though not her favourite - she said, there was plenty of appreciation of that popular heroine in which she was presented in an historical context. It is very interesting that a presenter like Nini, who is obviously from the younger generation of television people, does Unforgettables and has a very visible fondness for that kind of music and the leading screen heroes and heroines.
The five songs that were telecast in this particular programme enabled viewers to see memorable songs picturised on Dilip Kumar and Vijanthimala from colour film, Ganga Jamna, then a song from that Raj Kapoor film Awara ( 1951), filmed on Nargis, then a melodious duet of Rafi and Asha Bhosle filmed on Dev Anand and Shyama (?) from CID, and another song picturised on Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh. It was a well conceived package that was presented. That one did feel a trifle uneasy at spending almost 35-40 minutes with old film songs instead of watching private news and current affairs channels focusing on flood havoc, the suffering of poor people, or the on-going debate about President Zardari's eight-day overseas tour. [email protected]