In business concerns, whether industries or commercial enterprises, there is a two-word term used to describe an employee's experience whose length does not have much to show by way of worthwhile achievements or innovative landmarks touched by the employee.
It is called "Donkey years". In other words the term is used to describe long service by poor performers whose long years have not led to enhanced understanding by them of their function or to any notable improvement in their performance. In other words their (let us say) ten years' experience adds up to no more than one year experience ten times over. That is "Donkey years".
The 5-year Mantra I was put in mind of this rather crude but picturesque term by the sight on all TV Screens of the group photograph of members of our National Assemble on the occasion of the elected body almost completing its full term of five years. We have been hearing of this 5-year mantra for quite some time now. But now that the deed is nearly done and the dateline about to be crossed (on 18th March 2013), happiness of the photographed VIPs and VVIPs gloating over the fact was visible on every face.
Donkey years? Donkey years? If is there a better way of describing the half decade being glorified please let me know as well. The primary function of the Parliament is to legislate. That is no revelation I agree. But I mention it because the purpose of legislation appears to have been forgotten by many of our 5-year marathon winners. The purpose (again this is no revelation) is to legislate in such a way that the result is good governance as far as it relates to law making. Let us open the Pandora's Box and recount the ills increasingly suffered by this country and its people throughout the 5-year period whose end is being celebrated by our legislators as an achievement per se (in itself).
Murderous inflation Some questions to prove the point: For a start, was any legislation enacted, even discussed to curb inflation by resorting to one or more tools available to the legislators? For example, any effort seen towards increasing tax recovery from the cheating or non-paying privileged (including the MPs) and other rich? Any effort noticed to tax agricultural income? (I remember erstwhile Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin when pressed on this subject replying: "Do you want to make me the sacrificial lamb?" He meant he would lose his job if he dared to move in that direction. Why did he have to say that?)
Tax-to-GDP ratio Any determined effort noticed to determine why the Tax-to-GDP ratio in Pakistan is among the lowest in the world and going down unchecked? Was any legislation enacted to prevent runaway note printing by the State Bank as the rough-and-ready, but disastrous alternative to increasing state revenue by several other means available: For example plugging leakages due to wasteful expenditure at every level especially by the privileged class on scores of counts including indulging in luxurious living, for example among other criminal expenditures, like chartered air travels and stay at exorbitantly expensive hotels abroad with large non-functional entourages, use of expensive aircraft as private vehicles? I can go on and on!
Power-starved people Any effort noticed to relieve ordinary people, small and medium sized workshops and big industries and the housewife from rampant loadshedding by legislation and follow-up to prevent gas and power leakage through theft or inefficiency? Any committee formed to look into why substantial power generating capacity in the country is lying idle? Any steps taken to prevent that?
Ghost Schools Any legislative initiative effected to look into the Ghost Schools and Ghost Colleges scandal? Any effort put in to plug leakage arising from payment of salaries to Ghost Teachers and even dead Teachers? Any questions asked and discussed about the fact that among the nations of the world today we are sitting probably on the largest number of children and youth with no access to even elementary education?
Success story? On second thoughts in another area the term Donkey Years does not apply to our worthy legislators. That is the area of self-aggrandisement (which means placing one's interests before those of others) on the part of many (but not all) of them. The process had begun even before the 2008 elections.
A degree is a degree!For a start consider first the pre-entry (into the august Assembly) achievements. A significant number of our present legislators achieved "notable success" by managing to get past the Election Commission by entering the election contest without having earned an academic degree (an essential requirement for candidates to contest for a Parliament seat) by getting one in ways other than by studying for it and passing the required examination. So what? (Remember a degree is a degree - genuine or fake!). That done, scores of them got elected by managing to get millions of bogus votes (a total of whopping 37.5 million between them at the latest count according to Fakhru Bhai) cast in their favour. So what? A vote is a vote - need I complete the sentence? For a second, did not a sizable number of them with dual nationality get past the eligibility criterion in that respect by the simple expedient of lying about it under oath? How many of the present MPs will be able to stand for election now if the criteria are scrupulously applied by the CEC?
Why insult the Donkey? As a final thought, all things considered, why blame the poor donkey by comparing its performance with that of a large number (exceptions apart) of our Parliamentarians. Whereas the proverbial donkey's fault is that he gains nothing from his long years at work, many of our MPs have allegedly gained a lot for themselves from their 5-year sojourn as MPs after getting past the Election Commission one way or another which was just one of their pre-election achievements!
Not all was bad Once all this is said one must also appreciate the good work done by a small number of Parliamentarians, by working hard to get some useful Amendments to the constitution passed and by forming various Public Account Committees to correct some wrong-doing in the public domain.
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