I always thought I am going to keep this blog focused on the work I do instead of dedicating this to posts on political subjects but searching thepmlnvision today on Google forced me bring this into writing this post. We have a problem here, like most of us here have this syndrome probably. If I am copying something good, an idea worth a copy, from someone else, I interpret it as an achievement but if my opponent is doing the same, I would interpret it as copying or chappa as they say in Urdu. I find it worth mentioning here in the start that an idea (worth copying), was well received by a massive online population recording 40k views, 1019 tweets and 9.6k likes on facebook (this does not includes link sharing) in just 3 days.
Yes, it was a clone of romneytaxplan which the democrats created against the Tax Plan proposed by Mitt Romney in the US Presidential Campaign 2012 claiming that they’re going to cut tax by a massive $5 billion without putting any burden on the middle classes. The plan might be substantial according to the planning done by the Republicans but was probably not that easy to achieve. I am not commenting a lot on the Tax Plan by Mitt Romney because I know a very little about the economic calculations and stuff since that is so not my business.
I copied the same idea keeping in sight the 3E policy of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) that was focusing on Energy, Economy and Education as the key to get the country out of the current turmoil. The idea is great, I appreciate their concerns on this. Like finally they know what the problems are. Getting back to the point, I created this thepmlnvision to strike the same 3E policy they recently came up with. It has been over 4 years since they have been in Government in Punjab even if I don’t consider the 3 and a half years they were in coalition with Pakistan People’s Party in the Federal Government too. I didn’t see any implementation to the 3E plan through that tenure. I wonder if someone else witnessed any change. If you did, you have all the right to raise that here and I will respect it if it were a valid point.
Things that they’ve focused on instead of the real issues were the distribution of laptops, distribution of yellow cabs, infrastructural changes and now what we’re looking at is the mass transit system. I would question all the readers who reach this blog through whatever source; all these things that I have listed, do they really make a difference? I see them as nothing but an attempt to make fools out of the innocent general public here in Pakistan and getting ready for the upcoming General Elections. I didn’t see any change, I didn’t notice any development in the first three and a half years of their government.
Let me get down to my interpretation of all this. First off, is the Laptop Distribution Scheme: it was a massive show by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) in October 2011 that attracted hundreds of thousands of people mainly the Youth. Within a couple of days, the Laptop Distribution idea came into being since there was no other way of attracting the youth then to conventionally high jack them as it has happened in Pakistan’s 65 years of existence.
The Laptop Distribution is still on but I have always asked my fellows and everyone I got into a discussion with, one simple question: did the laptop distribution to two hundred thousand students make a difference to the quality of education in the Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary education in Pakistan. I can name a thousands of schools here in Punjab alone that are void of the basic necessities of schooling even. Education being one major part of the 3E policy would have improved considerably if these billions of resources were spent on the quality of the education. Laptops haven’t helped improve the quality of education at the lower level and no matter how good the facilities are on the top floor of a building, if the foundations are not strong enough to hold the load, it is of no use.
I have tonnes of points in my head but I also wish to keep this a nice read by keeping it short and to the point. The Yellow Cab Scheme is second on my lists: the minimum requirement of having a Yellow Cab is to hold a Graduation Degree in your hand. I have another simple question, not that I don’t think cab drivers are not respectful but is this what a Graduate deserves here? Having a cab and driving it all day to earn a living? It would have been a lot better if they would have created half the number of Job Opportunities so the Graduates would have been proud of their education. To me, this idea has devalued the Graduation of millions!
Mass Transit System is another great idea to keep people busy. Even this, brings no food to the people who are starving and are living way below the poverty level in the province. I am not saying much about this plan even because I so wonder how people are perceiving it but I see it as another copy or chappa of something that is happening in other developed countries. I am sure they don’t have people living under the poverty line so they can invest on multi billion projects like these.
About the chappa point again, that I have noticed on a couple of blogs too online. I have copied the idea the same way as you copied the idea of Motorways, Nuclear Bombs and a lot more that you usually brag about on TV shows and Political Debates. Either you need to confess that what you did on a lot of projects that you executed here in Pakistan was nothing unusual but adopting a system that was worth it or stop bragging about thepmlnvision to be a copy of something the democrats have done. I can keep going and going but I guess it is so not worth it to go beyond this point. :)
Oh! I forgot to mention, the website had three hack attempts on the first day alone. lol. Now what do you call that fellas?
Good article. Such showcase projects cannot bring prosperity to the nation. Governments puts billions of rupees in such projects just to attract people to vote them. As Asad Umar of PTI says we have to change our priorities. We have to focus on projects that have greater value in return. Wish our rulers could understand it. But we know they want to keep our people illiterate, poor, hungry, jobless, miserable and terrorized to safeguard their rule.
Behtareen insaan amal se pehchane jate hain, achi batein to bure log bhi kerte hain. Hats off to your blog. I reached here through a tweet of Mr. Hassan Nisar.
laptop distribution will raise the standard of students, which is equally important to educating the uneducated.
I wonder when people will realize this gimmick of fooling our innocent citiezens whose tax money is so lavishly being spent on the show bazi of big show baz.
how we can ask them by reaching their neck and ask them tell us how u dare to waste our tax money.
May Allah enable some one of us to dare accountability of show bazi and sharif gardi. ONe day this has to come Insha Allah
When those who distribute “laptop” advocating that it will improve performance and access to information and then say “given on merit” it actually acts as a discriminatory tool and doesn’t give the level playing field for all students.
To understand this – lets look at it from the opposite perspective- those who did not get the laptop. There could be multiple reasons for those who could not score enough to come under merit – Domestic issues (financial or other), difficulty learning, not serious at all, etc. Now those who could not score merit because of unavoidable conditions especially domestic financial problems – they would be sent further back in the system because those in “merit” have better productivity tools.
Either give everyone laptops (which for a country like Pakistan insane thing to do) or give Merit and Need based Scholarships – because it does not give “an edge” to one student over the other and acts as a reward/assistance. and for equipping students with modern technology operate 24 hour(Generator backed due to loadshedding) computer lab so those who cant afford laptops at home – can work day and night to compete will more privileged members in the society.
but of course this is only when the intention is to increase performance as well as give a level playing field. does not apply for “political mileage” intentions.
PmLn ko gareeb awam ko machli (fish)deny ky bajaye machli pakrny wala kanta dena chahye taky wo apny peron par khary ho saky lekin kiya karein esa kahin nazar nhi ata har hukmuran yehi chahta hai awaam us ky darwazy par dakhy khati rahy