- Githongo: corruption, betrayal and hope By Edward Clay
- The high cost of low price By Najaf Yawar Khan
- Letters to FreePakistan
- HumorWise
- Issue of the Month: Sugar-coating the government
- CSR Views & News
- Good News
- Vested Interests
Quotes of the Month:
Immediate necessity makes many things convenient, which if continued would grow into oppressions. Expedience and right are different things.... When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.
[Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)]
Instead of a bumbling and inefficient toll of society, the radical [libertarian] sees the State itself, in its very nature, as coercive, exploitative, parasitic, and hence profoundly antisocial. The State is, and always has been, the great single enemy of the human race, its liberty, happiness, and progress.
[Murray N. Rothbard]
Free Pakistan, a monthly newsletter, exists for the promotion of limited government, rule of law, protection of property rights, market economy, individual freedom, and private initiative. Its vision is a free and prosperous Pakistan; for only such a Pakistan can contribute positively to the creation of a free and prosperous world.
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PHILOSOPHY OF LIBERTY
What is Philosophy of Liberty? A screensaver by Lux Lucre and Ken Schoolland explains it.
Download and install it. http://www.free-market.net/rd/321907219.html ; http://www.jonathangullible.com
By Edward Clay
[REVIEW OF: It's Our Turn To Eat - The story of a Kenyan whistleblower, by Michela Wrong, (Paperback) Fourth Estate Ltd, London (19 Feb 2009), 400 pages. Sir Edward Clay was Britain's High Commissioner to Kenya from 2001-2005 when he was outspoken on governance questions including corruption. Michela Wrong is a reporter who has worked throughout Africa for Reuters, the BBC and the Financial Times. "In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz", her first book, won the PEN James Sterne Prize for non-fiction.]
“It’s our turn to eat” is about corruption in Kenya. The title quotes the appeal his ethnic peers made to John Githongo – the man they had appointed as presidential adviser on corruption -- not to betray their collective interests by doing that job properly.
The election of a reforming government in late 2002 had raised high expectations of change in that most distinctive characteristic of Kenya’s political culture, corruption. It was expected that past scandals would be investigated and resolved and the first steps taken in preventing future corruption.
At last, evidence emerged which seemed strong enough to sustain action. Inquiries in these years began to inform us all on the Goldenberg scandal – the definitive scandal of the Moi era – and the Anglo-Leasing scams which came to light under the new President, Mwai Kibaki. But the government prevented action.
There is inevitably a lot of detail and Michela Wrong handles it beautifully, with the style that made her two previous books so engrossing.
There is a grand theme too in “It’s our turn to eat”: betrayal. The story is Shakespearean in its sweep.
John Githongo was brought from a post as a well-known campaigner against corruption to one of the most exposed jobs in government. He came from the right background to work from within the new establishment. Enormous hopes reposed in him. Yet, as he turned over the stones, it was borne in on him that he was being impeded not just by inertia and the culture of ingrained acceptance of wrongdoing. He was being obstructed, deliberately, by the very people at the heart and at the top of the government which had appointed him.
At first, they cautioned him with Talleyrand’s advice to his diplomats: “Surtout, messieurs, point de zele” (Above all, gentlemen, no zeal). Then they turned on him with accusations of betrayal – of his President, of his government and, above all, of their ethnic and economic interests. Ironically, the betrayal was theirs. Its ugliness led to Githongo’s flight in fear of his life in early 2005.
Michela Wrong does this grand theme proud. She brings the protagonists to vivid life. The heroes are all the better for being portrayed without sentimentality and with warts.
The question by the last page is: was it all worth it? Does the story end in disillusionment? For some who believed in Githongo’s campaign, and admired his steadfastness, quite possibly.
The price was high for its central figure. But Githongo is not disillusioned. For him, the struggle is to stop politicians robbing their own people. Githongo admits his error in believing that elaborate institutions could effect reform. The state’s institutions, including the law, can be and have been deformed by corruption.
He now says he puts his hopes in ordinary people and their growing anger about their rulers’ abuse of the trust laid on them.
Now the cat is out of the bag. It is for Kenyans to hold to account those who make them poor by diverting public money from the public good to private ends.
There are lessons for Kenya’s overseas friends, too. We development partners must re-examine our official national and multilateral aid programmes, and the implicit and explicit understandings on which they are predicated.
And we should raise our own game. Britain is shamed by the OECD’s fierce criticisms of its failure to carry out our international obligations against corruption.
With the banking system in pieces, perhaps now is the time to cleanse its dark corners – and the dark corners of other professions traditionally held in high regard – of their readiness to handle money stolen from struggling people in poor countries. That money has been appropriated by the indecently rich in poor countries who regard government not as a trust or contract with the governed, but as their private possession.
We should have nothing to do with the money nor the thieves beyond returning the first and exposing and isolating the second.
We should stop sheltering bad governments from the consequences of their people’s dissatisfaction. The so-called donors should align their taxpayers’ interests with Kenyans.’ Kenyans are hard-headed people. They do not understand the perverse and indulgent waste of donor money on their corrupt leaders. They see our ministers and similar signing cheques and glad-handing those they know to be on the take. They are confused about the message their donor friends wish to send.
If John Githongo is right, then the ordinary people must be encouraged to exercise more rigorously and effectively their democratic right to hold corrupt governments to account. The aid-givers should get out of the way. They should no longer come between the lion and his wrath.
By Najaf Yawar Khan
[This article first appeared in Dawn http://dawn.com on November 18, 2009. The author is Director and Chairman of the Management Studies Department at GC University Lahore.]
AS we continue to pay a high cost for the low price of sugar, two academics from a leading business school have come up with a cry for the public good, invoking near-ancient memories of a potato famine and starvation which were due, in part, to government negligence.
The media already has its fair share of doom merchants. Add academic soothsayers to the mix and you may be forgiven for believing that nothing but the most desperate measures can work.
This is not yet so. In any situation, there could be arguments for government intervention in the economy. But for every famine that could have been prevented, there are dozens which were precipitated by government action. It is in trying times that we need to hold firm to our beliefs. The journey downhill always starts with the abrogation of principles.
All initial reviews for the year 2008-09 indicate a surge in demand for sugar and a drastic drop in global supply. For entrepreneurs who had invested in the sector, it was a chance to hit the goldmine — the right to sell to the highest bidder, barring any anti-competitive measures. When there is a danger of death, be it through disease or famine, a political intervention may be warranted. But this was no epidemic, nor was sugar the only commodity whose price has skyrocketed in recent years. Petrol, wheat, rice, cement, iron, gold — the list goes on. Some have already experienced a correction. Others will follow. In the case of sugar, there was nothing approaching a do-or-die situation. Every time the wind picks up, we cannot issue a hurricane alert.
Look at another parallel: the ‘nationalisation’ of British banks. On closer scrutiny, it looks more like a tangent. The banks were not ‘nationalised’ against their will. Instead, it was the banks themselves that requested the lender of the last resort to come to the rescue.
The government’s intervention was aimed at helping specific businesses which had sought help. Barclays and HSBC, for instance, rejected the government bailout offer.
We are now living with the price fixed by the courts two months ago and the governments’ botched attempt to simultaneously enforce and work around the decision. The total cost of this intervention is yet to be calculated. Estimates vary but the economic costs of the fixed price, whether businesses pay through lost profits or the government picks up the tab via the public pocket, is somewhere between Rs40bn and Rs70bn. This excludes the effect on standing crops and future sowings. Moreover, the small-time shopkeeper now has to choose between fulfilling his customers’ needs and getting arrested. With all the increased business uncertainty in the country, it does not take a genius to predict which direction prices will take.
And hence the argument that it is extremely important to assure businesses that the government plays by the rules, even if it loses sometimes. But somehow another vision, that of hung, drawn and quartered (albeit in its figurative sense), holds greater attraction for those who hold power. Government functionaries were fairly prompt in arresting employees of large retail chains that have invested millions of dollars and generate hundreds if not thousands of jobs. Psychologically, so many are still fighting the East India Company. If under these circumstances businesses flaunt a recent report by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), it is a sign of trust in at least one arm of the state.
While the CCP started operations two years ago with typical bureaucratic high-handedness, putting hefty penalties on players whose tax obligations were already high, it has demonstrated maturity with its report on sugar. The report not only performs the assigned task and calculates the cost, it also explains the variables that could drive costs up or down. And the recipe is no surprise: free the industry of distortions created by interest groups, develop procurement standards based on value — the sucrose content — and install a payment mechanism that removes, not creates, uncertainties for growers. Any agency that has to ensure compliance is already a dreaded beast in the mind of the investor. It is duty-bound to reassure entrepreneurs, and has done so in this case, that it will not dig up special clauses every now and then.
The report does not ‘worship the free market’ (it may have been better if it did). It stutters where it proposes a ‘safety net’ mechanism, taxing the sugar industry in kind (a rather inefficient method) and looking for a mechanism that would keep an army of civil servants on the public payroll in the name of providing sugar to the poor. It also talks of a ‘strategic stock’, an intervention acceptable to the extent that it does not physically threaten businesses. That said, only an optimist or a direct beneficiary would believe in the government’s ability to manage this stock for the greater good.
However, if at all political judgment calls for a subsidy, let it be handled by something like the Benazir Income Support Programme without creating customised distortions across individual industries.
Nobody can stop the courts or the government to dispatch SHOs at will, much as no government or court can stop by decree what follows. Need we recall what happened when 35 employees of National Power were arrested by the government in 1998? Not only did investors pull out, they left the industry capital-dry for the decade that followed. Find a Pakistani who has not experienced the ‘power famine’. By trying to ensure an essential commodity at an affordable price, the government assured ‘no commodity’ at whatever price. These are points to ponder in the ongoing debate on sugar. [Courtesy Dawn]
RE: RESTRUCTURING THE POWER SECTOR (FREEPAKISTAN NEWSLETTER # 107)
[Rehman Faiz]
Dear Peace Friend, Thanks for forwarding me such a wonderful analytical newsletter. I congratulate you on such a realistic approach and state of the art articles. Please keep me updated with the newsletter.
MAILING LIST
[Abdul Qayyum Khan, Fiji Islands]
Thank you very much for puting me on your mailing list. I found your institute's name on one of the best think tanks of the world. I am looking forward to receive regular e mails from you.
RE: MEDIA RELEASE: NEW WEBSITE TO SERVE AS THE BIGGEST PORTAL OF CLASSICAL LIBERALISM IN URDU
[Ishtiaq Ahmed, Singapore]
Congratulations on the launch of these sites. I of course am a proponent of a social democratic state but with the economy adhering to the free market principles.
THE TI REPORT
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that the Transparency International’s report placing Pakistan in the 42nd position on the list of the most corrupt countries is not reliable. For once I agree with the honourable minister — knowing what we are doing to this country, we deserve the top slot. [The News]
THE GOOSE AND THE GANDER
[Khurshid Anwer, Lahore]
I asked a very rich friend of mine if he would give me a big sum of money on my guarantee that it will go to the most deserving destitutes. He said, since 'IOU', I will open my 'Flow Chart' and see, when in the future, there is sufficient slack between my income and expenditure to meet your request, I will also see how I can increase my receivables before that date. I said, what if I want the money right now. He said, then your many destitutes may become a wee bit richer, but I 'Richie Rich' will become a pauper. Between you and me, we will have killed the goose that lays the golden egg. I said, is this not exactly what the PPP goose is doing to itself. He said, may be she is banking on her 'Richie Rich' gander to bail her out. [The Frontier Post]
JOKE OF THE YEAR
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
A distinguished US magazine, Forbes, has included our Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani among the 67 most powerful persons of the world. [The News]
TURREDERR! TURREDERR...R R R R R R!
Mujtaba Tabnak, Kamonke Mandi]
A small frog that lived in a small well of a village was greeted one day by a big frog that had fell from a river into the village well. The big frog began by telling the small one that his well was too small and he had come from a big, big river. How big asked the little frog? He drew a circle in water with a stick and asked, "This big?" The big one said no. The little one kept drawing bigger and bigger circles and the bigger one kept saying no. Finally, the big frog told him pompously, "You are a frog of the well. You cannot imagine what is happening outside this well." On November 17, a private TV channel broadcast an interview of Mian Nawaz Sharif. It was a real comedy show. Mian Nawaz came out with a new theory according to which all the terrorism and militancy was due to various military regimes. He maintained that he too was subjected to terrorism by Musharraf as his government was terminated and he was exiled by force. This is strange logic. I wonder when our rulers would get rid of their myopia and become mature enough to start looking beyond their noses. [The Nation]
HOW ABOUT A STOPOVER IN WAZIRISTAN?
[Muhammad Azhar Khan, Lahore]
I read in your newspaper on November 13 that President Zardari would visit Afghanistan shortly. I request the honourable president to have a brief stopover at Waziristan and meet his frontline soldiers who are fighting for the future of this country. [The News]
THE STAGE ACTORS . . .
[Mahabat Khan Bangash, Peshawar]
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira was seen on TV, announcing the unpleasant decision of the Govt. to stop gas supply to the CNG stations, two days a week. The announcement was being made by the minister with slow motion dialogues, with breaks and uneasy manner, which created a sad atmosphere all around. I was also impressed with the unusual style of the minister, which made me feel that I have been watching a stage play in a "Natak." Suddenly it brought me back from the delusion, when I turned over to another channel, where the minister was chirping in his usual offending style. Mr. Kaira is still immature in politics who should not forget that the people are now more aware and are shrewd who can easily differentiate between the "Asli and Naqli" leadership.
[The Frontier Post]
POT AND KETTLE
[Sonia Zafar, Lahore]
There is no end to hypocrisy in this land of the pure. General Musharraf's comments about the president only portray the ousted dictator in a bad light. There is a fundamental difference in both persons though. President Zardari was elected to the office through a constitutional process as enshrined in the constitution, while Mr Musharraf staged a coup to grab power. It was the power of the barrel which kept him entrenched in the corridors of power. The mess he left the country in only speaks volumes of what Mr Musharraf is like and how history would remember him. [The News]
MEN SAY ANYTHING
[Fatima Khan, Karachi]
Your newspaper was carrying a story recently, which went along the lines of men saying ‘I love you’ first. Well I am not one to be surprised, because men will say anything to get the best out of any situation. [Daily Times]
NRO BENEFICIARIES
[Commodore (r) Parvez Iqbal, Rawalpindi]
If my name had been on the list of NRO beneficiaries provided by NAB and published in your paper on November 20, the first thing I would have done would be to hide the paper from my family.
[The News]
LITERACY MEETS ILLITERACY
[Raj, New Jersey, USA]
A headline in your newspaper on November 19, “Pakistan has better literacy ratio than India: UNFPA”, caught my eye. I went to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) website to see for myself if what the report claimed was true. There was one small problem. The report confused illiteracy with literacy. [Daily Times]
IGNOMINY
[Barrister Baachaa, Peshawar]
Would you ever employ a person about whom you know for sure that he is a thief? Or if such a person is in your employment, would you let him continue working for you? [The News]
OBITUARY OF PPP
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
In the meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the PPP, the president is quoted as saying: “People write our obituaries daily.” I would just like to observe that the obituary of PPP was written on the day of Ms Benazir’s death on 27th of December, 2007. [Daily Times]
BRAVERY
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
The president created history when he addressed a public meeting in Karachi by sitting in his fortified presidential palace in Islamabad while warning that he was neither scared of death nor afraid of being consigned to the gallows. We salute him for his unmatched bravery. [The News]
BAKRA LEASING SCHEME
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
The people of Pakistan have over the last 10 years been subjected to numerous economic hardships. It seems that with every season there is a new dilemma that is faced by the ordinary citizens. Whether it is load shedding, water shortage or sugar crisis, it just seems we cannot seem to get out of this rut. Hence it is my suggestion that anticipating the exorbitant prices of sacrificial animals this Eid, can the State Bank of Pakistan kindly direct the banking sector to start a ‘Bakra leasing scheme?’ [Daily Times]
THE TICKING CLOCK
[Barrister Baachaa, Peshawar]
In his news analysis titled "How to clean up the bloody mess-2" (November 22), Shaheen Sehbai wrote: "Interestingly, when President Zardari meets anyone a huge grandfather clock between him and his guest is always ticking". Unfortunately, President Zardari has forgotten to wind up the clock. The clock is slow; it is later than he thinks. [The News]
NRO LIST
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
The NRO list reminds one of the adventurous tales of ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ with the only difference that we have 8,041 thieves with no sight of any Ali Baba. [Daily Times]
FIGHTING FOR WHAT THEY DON’T HAVE
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
In the decisive Battle of Waterloo (1815) forces of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte were defeated by those of the Anglo-Allied army under the command of Duke of Wellington. Duke of Wellington addressing Napoleon Bonaparte said “You French are fighting for the land and we on the other hand are fighting for Honour and Glory”. To this Napoleon Bonaparte replied “One fights for thing one doesn’t have”. The fight between PML (N) and the PPP is following the same pattern for one doesnt have land (Government) and the other Honour & Glory. [Pakistan Observer]
MINUS-1 FORMULA
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
The other day I went to a friend’s place and to my utter surprise he disclosed that the minus-1 formula has been put in place. Showing my total ignorance, I asked him how come? To which he replied, “Influenced by the political debate on the minus-1 formula, I have divorced my wife.” I walked back totally lost. [Daily Times]
BILL AGAINST HARASSMENT
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
Opposition legislator from PML (Q) Kashmala Tariq has praised the passage of legislation in the National Assembly to protect women against harassment at workplaces thus paving the way for womenfolk to adequately contribute towards national development process without much mental and physical strains. She went on to say that “By harassment she means making unwanted advances of a sexual, aggressive or intimidating nature by men who seek to undermine or diminish the female’s value in the work place”. Like many, I am the victim of the same harassment by a female colleague at my work place. Ms Kashmala, any thoughts on protecting Men’s rights too? [Pakistan Observer]
FIGHT ‘AIDS’
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
Over the years the scientists around the world are fighting to find cure for AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), however our Government has shown no interest in finding a cure to a similar disease “Acquired Investments Deposited in Swiss banks” (AIDS) Syndrome eating up the resources of this country for the last 62 years. Any thoughts on preventing the spread of this contagious disease? [Pakistan Observer]
MORE DUSTBINS NEEDED
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
It has become a common site to see poor people forage for leftovers in the big mounds of trash in the dustbins that are often uncollected in the street for days. Though there seems to be no sustainable plan in site to reduce poverty in the country, the best option for the Government is to at least increase the number of dustbins in the cities thus enabling many to fill their bellies instead of dying of hunger. [Pakistan Observer]
Issue of the Month: Sugar-coating the government
SUGAR CARTEL
[Editorial Daily Times]
The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has implicitly conceded a number of charges levelled against it by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP). The CCP had issued a show-cause notice to the PSMA for a prima facie case of cartelisation after the completion of an enquiry report. The CCP would issue a show-cause notice to other sugar mills after the initial hearing of the PSMA case.
The sugar crisis has badly affected everyone in Pakistan in recent times. Last month, the Supreme Court ordered the government to devise a mechanism to ensure availability of sugar at Rs 40 per kg to domestic consumers. Whether one accepts or rejects the notion of the courts’ involvement in the administrative or economic issues of the country, the fact remains that the apex court’s decision makes it incumbent on the federal and provincial governments to follow these orders. The government now also has to ensure a steady and uninterrupted supply of sugar all over the country. The sugar mill owners have banded together as a cartel to withhold supplies and have increased the price artificially by hoarding sugar. This amounts to contempt of court.
The government has to come up with a strategy to tackle the sugar crisis. In past years, the food ration system was instituted to provide staple foods at controlled prices but it was eventually abandoned because of widespread abuse. However, the policy framework to allow free market forces to determine the price of essential items has also failed. Adam Smith’s laissez faire philosophy cannot be applied because neither markets nor competition is fair, certainly in Pakistan, arguably globally. The market has only exploited the consumer, especially when it comes to essential items like sugar. There are many lacunae in the sugar policy. It does not benefit the growers of sugarcane because the owners have devised a strategy to let the sucrose content of the sugarcane decrease before they buy it by delaying the growers at the factory gate. Nothing has been done about the exploitation of the growers and the consumers because there is a powerful mafia behind it all. The bulk of the sugar mill owners are in politics and sitting in parliament, and therefore able to block any move against their monopolist manipulation of the sugar market (NAB’s abortive foray into this field should be kept in mind).
One cannot imagine the woes of ordinary citizens who are faced with inflation, unemployment, high utility bills and now exorbitant rates of essential items like sugar. Almost one-third of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line. The poor man works endlessly for two meals a day, and when food prices rise steeply, it is impossible for the poor to get even two square meals a day. Such has been the misery of the poor man in Pakistan. The prices of atta, sugar, and ghee have gone through the roof, apart from many other staple food items. Surely, the government cannot remain aloof from the miseries heaped on the people by the rising prices of food commodities. The government has to take positive and concrete steps to alleviate poverty and look into this serious problem in a broader perspective. It should keep in mind that poverty breeds crime and general social unrest.
Perhaps the only solution is to nationalise the sugar industry. Those who say that it would be a mistake should not confuse the proposal with the 70s nationalisation. It failed mainly because it was handed over to the bureaucracy. The government should seriously consider nationalising the sugar industry and handle it in a better way this time through corporatisation of the sector, with professional management. By doing nothing about the sugar crisis, the government will end up being equally blamed along with the sugar cartel in holding the country and the people to ransom.
SUGAR SHORTAGE
[Abdul Rauf, Fateh Jang]
I have not seen even a single bakery or sweet shop closed due to the shortage of sugar. Where do they get it from? [The News]
GREAT, EVEN IF BITTER
[Takreem Gul Khan, Lahore]
Pakistan, a great country, is without sugar at present. It appears this crisis would go on for sometime. Even after the Supreme Court ruled a fixed price, the government's writ is being violated openly. By creating this artificial crisis, all those who are involved in the sugar business have not just challenged the Supreme Court but the entire government. Silence over this crisis would only serve to encourage these hoarders. We can all get united to strengthen the Supreme Court's verdict by refusing to buy sugar at a price higher than the one fixed by the Apex court. Until the price is brought back to the level, the nation must adopt a sugar-free life. I appeal to the people of Pakistan to stop using sugar for at least two months. [The Nation]
STRANGE CRISES
[Sohaib Umar, Karachi]
The problem of shortages in Pakistan defies belief, especially as most of the time, it is revealed in the media that the shortages were not because of the commodity not being available, but because of poor pricing policies by the government or the greed of profiteers that hoard commodities to charge higher prices later on. We have seen this in the case of sugar as well as wheat in the span of the last two years, and it is about time that the government gets to work on this issue. [Daily Times]
SUGAR PRICES
[Mubashir Mahmood, Karachi]
Even after the Supreme Court decision that sugar should be sold at Rs40 per kilo, it is nowhere selling below Rs60 per kilo. It is time the Supreme Court asked sugar mill-owners and the civil administration why its decision was not being implemented. [The News]
SUGAR CRISIS
[Shahbaz Ali, Lahore]
The sugar crisis is becoming a serious problem, one that is not showing any signs of improvement. After the wrangling between various mill owners and government institutions, now the trouble seems to be one of shortages. Further, little reliable data is available to gauge whether or not this shortage is artificial or genuine. Various stakeholders fudge figures to support their own point of view. The government needs to dispassionately and objectively assess the situation and take immediate and effective action to restore the supply of sugar, and also to punish those responsible for it. [Daily Times]
SUGAR CRISIS
[Abdul Rauf, Fateh Jang]
It's a real shame for the so-called democratic government that more than two months have passed and it has not taken a single practical step to improve the provision of sugar to the masses. On the one hand billions of taxpayers' money is being spent on useless meetings in Abu Dhabi and on the other our children are deprived of basic commodities like sugar. [The News]
SUGAR: SIGNIFICANCE RATHER THAN QUANTUM
[Aslam Turk, Hyderabad]
This is with reference to the viewpoint offered by Dost Muhammad Baloch, a senior executive of a sugar mill to the earlier letters seeking the government’s intervention to protect citizens from vagaries of the market “sugar crisis and free markets” (Nov 16). Mr. Baloch, in his zeal to protect the errant sugar barons, forgot that at present the entire country is in the grip of the sugar crisis. This is evident from the print and TV reports of the helplessness of people standing in long queues from dawn to dusk. People are shown running from pillar to post for the sake of a few kilograms of sugar but the commodity is not available even at an exorbitant price. In one case an elderly customer died while in the search of sugar.
This is the second sugar fiasco. The first crisis hit the country in 2006 when, taking plea of increased world prices, the sugar mill owners doubled the price and earned billions of extra profit. The debacle of 2009 is also created by the same mill mafia which because of connections in the corridors of power always escapes with pockets full of money. The sugar-mills community is not only taking advantage of “free market” and selling sugar at the price of their choice. At the same time they do not give the grower his toils’ worth and even hide profit from the tax department. Go and see the miserable condition of the grower which clearly belies the claim of Mr. Baloch: ‘they plough back billions of rupees in the rural economy every year, leading to its complete transformation’.
Even if 85 sugar mills spread all over the country had put some check on rural-urban migration at all, does it give them licence to raise the rate of sugar prices at will? His claim that huge crop of technicians and skilled workers trained in sugar mills are now working abroad and making a useful contribution in foreign remittances also warrants necessary verification through the State Bank of Pakistan. He is however correct in stating that there was no sugar-making activity in the country worth mentioning at the time of the independence. But does he realise that despite one sugar mill, i.e. Premier Sugar Mill Mardan, the country had no such crisis. Whereas now we have 85 sugar mills but even then the government is importing sugar worth billions of rupees to fill the gap as our ‘dear’ sugar mill owners smuggle it to neighbouring countries at high prices.
I also do not subscribe to Mr. Baloch’s view that one can live without sugar being less than four per cent of the kitchen budget of a lower middle class, but not flour which consumes about 24 per cent of the budget. It is not the quantum but significance of the ingredient which counts as in the case of salt which is though hardly a fraction of percentage, but its significance cannot be underestimated. The demand of supply theory of economics also does not work in the system where mill owners hoard sugar when they found that the government has not maintained its stocks in order to reap extra profit. It is a fact that the balance sheet of sugar companies shows losses but in reality such results are not reflective of their true state of business. The books are maintained only to hoodwink the government departments such as Income Tax, Central Excise, etc.
For the true business profits one has to go and see fabulously rich living of the directors of companies, attend their marriages and check the number of countries they visit every year. I make an appeal to the Prime Minister to empathise with the miseries of people and take necessary steps to bring down prices of this essential food item down to a reasonable level. However it is possible only when the cartel of sugar mafia is busted. [Dawn]
FREE MARKET
[Aneela Chandio, Sukkur]
In a free market regulated economy, people in executive authority, who exercise control over any industry, must not have a conflict of interest. Yet, Mr Tareen despite being an owner of industries and having large land holdings has served in various governments as Minister for Industries or Agriculture. An essential condition for a free market system is that the economy must be documented, taxes must be levied and realised by the state, and strict regulatory controls monitor supply and demand of various commodities. The recent recession in the US and Europe is the result of relaxation in regulatory controls by the Bush administration. Nobody is above the law in a democratic sovereign state, not even the privileged classes. These industrialists in Pakistan, who have made fortunes in the last two decades, must realise that they owe it to this country, for the opportunities it provided to them. Free market economies have survived because the rich pay taxes and the state provides welfare to the deprived sections of the population. No system can survive if it is based on loot and plunder, without any accountability. The role of the Punjab government in the recent sugar crisis is better than the Federal government and other provincial governments.
[The Post]
SUGAR, OH SUGAR
[Mubashir Mahmood]
Hundreds of reports have been published in newspapers and aired on news channels on the issue pertaining to the shortage of sugar. The government has claimed at least a hundred times that there is no shortage of sugar and it is available in the market. However, the sorry state of affairs is that there is not even a kilogramme of sugar easily available in the market. If one is lucky enough to find it, the price ranges from Rs 65-70 per kilogramme. How can the common man buy sugar at such exorbitant rates? The government must do something about the sugar crisis soon. [Daily Times]
UNENDING SUGAR CRISIS
[Engr.S.T. Hussain, Lahore]
SUGAR millowners have earned a Rs22bn profit during the last two months, The millers sold their sugar to the dealers at higher rates and have delayed the cane crushing to clear their stock in defiance of the Supreme Court and Lahore High Court orders. Despite the claims by provincial governments that they will implement the Supreme Court order of making sugar available at Rs40 per kg, the Punjab government is claiming that it will make available more than double sugar supplies for domestic consumers from current supply of 1,800 tonnes to 4,000 tonnes a day to end the prevailing shortage. It appears that the decision of the Supreme Court to allow 30 per cent for domestic consumers and 70 per cent for commercial consumers at different prices has provided an opportunity to sugar millowners and dealers to make a huge profit.
As there is no monitoring mechanism with the government to ensure supplies to commercial and domestic consumers according to the allocated quota, it is mostly domestic consumers who do not get sugar in the market. Moreover, the delay in starting the crushing season by Punjab millowners has further deepened the sugar crisis. Now the government has raised the support price of sugarcane from Rs80 to Rs100 a maund, The sugar price from the next season would be around Rs60 a kilo. As the sugarcane last season was purchased by mills at the average price of Rs120 a maund, it is difficult to assume that the government will be able to ensure that growers sell the commodity according to its support price. The government should build up a buffer stock to plug the gap in supply and demand, and stabilise prices. It should also allow the private sector to import sugar freely.
The first responsibility of a government is toward the general public, which is not the case in Pakistan. It is a fact that global prices have nothing to do with local prices, as the cost of sugarcane and sugar is fixed by the government to protect the interest of growers and sugar millowners. The repeated sugar crisis in the country has proved that growers and sugar millowners are no one else but politicians, who are in the government, as well as in the opposition. In such a situation it is courts which have to play their role to protect the consumer interest. [Dawn]
WARNING TO SUGAR MILLERS
[Abdur Rauf, Peshawar]
It was a troublesome morning of Nov 19, when my wife daunted me for not caring of arranging sugar from the market. I rushed to the nearby utility store then to CSD but left them hopelessly I reached a general store and asked for sugar. The owner told me that he belongs to Muslim League (N) and the wholesaler/stockholder would provide him sugar bags with a condition that it would be sold in his village, for pleasing their voters only. He, however, promised that he will arrange 2.50 kilo for me at Rs 42 per kilo but in the afternoon. Ok I told him, and returned home instantly with Gulab Jamons in my hand, and advised my wife have it and try for use in tea making. Then phoned my cultivator and issued him instructions that this season all the sugarcane should be used in making gur and no cane be provided to sugar mills. Enough is enough. Politicians can deceive and put the people in trouble but cannot make a hoax with agriculturists at least. [The Frontier Post]
REAL TERRORISTS
[Muhammad Asad, Rawalpindi]
Nowadays everybody is condemning and criticising the Taliban for being ruthless and terrorists. I think the real terrorists are members of the sugar mafia and hoarders of this country who are sucking the blood of the poor people. Instead of launching a military operation against the poor people of NWFP, why not start a military operation against this mafia? How about a drone attack on these sugar cartels to solve the lingering sugar crisis once and for all? I am sure every Pakistani will support such an operation. [The News]
SUGAR CRISIS
[Sana Channa, Karachi]
I want to say that, adding to the misery of people, the sugar shortage continues in the country and people are standing in immensely long queues outside Utility Stores in vain. The Deputy District Officer Revenue, (DDOR) Fatehjang, stated that the daily sugar quota fixed for tehsil Fatehjang has been increased from 80 to 200 bags, while 300 bags of 50 kg each would be supplied to Sunday bazars. Talking to APP here on Monday he urged the citizens, whole sellers, leaders of political parties, social workers and journalists to cooperate with the administration for the smooth supply of sugar to the masses. In the Federal Capital Islamabad sugar has become available in some places at the rate of Rs60/kg, whereas in Lahore hoarders are selling it at prices upto Rs70-80/kg. The crisis also continues in Karachi, Baluchistan and NWFP where the commodity is being sold upto Rs65-90/kg. On the other hand, it is surprising to note that it seems bakeries and sweets shops remain unaffected by the sugar crisis, whereas it has become a rare commodity for the common man. Consumers are pointing out this fact quite bitterly.
Sindh Agriculture Minister Syed Ali Nawaz Shah, on Monday said that 18 sugar mills in the province have started functioning, whereas hardly more than nine have ignited their boilers. He informed that apart from a few sugar mills, including Mehran Sugar Mills, Ghotki Sugar Mills and Mitiari Sugar Mills, crushing in other mills has been badly affected due to short supply of sugarcane. He urged growers to provide cane to the sugar mills so that sugar can reach people as soon as possible. He said that due to the efforts of the government, sugar will be sold at Rs 40/Kg soon. Nor is sugar the only commodity whose price has skyrocketed in recent years. Petrol, wheat, rice, cement, iron, gold — the list goes on. Some have already experienced a correction. Others will follow. In the case of sugar, there was nothing approaching a do-or-die situation. Every time the wind picks up, we cannot issue a hurricane alert. It’s a real shame the government that more than two months have passed and it has not been able to tackle the situation effectively. [The Post]
COLLUSION? DISTORTION?
[Mavia Umer Ansari, Karachi]
I am a regular consumer of sugar, which is in acute shortage these days. In my opinion, it is one of the necessities of life and we cannot live without fulfillment of these ‘necessities’. According to a report in the press, the suppliers and mill owners have hoarded sugar stocks to create an artificial shortage so that they can push up the prices to maximize profits. Sugar prices have, quite alarmingly, rose from Rs 38 to Rs 80 per kg in just three months while our government failed to control this spike in prices due to incompetence and poor strategic vision. Sugar is out of stock in retail stores all over the country and consumers are facing great difficulty in purchasing sugar even on more than double the regular price. I request our government to control the prices of sugar and fill the demand and supply gap so that the consumers can buy sugar easily from their nearest market. [The Nation]
BOYCOTT SUGAR
[Dr Abid Rauf Orakzai, Islamabad]
Pakistan is a great nation but it is without sugar. It appears that this crisis will go on for sometime. Even after the Supreme Court ruled to a fixed sugar price, one sees the naked violation of the government’s writ. By creating this artificial crisis, all those who are involved in the sugar business have formerly challenged the Supreme Court plus the government. Silence over this crisis will encourage these hoarders. What we can do as a nation to strengthen the respect of the Supreme Court’s verdict is to refuse to buy sugar at a higher price than the one fixed by the apex court. Until and unless the price is decreased, the nation must adopt a sugar-free life. I would appeal to the people of our nation to stop using sugar just for two months. Let’s start playing havoc with sugar mill owners, black _arketers and selfish, opportunist businessmen. [Daily Times]
SUGAR CRISIS
[Saba Gul, Islamabad]
Sugar crisis is deepening day by day but the governemnt is not paying serious heed to resolve this issue. It seems that this issue is being deliberately strengthened and prolonged so that common man may be involved in search of basic necessities like sugar, CNG and security issues. They would not be able to raise their voices against various kinds of systematic corruption under democratic garb. The Govt should keep in mind that sometimes minor issues become major factors for the decline of the rulers. Do not treat it petty or minor one. [The Frontier Post]
SUGAR PRICES
[Ashfaq Sharif, Karachi]
I want to asked question from the food minister and owner of all sugar mills not only in from Sindh, Karachi but entire Pakistan for what reason sugar being dis-appear from the shop and shop keepers eager to sale it in abnormal prices due to artificially shortage or black marketing. Why our Government silence and do not catch the big fish who are responsible to deepen and widen the sugar crisis in Pakistan and first detect all sugar bag which are stock by traders or sugar mills and have intension to sale on very high prices, taking additional advantage or benefit due to abnormal shortage.In Pakistan all thing can be possible and ever a traders ever punish or send him behind the bar because those who are responsible to check are also corrupt and un-sincere with their duties than what we expect from them.
If any traders gathered wealth than what he want to convey message that due to his wealth he deserve VVIP treatment or directly reach heaven which is totally false and negative thinking those who think such way. If any one has wealth than he is responsible and too answerable even tough he not utilized or gets benefit. Why our Government not sincere solve this issue and keep the sugar prices down not in a single city but uniform rate apply for entire country so all the normal citizen get benefit and Government should check those who are selling sugar at higher rate other than approved than fined him on the spot. But the question is first dig out where the sugar bag stored by black sheep “traders or sugar mills”
We all are majority Muslim in Pakistan but out attitude more worst than non-believers killing own people and remain hungry how to eat more profit but do not know how long he will remain alive for how many years in this world but he worried to gathered wealth more than 50 years (which is sufficient for his family ) if he dis-continue this business on immediate basis than can easily survive without any worry or problems because the wealth or property he gathered during his life no matter with legal or ill-legal ways. [Pakistan Observer]
BOYCOTT OF SUGAR
[Nazia Tahir, Karachi]
I want to point out the problem of shortage and unavailability of sugar in many areas. Due to this, we are facing many problems. Many utility stores and shopkeepers have a stock of sugar in their godowns, but are not selling it, or if they are selling it, it is on their desired prices and they are making a profit. It is our right that if the government has announced an affordable price of sugar, we should get sugar at this price. If we are not getting sugar, then we all should boycott sugar. It is humbly requested of all readers of the newspaper to unite and boycott sugar for at least, for one week, then they will have to bargain. This is the time for us, citizens, to show that we can do anything for our rights. [Business Recorder]
SUGAR CARTELS
[G. Asghar Malik]
Apropos of your comprehensive editorial ‘Sugar cartel’ dated November 16, 2009, I would like to say that this is not the first time that sugar has been targeted by this mafia, consisting of sugar mill owners and hoarders and black marketeers. Their criminal operation results in extorting of money in billions from those poorest of the poor people. This crisis has been allowed by the government to prolong for too long. During Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s last government in 1994, this sugar cartel also tried, in vain, to strike and squeeze the hapless people of Pakistan. Their attempt was foiled by the then federal government when the prime minister herself took due and prompt notice of the mischief. At that time, this cartel had not penetrated the government and could not neutralise the governmental response.
Back then the sugar prices started rising suddenly and went up to Rs. 14/15 per kilogramme from the original price of Rs. 10/11 per kilogramme. Ms Bhutto took immediate notice and decided to strike back. She assigned the job to the Interior Minister Major-General (retd) Naseerullah Khan Baber who, in turn, gave the task to the FIA (I happened to be the Director General FIA). In exercise of the legal powers of FIA under the Price Control and Anti-Hoarding Act, this operation was entrusted to Mr Rehman Malik, then a Director in FIA (presently the Interior Minister). He successfully ensured the sealing of all the sugar stocks lying in the sugar mills and/or in go-downs with the full cooperation of the provincial governments. This was completed within a short span of two days.
Consequently, sugar in abundance was brought into the market by all possible means, including NLC trucks, arranged by the Interior Minister. The artificial rise in price was nipped in the bud and it was brought down to the original level, to the relief of the people. Why can this not be done this time is difficult to comprehend. Seemingly, there is no inclination on the part of the government to take up the cudgels on behalf of the people of Pakistan. God save Pakistan and its unfortunate millions. [Daily Times]
CAN HE AFFORD SUGAR AT RS. 70/KG?
[Engineer S. T. Hussain, Lahore]
Nawaz Sharif's recent tax declaration documents in Election Commission of Pakistan showed he paid only about Rs 5000 in personal income tax this year. In a recent a T.V interview, he was unable to give a straight answer on a question about this and mentioned instead that his family-owned industries had so far paid Rs 6 billions in taxes to the government. I wish our politicians have the moral courage to tell the truth to the people of Pakistan and not consider them a fool. Every one knows that the life style he is having is possible only for a billionaire. Nawaz Sharif, reportedly, has over a hundred personal servants at his Raiwind estate. From where is he having the money to pay for wages of these employees if he is such a pauper?
Mr. Sharif should truthfully disclose his, and his family's wealth to the people of Pakistan. If he is not a director in any of his family-owned Industries, then what is his source of income? I believe only his kitchen expenses per month will be in hundreds of thousands as he is very fond of good food. A leader is expected to set a personal example in honesty, truthfulness and simplicity, especially when the majority of his compatriots are living below the poverty line. The Election Commission of Pakistan should ask the government for verification and investigation of Mr. Sharif's personal wealth and income so that the people know the truth. [The Nation]
SUGAR AVAILABILITY
[Syeda Ammara, Karachi]
After the order of Supreme Court to sell sugar for 40 rupees per kilo. Now the situation is that there is no sugar in markets or shops. Even Utility Stores have shortage of sugar. If by chance we find sugar, then it is being sold at 80 - 90 rupee kilos. The people who are involved in the storage of sugar at large are now waiting for the increase in sugar prices so that they can make more money easily afterwards. In Karachi, shopkeepers are demanding high price for sugar, and no one is their to take action against them. City Government has closed their eyes and Price Control Authority is also sleeping somewhere. Nevertheless, Interior Sindh Government have arranged some stalls, where sugar was being sold at the prices suggested by Supreme Court. The poor citizens queued up for long time and hardly got 1 kilo sugar. On the other hand Chairman Sugar Mills association, said that he is ready to provide sugar in 36 Rupees per kilo, but for that he is asking the government to organize a proper system for that. So the question occurs where are the hurdles? Or here are those thousands of sacks which were seized? What are those powers, who have got united for the failure of Supreme Court’s orders? Will Supreme Court be able to make their orders work? [Pakistan Observer]
A FISTFUL OF SUGAR
[Ch. Adnan Abbas, Chakwal]
What a phenomenal job we have done in our short 62 years history of procuring some of the most opprobrious ratings in corruption. We should be grateful though that we are only at the 42nd position in world's corruption index. According to Transparency International we have gained the milestone of being in the 42nd position in corruption due to anathematized government whose prospect of being in Parliament and Presidency for five years seems truly hair-raising. We might even reach the top of the corruption ratings in their tenure. Ironically, all PPP governments have gained this prestige whenever they ruled this unfortunate country. If their last ring at the bank teller was at the time of the Augusta submarines sale, they have rung the bells again for Rental Power Plants this time. Picture the poor public of Pakistan, though, which is suffering intolerable miseries while the power elite of the country and their charlatan chieftains slosh in their nightly celebrations. They are so busy profiteering that they have no time to observe those in the long queues fighting among themselves for a fistful of sugar. [The Nation]
SUGAR MAFIA
[Nudrat Ali, Faisalabad]
The recent increase in sugar prices has turned out to be quite sour for the consumers. On top of that its unavailability in the market has made life difficult for everyone. To the consumer, sugar is an essential commodity like vegetable ghee or flour. The hoarders and market manipulators have created a shortage where there is none. The sugar mafia reminds one of butchers; the nation is being treated like animals by these vultures. The government must take serious steps to rectify the situation as it is a matter of shame that a country with over 70 percent population involved in agriculture is facing a sugar crisis. [Daily Times]
SUGAR CRISIS
[Takreem Gul Khan]
Pakistan is an agricultural country but unfortunately, the crisis of food shortage has worsened in the country. Every other day, the masses have to suffer from the unavailability of one food item or the other. Nowadays the nation is facing a severe shortage of sugar. And as the circumstances are moving on, it appears that this crisis will go on. Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the nation is witnessing a brazen violation of the government’s writ by the hoarders. By creating this artificial crisis, all those who are involved in the sugar business have challenged the system. As silence over this crisis will only encourage these hoarders, as a nation, we must refuse to buy sugar at a higher price than the one fixed by the apex court. Until and unless the price is decreased, the nation must observe a sugar-free life. I would appeal to the public to stop using sugar just for two months. Let’s convey a stern message to the sugar mill owners, black marketers and selfish businessmen who show no conscience towards the plight of the poor masses of their country. [The Post]
RESPONSIBILITY
[Raza Abbas, Lahore]
In a country that produces so much food that it needs to be sold on carts in every corner of this country, how can we ever have a shortage of any food items? I just fail to understand the present sugar and atta crises. I think it was a clear lack of mismanagement by provincial governments and at the end them blaming the federal government for their own shortcomings. I think it is time people in the provincial administration take their responsibility seriously and start to deliver. [Daily Times]
CSR ORDER PROMULGATED
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has promulgated Companies Corporate Social Responsibility General Order, 2009. It is aimed at giving descriptive and monetary disclosures of CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities undertaken by the companies through their directors’ report to the shareholders annexed to annual audited accounts. The order will be applicable to all the public companies from the financial year beginning on or after July 1, 2009. The order will entail disclosure of all the charitable and philanthropic activities carried out by the companies during each financial year comprising CSR activities as diverse as corporate philanthropy, environmental protection, occupational safety and health and community welfare.
An illustrative list has been provided in the general order for guidance. Through the mandatory disclosure of CSR activities carried out by a company, the general order would provide an impetus for all the public companies to undertake charitable and philanthropic activities to the benefit of their customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders. [The News]
A WELCOME MOVE
[Anwar Jalal Khattak, Peshawar]
The news that Justice (r) Bhagwandas has been appointed as chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission is a good omen. The well-reputed former justice, a man of principles and integrity, is the right person to chair the FPSC. [The News]
MAFIA BEHIND DRIVE AGAINST COMPETITION LAW: CCP CHIEF
Even after smooth sailing of Competition Ordinance 2007 from the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Chairman Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) Khalid Mirza said on Thursday that mafias and forces working against the public interest were still active in propagating against the passage of the law from the elected parliament. Addressing a press conference here, he said: “Certain mafias are propagating against the passage of the Competition Commission Law from the National Assembly, but we are quite hopeful that this law would soon get passed from the House as per the Supreme Court judgment in the larger interest of the people.” After the press conference, when this scribe drew the CCP chairman’s attention towards the reported letter sent by Sindh law minister to the federal government, urging the Centre not to pass the Competition Ordinance 2007 because the subject of competition falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial governments, he said that one respectable judge of Lahore High Court held in its interim order that the subject of competition falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
Earlier, in the press conference, Khalid Mirza said it was for the superior courts to decide constitutional position of the Competition Law, however, the Lahore High Court, in its provisional order has already declared its legality. It is relevant to mention here that after getting approval from the NA Standing Committee on Finance, the Competition Law was before the NA secretary and it was told that after the approval of the speaker, it would be tabled in the NA for approval. Mirza said the CCP did not propose inclusion of criminal penalties like imprisonment of the violators of the CCP orders. However, he said it was proposed in a private member bill, which was tabled in the House. However, showing his willingness for making amendments in the Competition Commission Law and Policy for its further improvement, the CCP chairman said this could only be considered after approval of the law from the National Assembly before November 28.
He said that this law would not discourage foreign as well as local investments. Foreign investors always kept in mind the overall law and order situation as well as an effective competition law to provide a level playing field to local and foreign investors, he added. He said the competition laws of Pakistan were being appreciated at the world level and even India praised our law. He said the CCP would hold a conference on competition by December and representatives of Indian Competition Agency would also be invited. He added that another International Competition Conference would also be held and representatives from different countries would participate in the conference.
[The News]
Edited and prepared by
Khalil Ahmad
[FreePakistan Newsletter, among other things, is a compilation of views and news taken from the national newspapers’ print and online editions. It is not possible to mention the source of every piece of news or view made use of herein; but as a matter of policy, where possible the source is mentioned with due thanks. However, no opinion expressed here should necessarily be taken as reflecting the view of Free Pakistan Newsletter.]
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