As economic stagnation and climate disasters devastate the nation, its leaders’ opulent foreign visits show a surreal disconnect
Gaitee Ara Siddiqi
As climate change wreaks havoc in the country, what are our beloved leaders doing? Maryam Nawaz is on a visit to Japan with a huge entourage, flaunting all her expensive bags, clothes and jewellery worth millions. In fact, what is even more hilarious is that while holding meetings with Japanese officials, standees are erected to highlight her achievements during her tenure as the Chief Minister of Punjab.
This obsession with self-projection borders on narcissism and is now being taken to ludicrous levels. The writer believes in giving the devil his due and some of the projects that have been successfully completed in Punjab are indeed commendable. However, the self-obsession and self-admiration that Maryam Nawaz harbours is now bordering on the comical and is downright preposterous.
It had already been predicted that flash floods would wreak havoc in the country due to global warming, but no concrete steps were taken to forestall the catastrophe. This flooding happens every year without fail but no concrete measures are taken. What are we going to do with bullet trains when the basic infrastructure in this country has gone to the dogs? The icing on the cake is that comparisons are being drawn with Japan!
Our leaders inhabit cloud cuckoo land: if people are starving and do not have access to two square meals a day, what on earth are they going to do with bullet trains? Marie Antoinette, the French queen is purported to have said, “If they don’t have bread, let them eat cake.” The same holds true for this country where poor political governance combined with rampant corruption and a ramshackle infrastructure are only some of the reasons for the massive brain drain that this country is experiencing at the moment.
The population explosion, crippling stagflation, excessive taxation and the rising unemployment have only exacerbated an already precarious situation by eroding the purchasing power of the average individual. As the rupee is devalued to boost exports, the economic instability in this country is touching new lows and sadly, it is sinking like the Titanic, slowly but surely. The economic divide and the rising disparity between the rich and the poor mean that a civil war is in the offing which will spell disaster for the economy.
As immigration laws tighten and countries close their doors to immigrants,
opportunities to relocate are rapidly drying up
Is there a way out? Those who can, are leaving the country in droves as there appears to be nothing at the end of this long, dark, endless tunnel. The rich keep on becoming wealthier while the poor are sinking into obscurity. The population continues to grow by leaps and bounds and is placing considerable pressure on the non-existent resources of the country.
Instead of revolting, people are staging “a quiet rebellion” by quietly packing up their belongings and leaving for greener pastures abroad. The brain drain witnessed this year has been unprecedented and the desperation witnessed by the writer to leave this country has to be seen to be believed. Even those in white collar jobs are moving abroad in search of better opportunities and to ensure a brighter future for their families. As immigration laws tighten and countries close their doors to immigrants, opportunities to relocate are rapidly drying up. But still, people are willing to give their right arm, metaphorically speaking, to move to what they believe are greener pastures and the golden ticket to a better life but whether that holds true, is debatable and a topic for another day.
Colleges and universities are churning out graduates but unfortunately, the job market cannot absorb most of them. As supply exceeds demand, the salaries being offered are barely enough for people to keep themselves afloat, let alone raise families. Private education and healthcare are unaffordable for the majority, so they are lured by the promise of free healthcare and education abroad, in countries like Canada and the United Kingdom. The massive brain drain is testament to the hopelessness and despair experienced by the masses who know that it is only a matter of time before this ship hits rock bottom. In fact, the life machines holding it up and keeping it afloat like the IMF can and will pull the plug, once their terms and conditions are not fulfilled. They are artificially resuscitating and reviving the economy because according to a former government servant, it is cheaper to keep Pakistan afloat than to let it sink.
Pakistan is running on borrowed time and borrowed resources. Those who can, are already fleeing to greener pastures while many of those left behind are risking all that they have to board vessels, promising to transport them to greener shores and the promise of a better life. Will they just turn into another statistic or make it to the other end? Only time will tell!
