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Voice of People
PPP political manoeuvring
Zeenate Nooure Jehon
PPP and Zardari political somersaults remind me of Hitchcocks’
mystery movies.I wonder if Zardari watched this mysterious
masterpieces. But surely his manipulations,political flipflpopping
on Judicial matters and hoax of by-election postponement is
strange.He remains so non committal doning ‘brylcream smile’. Look
how disgracefully he was blackmailed by MQM and its appears he is
buying time to accommodate Mushraffs’ King’s Party MLQ minus
Choudries thus accomodating Mushraff-MQM-PPP. His policies are anti
poor,anti lawyers movement,Judiciary; and horrendously in line with
MQM-MLQ governments. Let PPP come out clear, honest on crucial
issues facing nation.
The two Peerzadas, (Sharif and Hafiz) along with AG Quyum: Mushraffs’
friendliest legal protagonists are only expected to vitiate
constitution. PPP government has frustrated the nation latest being
ridiculous stance on postponing by-election. It exposed their true
chemistry.
—Karachi
The Toyota Way
Jasmin H Lakhani
The Toyota Way is a revolutionary methodology for employing
result-oriented management techniques. In more ways than one, it is
organizational learning which helps infuse positive change of
Attitude across all cadres of employees. Style of leadership during
recent years has acquired new insight and as such variable
dimensions. Management techniques of the yore are no more applicable
or desired. Even the word ‘manage’ is redundant to the business
leaders of today. Management methodology, the Toyota Way is not a
shot in the dark. It is a success story beyond comparison. As such,
may we urge you to join us when we launch a unique module, entirely
devised to fine-tune the top-downwards management techniques! Let us
share the strategies, which primarily focus on corporate success!
With business competition becoming fiercer by the day, the Toyota
Way is refreshingly futuristic in its outlook. It underlines not
only the earnest need to plan but also provides measures to achieve
results. The Toyota Way shows how to harness future
—Via email
Asia award for SBP Governor
Dr Ali Akbar M Dhakan
As reported in the media The Banker Magazine, a not so popular
magazine conferred on Ms Shamshad Akhtar Governor State Bank of
Pakistan an award “Central Bank Governor of the Year in Asia 2008
Award” in a ceremony held in local hotel. The Banker Magazine has
launched its Company Awards in the year 2003 for the exceptional
companies across the world. More than 500 invitations to enter the
awards were sent to 35 countries. The key criteria for consideration
were historical financial performance; adoption and impact of new
technology; potential for revenue and profit growth in the home
market or globally; and governance and corporate social
responsibility.
For the year 2008 eight awards were offered to four Governors of
Central banks and four to Finance Ministers. The countries whose FM
got awards were Egypt , Angola , Turkey and Mexico and bankers were
of Pakistan (Governor SB), Ghana , Saudi Arabia and Brazil .
Although looking to the chosen countries (out of 35 counties) that
were found suitable by Banker Magazine’s 2008 award one should not
feel much complacent. Nevertheless may I ask the Central Bank of
Pakistan, a regulatory body and watchdog over all financial
institutions and Bank about the functions and responsibilities it
has discharged in fiscal and financial field?
Has the SBP controlled inflation and increase in price index
unbridled every day by adopting regulatory measure? Are the Banks
(local as well as foreign) who offer/pay small amount of interest to
the investor while charging stupendous service charges from the
debtor? Has the SB ever checked Bank Executives drawing billions of
rupees in salaries, perquisites and rewards in a country where
day-to-day consumption goods are out of the reach of common man? The
economic plight and miseries of serious proportions, common man of
this country are going through for the last eight years are
manifold. The Chief of Central Bank can not be absolved from the
prevailing economic and financial mismanagement.
—Karachi
Independent Judiciary
Col Riaz Jafri (Retd)
Never have been the judges and the judiciary subjected to such a
trial and tribulation in the annals of history of a nation as they
have been in a short span of a year only in Pakistan. Not a day
passes that they are not discussed in the media – print and
electronic - and the treatment meted out to them by all and sundry
leaves much to be desired. Ostensibly, the politicians and the
intellectuals, the writers and the panelists all look to be
advocating for the independence of the judiciary but from their tone
and tenor they give the impression of being some kind of overlords
trying to help some helpless dependent of theirs. They seem to have
rendered the PCO and the PCOed judges just as some ordinary
government servants looking askance towards them for their next
commandment or the proclamation. Judges will be restored by 30th
April. They will be restored by 12th May. We - and then they
immediately correct themselves – the 160 million awam will not
accept the PCO Judges.
The committee for the restoration of the judges will draft the
resolution by May 6th. It will do it before May 12th. A few
additional days do not matter. We will not allow any dictator to
alter their terms of service or tenure. We will restore them by a
simple executive order. Individuals do not matter, it is the
institutions that we want to be strengthened, etc. One just wonders
are these gentlemen really strengthening the independence of
judiciary by their such utterances or making it more subservient to
them by issuing such ‘political’ statements? Will such restored
Judiciary be able to function independently, firmly and without fear
or favour with these overlords in the government in times to come?
We have a case in point of the ‘independence’ of the Election
Commission being ‘ordered’ to revise the date for the bye-elections
yet another time again. Some independent Election Commission.
—Rawalpindi
Matter of identity
Akram Sultan
Simplicity and notional identity is the essence of an individual.
Nations across the world recognize their leaders by their simple yet
elegant attire i.e. their respective national dress codes rather
than colonial suits and ties which are presently preferred in
Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto during his tenure presented himself
well at the national and international forums by wearing shalwar
kamiz. This dress code was actually introduced at the national level
by him and subsequently many other leaders and government officials
followed this practice.
This trend is also followed by the Indian leadership. Its first
prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, adopted the national dress and now
chief ministers of all the provinces of India wear national dress
and use vehicles made in India. They don’t rely on imported vehicles
due to which their automobile industry has commendably flourished.
On the contrary, Pakistani leaders use imported luxury cars only. It
was a good gesture on your part to ask all the ministers to use
1,600cc cars at the most. I urge you to extend this directive to all
the chief ministers as well. Your announcement about the reduction
of the expenditures of the Prime Minister House by about 40 per cent
has been largely welcomed by common citizens of Pakistan. We are a
developing country with a very large percentage of population living
below the poverty line (about 50 million people) and our literacy
rate is also very poor. We are running short of power, gas, fuel,
food and water resources. We cannot afford ministers’ luxuries and
should rather focus on utilizing tax revenues efficiently.
From infancy to adulthood, all healthcare facilities should be
provided by the government. All children must be provided with free
primary education up to the 10th standard and thereafter
scholarships should be offered to bright students to encourage them
to seek higher education. It is essential that necessary
infrastructure is established and public/private joint ventures are
initiated besides privatizing all state-owned corporations to end
bureaucratic black holes and eliminate corruption. I hope that with
the support of the coalition partners, your endeavours to make
Pakistan a self-sufficient and prosperous nation will bear results.
—Karachi
Pleasant ad
Mehreen Muneer
It was a pleasant surprise to watch the recent advertisement of a
new mobile phone company in which a male model rather than a female
one describes the benefits of using the company’s mobile phone
service in a simple and effective way. I hope other phone companies
also follow the same practice and avoid showing female models in
their adverts unnecessarily.
—Islamabad
