Pity the man in the street
ONE was afraid that some day it would come to this. The way things move in the Land of the Pure, what else does the common man have to look forward to? In the mad dash for roti, kapra and makaan have been added the ever elusive quest for electricity, water and fuel. All this on top of the pandemic! The wretched Man in the Street had not quite digested the heady diet of statistics that he had been force-fed over the past so many years. (Remember the tidings that the Land of the Pure could be among the top five countries in Asia in terms of economic growth?) If statistics were horses, we’d all be merrily riding away!
Alternatively, if statistics was the elusive “roti” we would all be feasting to our heats’ content. And now with the advent of a brand new budget, an entirely fresh set of statistics is upon us. God save the common man! Over and above that, welcome to the world of selective load-shedding and power breakdowns (selective; because you cannot possibly play the load- shedding game with the Elite). Not that one is interested in playing a blame game but isn’t it about time that we decided to set our own house in order?
Propaganda machinery notwithstanding, the fact remains that our economic priorities are awfully awry and have been for quite some time. Not all that long ago, the economic czars of the country were working in a frenzy to dispose of the family silver (by the way, into what kitty do the proceeds go?). And yet our planners – such as they are – projected a clear and focused picture of a country well on its way. But in which direction and to what end? Why is it that the common man continues to have this queasy feeling that his lot is sinking rather than rising? Why is it that poverty keeps on increasing, just as the rich keep on getting richer? All in all, in layman’s terms, why is the micro-economy of the country not moving hand in hand with its macro sibling? Of course, the statisticians, the economists (and, let us not forget, the bankers) will all have plausible justifications for the whole phenomenon; but the moot question remains: where does it all take the common man?
How about a reality check? The price of property has boomed to high heavens; corruption in the recent years has touched hitherto unachieved highs; the shopkeepers have merrily kept on raising the prices of necessities at their sweet will (Every Ramadan brings a windfall). In urban areas, the municipal authorities squeeze water supply at their will so that they can then sell the water by the tanker-load to thirsty consumers in the black market at exorbitant rates. Natural sources of water are being contaminated with impunity, while the price of bottled water continues to spiral upwards. Common people agitating for an end to massive ‘load-shedding’ are offered a surfeit of statistics they simply cannot assimilate.
The cost of living is skyrocketing by the day, while the purchasing power of the common man is constantly going down. What is the common man to have faith in then: the word of crafty statisticians/economists or the facts of life? A certain empress in European history once used the phrase “Let them eat cake!”, or words to that effect, and paid a very high price for it. Empress Marie Antoinette, brought up in a very restricted and restrictive regime, could hardly be faulted for coming up with a simplistic solution to a seemingly simple issue. Can we say the same about our financial wizards?
An outstanding instance of the “let- them- eat-cake” syndrome is now developing in privileged sections of our society. Babies in such sterilized environments are now being weaned on “designer water”. One wouldn’t be surprised if children in these protected pockets eventually grow up to believe that nature provides water in airtight, sterilized containers – with or without designer labels! All this is happening in a world where more than a billion people have no access to clean drinking water. One can go into some detail on the problem of lack of clean water since this happens to be one of the banes of our society. Time and again, one hears the alarming news, from various parts of the country, of people getting ill and even dying due to drinking contaminated water. Shouldn’t provision of clean and safe drinking water be one of our top priorities?
One does not happen to be either an economist or a planner. But one thing one is quite certain of: that people can neither survive nor prosper on a diet of statistics alone. Mere percentages thrust down the throats of common folks just will not do. If figures have to be quoted then let it be done in tangible, easy to understand and assimilate, form. When addressing the common man, let us eschew the habit of talking of micro or macro- economics, or even of growth rates. If we have to, then why not measure our annual progress in terms of
a) Number of additional persons provided clean and safe drinking water.
b) Number of additional clinics and hospital facilities provided to deprived sections of society.
c) Number of new and well-equipped schools opened in the public sector; additional children provided admission in such educational institutions.
d) Number of additional midwives and paramedical staff provided in rural and far-flung areas.
e) Number of additional trees not just planted but also nurtured.
Once these little issues are sorted out, the nation may well be astonished to discover that such weighty matters as the growth rates and GDP – not to talk of macro and micro economics – will take care of themselves. Or is one talking out of turn?
— The writer is a former Ambassador and former Assistant Secretary General of OIC.
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