The slogan of Pakistan People Party needs no introduction. Roti kapra aur makan being the initial necessities of life for every one has remarkably attracted people of Pakistan since it was first used by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Though the pace of progress has remained slow but the factor of “hope” generated within the poor class has made PPP one of the largest political party’s of Pakistan.
Recently Prime Minister Yosuf Raza Gillani inaugurated a housing scheme in secretariat Islamabad. According to this scheme it is announced that the government will build up hundred thousand houses for low income government employees at low costs every year. This development is a cool breeze in all the dust and depression. It is hoped that this scheme will surely benefit a large number of low income government employees in Islamabad.
Canada, UAE, and China have offered their services which will bring in foreign investment in Pakistan. With this housing scheme, a large number of employment opportunities would also be developed. Thus if this project is started in its true spirit it can be one of the steps towards fulfilling the promises, PPP made during first session of national assembly after elections.
Hi:
Government housing schemes never work out very well. Socialism in general keeps a people poor. Socialism is the same as serfdom.
The core of the economic problem in ancient world nations is patriarchal hegemony. In large and small ways, every man that has some property or large market share or raw political power clings tenaciously to this property/share/power and acts whenever possible to arbitrarily block innnovation that might possiblylead to personal loss. And as everyman in the ancient world nations clings to this worldview, the actions of each man supports every other man, so that the porter at the train station is actually supporting, indirectly, the wealthiest men in the nation whose actions keep the poor man poor.
At the bottom, the poor person’s and in fact, most people’s fear of individuality helps to keep the patriarchal hegemony intact. Look at the Paki men – could they try any harder to look like each other? And this fear of individuality is so great that it turns into a hatred of the individual, so that a man who would like to shave his face every day must fear for his life.
And a man raised Muslim who would want to say, “I have been reading the Pali Canon, and I think Buddhism makes a lot of sense, certainly for me if not for you” must also fear for his life.
Fear of individuality and fear of thinking for oneself is the main problem in ancient world nations, and especially Islamic nations. Everywhere in the world where good prosperity is to be seen is also a place where individuals do not have to fear.
By what right does any person have to put fear into another for expressing an opinion, or for wanting to do something differently than the others? This creation of fear in others is human, all too human, and it is also human to then cite a god as the reason why this fear is being created. Did I say cite a god? I meant to say hide behind a god. Hide! Yes, it is an act of cowardice to hide behind a god.
It is the fearful who then want to put fear in others, because out of self-loathing they can’t stand to see one who is not afraid.
Cheers
Knowing the corruption with which PPP is plagued, you can bet its leaders will be preoccupied with saving their seats in the assemblies rather than doing anything for the poor.
Pakistan has a severe shortage of Housing units that keeps piling up. Mass housing policy must be coupled by urban land reforms, empowering muncipalites, easy furbishment of cheap/alternate construction material and tax susbsidies to over 30 industries that are associated with building sector. So far all the efforts by professional engineers ( local and foreign) and consultants for cheap and fast track construction have met with either defered or dumped/ pended decisions in the relevant Ministries. No such excericise has been taken into account before calling the press and making a statement… guess the outcome yourself!