Well. This is what happens when you drink too much soft-drinks. The caffeine gets to your head, and the sugar gives you a rush, making you end up writing or doing things that you never should. On June 16, 2011, Sharmila Farooqi's opinion article, A Look at the Budget 2011-12, was printed in Express Tribune -- not a surprise there as only Express Tribune would print such frivolous nonsense.
In her attempt to impress everyone, Ms. Farooqi writes:
When the budget for 2010-2011 was prepared, the price of oil was expected to be in the range of $70-75 per barrel but rose to $125 per barrel during the year.
Upon her statement, a person named "dextor" rightly said:
If you cannot forsee the prices of oil then you does not deserve to rule or make budget. If you cannot foresee the future requirements then how could you rule.
And, I think that person has a point. While you are governing, you cannot excuses. Governments are required to be prepared for any fall-outs. The sudden oil-price hike is not something new, and is sometime forecast-able if the Government would have kept an able financial forecasting team as well as consulted people that work on these subjects.
She does not stop there and tries to mention one supposed achievement which is "Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)". She writes:
... The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has received widespread acceptance from development partners. It uses technology so that the possibilities of corruption are limited. This year, the government spent Rs35 billion for providing a monthly stipend of Rs1,000 to low-income households and next year this amount will increase to at least Rs50 billion. If additional resources are available, this amount may be increased to Rs65 billion.
ohreally? I wish Ms. Farooqi and her party should take heed from this Chinese proverb:
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
We indeed have a very smart friends but alas, it seems that Pakistan Peoples Party is too hard-headed to take notice that. BISP is only feeding the fire of the poverty. As a student of business management, I know that a thing or two about the economy. All modern economists agree that cash handouts would never feed the country. They drain the economy unnecessarily while making people more depended on its government. The money on BISP and Sasti Roti Program (Inexpensive Bread Program) will never yield results. These program are a burden on an already sick economy. This money has better uses in the sectors of education and infrastructural development. It should be noted that HEC, the educational board that runs and regulates universities in the country, has been given Rs.10 billion less than the previous year.
In the end, Ms. Farooqi ends her article with the following lines:
It does not care about the propaganda campaign started by the PML-N, which was evident during the budget session. Rather, it believes in constructive criticism.
Clearly, Ms. Farooqi is a deluded women. She and her party has to come out of the perception that it is a "People's Government." Ever since, the PPP came into power it has not released any poverty number and neither it has released any tax numbers of the influential people that are a part of the National Assembly. Criticism of all sorts have been thrown at them and at the opposition, but it seems nobody is serious about the economy. The antics played by PML-N during the Federal budget were paid back by her party during the Punjab budget session where PML-N is in the power.
The current budget may look rosy on one side as it reduces tax and duties on certain items but it is also noteworthy that it does not talk about any solid austerity measures. It apparently looks like the government has planned the budget while keeping in mind the price hike of Ramadan. Strangely, luxury is cheaper than common commodity. In a country where bread is getting expensive, the government's priority was to make cola drinks cheaper. It cannot get more bubbly than this, perhaps.
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