What new truths has the recent Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment Report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revealed that most Pakistanis had not always known, talked about or painfully endured? Nothing, really. Absolutely nothing.
Were we truly unaware of the astronomical salaries, perks and pensions granted to judges and parliamentarians? Did we not notice thousands of luxury vehicles purchased with taxpayers’ money to comfort the bureaucratic bigwigs? Were we oblivious to our leaders’ endless foreign junkets, essentially holidaying with family and friends at public expense? Were we blind to the non-stop barrage of shameless self-promotional advertisements on television and in newspapers, proudly showcasing leaders who never contributed a single rupee of their own to the projects they claim credit for?
Were we fast asleep when the Ministry of Information Technology billed Rs703 million for a two-day Digital Foreign Direct Investment conference held earlier this year? Were we collectively in a state of paralysis when everyone knew that the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) was siphoning off Rs3.2 billion every year from a single sanitation contract by stealing Rs22,000 from each worker’s monthly salary?
Let us not fool ourselves. We have always known exactly how our greedy, insatiable elite class, in a million shameless ways, has been siphoning off every single drop of resource for its own benefits. The IMF report offers no startling insight except a loud echo of our own failings. We, as citizens, chose convenience over conscience, and silence over standing up for the voiceless. Can we reverse this equation?
NAEEM SADIQ
KARACHI
