By Rahimullah YusufzaiConcern is being expressed everywhere in Pakistan that the response of our people towards the plight of the flood-affectees isn't very enthusiastic compared to past crises. It is being observed that individuals and organisations aren't donating much to help those uprooted by the floods and deprived of their livelihoods. The October 2005 earthquake and the largest displacement in the country's history last year following the military operations in Swat and the rest of Malakand division and the tribal areas are cited as great examples of the indomitable Pakistani spirit and largely unacknowledged generosity to collectively tackle and overcome challenges faced by the nation.
Besides, many Pakistanis who were among the donors during the previous man-made and natural disasters are now part of the communities that have suffered losses due to the floods. Charsadda and Nowshera, the worse-affected districts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province along with Swat and Shangla in the recent floods, had generously hosted internally displaced persons from Swat and Malakand for months in 2009 and lessened the burden of the government. Together with the residents of Mardan, Swabi and Peshawar districts, common villagers in Charsadda and Nowshera had opened their doors and hearts to even strangers in a remarkable example of sharing and caring. Now these people themselves are in need as their homes have been washed away by floodwater or made unliveable and their livelihoods have been destroyed. One has heard stories of affectees making the remark that they used to give Zakat, but would now be accepting Zakat.
Another important reason for the sluggish response to appeals for donations for the flood affectees seems to be the low credibility of the ruling elite. The prime minister's relief fund wasn't attracting many donations. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain expressed unhappiness over the poor response of the federal government and the international donors to the relief fund set up in the name of the chief minister and even warned that the provincial government would refuse to accept untimely and delayed help. Government departments and semi-government and autonomous organisations would surely put their donations in these official funds, but expecting the common people to do so would be futile. Foreign donors also prefer the UN, WFP, ICRC and some of the reputed western non-governmental organisations while donating money and goods for relief work.
The sentiments of common people wishing to donate money for the cause of flood affectees were aptly summed in this letter to the editor published in The News on August 9. "The overseas Pakistanis like me are ready to help the flood-affected people in whatever way we can, but we are extremely reluctant to contribute our money to the government or prime minister's funds for reasons which need no repetition," wrote Qasim Kazmi from Sharjah. Overseas Pakistanis like him in the Gulf States and the well-to-do Pakistani diaspora present in many countries of the world have the capacity to help their hapless countrymen and women, but they would like to give their money to trusted people and organisations. If Pakistanis are reluctant to trust their rulers with money, one cannot expect foreigners to repose confidence in them and be sure that that their assistance would be honestly spent.
The ruling elite have to lead by example to become credible and convince the people that they are trustworthy. Many among them have a tainted past and are still facing cases of corruption. Among them are fabulously rich industrialists, landowners and others with no visible source of income and yet in possession of unimaginable assets. Some have made public donations for the flood affectees, but the amounts are small and much less than their paying capacity. President Asif Ali Zardari, Mian Nawaz Sharif and most leading politicians are very rich and could pay substantial amounts of money for the flood affectees and in the process prompt their wealthy party colleagues to make donations.
Much has been said and written about President Zardari's absence from the country when it was suffering from the most devastating floods in its history. It would be naïve to expect him to act differently this time when he failed to visit Swat or the tribal areas during record displacement of people and meet troops conducting military operations despite being the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. Elected for five years, enjoying majority in parliament and still able to keep his political allies on his side, he doesn't have to worry much about losing power. This is how most Pakistani rulers and ruling parties behave after coming to power.
One doesn't believe that the government's response or management of the crisis created by the floods would have been any better had President Zardari been around and leading the rescue and relief efforts. In fact, a presidential visit to flood-ravaged places would have been bothersome and costly due to security concerns for our insecure president. All such VVIP visits are rather a waste of time and resources and should be best avoided. Government officials, the police and even rescue workers are tied up when such visits take place and their time and resources are wasted in ensuring security and protocol for the dignitaries. Rather than pushing the VVIPs to visit sites of a tragedy or emergency and come to a hospital to meet the injured, it would be better to keep them out of such situations. Like the 'blue book' containing rules concerning security and protocol procedures for VVIPs on the move, we should have another book detailing situations where VVIPs should have no role and presence.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to Mianwali caused him embarrassment instead of creating any goodwill for him or benefiting his PPP government. Wearing his designer sunglasses, he used a motorboat to visit the affected areas and was then brought to a medical relief camp. As reported by the media, the camp was wound up and the crowd paid some money as soon as the prime minister left. This is how some of the VVIP visits are arranged, hiring the participants and making a feel-good atmosphere. Shahbaz Sharif, or for that matter Nawaz Sharif using Punjab government resources, performed much better than Gilani and walked deeper into the flooded areas and mixed more with the affectees. But it wasn't a good idea for Shahbaz Sharif to dole out money to some old women seeking his attention in front of television cameras.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government failed to implement its orders regarding protocol for ministers visiting flood-affected areas. Ministers were seen moving with a number of vehicles escorted by the police. Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti had to calm down angry affectees as he met them in relief camps in Nowshera and Charsadda after flying in a helicopter. People felt letdown not only due to the inadequate rescue and relief activities of the government but also its failure to issue a timely warning about the above-normal monsoon rains and the expected flooding. In faraway Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Dir and Tank districts, people are angry that they have been ignored as the Peshawar valley was getting all the attention of the government and donors. The suffering affectees would be impressed if their rulers agree to suffer with them in the absence of electricity and basic services and walk in the mud even if their spotless clean clothes become dirty. As this isn't going to happen, embarking on those brief VVIP trips is an exercise in futility.
The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar.
Email: rahim yusufzai@yahoo.com
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