It will now be criminal to pay only lip-service to austerity in non-development expenditures. Elected representatives, though appear unmoved in this regard, as is evident from the united opposition of the Senate to curb foreign visits.
Pakistan needs to save every penny. Its economy is in dire straits, not because of any resource crunch but due to unconscionable wasting of its resources. The new Prime Minister announced a welcome reduction in annual expenses of the Prime Minister's House by 30 per cent. The Punjab Chief Minister went further to announce a reduction of 70 per cent in the Chief Minister's House expenses that would save the province Rs 250 million per year. However, no federal or provincial minister announced any cut. No expenses were reduced in government departments or ministries. MNAs and MPAs did not table any bill to reduce their perks and salaries. Most of them have spent millions in their election campaign and they own luxury houses and vehicles. Most of them can live without public money.
An argument advanced by most in the bureaucratic and political elite about a reduction in expenditures, is that it would not make a big dent in overall expenditures. The government can save Rs 10-15 billion in overall expenses of around Rs 1.5 trillion. This saving will have no impact on the budget deficit, as it would remain almost the same. However, every penny needs to be saved and this Rs15 billion could be spent on healthcare, education or agriculture. It could go to prudent poverty alleviation programmes.
Austerity at the highest level sends a message to the nation and the bureaucracy that undue expenses would not be tolerated. Pakistan is a poor state and its rulers should not live like kings or princes. There is a need to audit the defense budget and reduce undue expenses in the armed forces as well. There is a need to reduce foreign trips to bare minimum. There is a need to stop wastage of stationery, electricity, fuel and entertainment expenses of the government.
Wastages and undue expenses are highly visible to the electorate and foreign donors. They sent wrong signals to both. When the president of a poor country, like Pakistan, spends millions on few days' stay in the United Kingdom, then the people of the UK have every right to question the wisdom of granting any aid to a country where the president, his entourage and federal ministers spend public money as if their country is not facing any resource crunch.
All economists agree that Pakistan is not a resource starved country. The problem in Pakistan is the skewed use of resources. The unequal distribution of available resources is also a problem. You have an affluent class that lives in fully furnished air-conditioned houses. Most rooms in their mansions remain vacant. They have luxury apartments in all major cities and hill resorts of the country. Even then, they spend two to three months of summer in Europe or America.
In contrast, there are millions of people who do not have any sheltered place to live. Thousands sleep under the sky on footpaths of Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. They cannot afford to go out of these urban centers. They brave heat and cold. They do not afford three square meals daily. They labour in the scorching heat and even then live in poverty. Pakistani elite should share some of their resources with these people. The ruling elite and top bureaucrats belong to the class that has everything one can desire on the earth. They do have a right to use their wealth any way they like, but they do have a morale duty not to use public resources on their luxuries. If austerity measures are adopted in a true spirit, they send a positive signal to the common man. It looks awkward to any public office holder, with some conscience, that he enjoys life on public expenditure while the masses are starving and sweating their hearts out to feed their families. Austerity is necessary for the purpose and not because it will significantly balance the budget. The message to the world should be clear that Pakistan is a poor country and its people, including its leaders, are living within their means.
It will be news to many that the President's House of Pakistan is one of the ten most luxurious official residences in the world. The area on which our GHQ was established is bigger than the Pentagon and headquarters of British, French and German armed forces combined together. Our Prime Minister and the President enjoy the luxury of jet planes at their disposal, which is not available to most men in their position in the most developed countries of the world. The traffic jams caused by VIP movement in Pakistan are not seen anywhere in the world. Every leader and ordinary citizen stops at traffic signals in the UK, Japan, Sweden or Norway.
If only traffic jams because of VIP movement are controlled, Pakistan can save millions in fuel consumption. Power loadshedding should be shared by all citizens equally. In fact, the rulers have an added responsibility to reduce the use of electricity. Unnecessary lights in official residences should be removed. Air-conditioning should be restricted to maximum two rooms in all ministerial and presidential residences. Austerity efforts should be visible to the common man. Electricity should be spared through conservation for industries. We have to keep the industrial wheel moving that provides employment to the common man. The closure of industries because of high use of electricity at official residences, rest houses and offices mean less employment opportunities for the common man.
Pakistan needs commitment from its rulers. The common man is fully committed. He has suffered hardships for the betterment of the country. He has braved poverty, so that Pakistan can prosper. However, it pains him when he observes that his sacrifices have not benefited his country but the fruit of his hardship have been reaped by a selected few.