Monday, July 12, 2021
What to learn from China?
WHEN Prime Minister Imran Khan categorically endorsed China’s line on Uighur Muslims he succumbed to political expediency: “Because of our extreme proximity and relationship with China”, he said, “we actually accept the Chinese version.” A savvier politician facing the Chinese media might have tried a little hemming and hawing rather than dispense with truth, human rights and Muslim solidarity. Still, one must not be too harsh on the PM; any country which owes its life to a powerful patron has little leeway.
Much loved by some but feared by others, China today is an economic superpower. Geopolitics changed in 2017 when its GNP shot above that of the US. But what accounts for its phenomenal rise and ferocious progress? Equally, one may ask: why has Pakistan been on external life support from 1947 onward and barely limped along? The difference cries out for an explanation.
Max Weber, the 19th-century German sociologist, would have an answer. Since his pioneering work, social scientists know economic growth goes hand-in-hand with a society’s collective worldview and culture. Through data-driven research, Weber explained why Protestants and Calvinists had far outpaced Catholics in generating wealth and industrialising Europe. He concluded that progress-friendly cultures demand belief in rationality, rule of law, planning, punctuality, deferred gratification, and expectations of reward in this life rather than the next.
Certainly not how minorities should be treated! But there’s much else that China can teach Pakistan.
Were he alive today, how would Weber see China in relation to Pakistan? First, China’s worldview is — like that of 19th-century Protestants — entirely future-focused and this-worldly. Notwithstanding the pride Chinese people take in their ancient science and civilisation, there is no deep nostalgia and no calls for Ertugrul-like men on horseback to resurrect some ancient kingdom. Whether for good or bad, and whether under Mao’s revolutionary communism or under Xi Jinping’s capitalistic communism, the Chinese are a plain, hard-headed lot.
This attitude sets the tone for education, both in school and university. Knowing that universities are the engines of progress, China is super-careful about who gets admitted. At the level of language, reasoning and math skills, Chinese students are expected to know everything that American students learn — but better. Today’s gaokao — the cheating-free university entrance exam — is a carryover from the rigorous exam system (keju) of ancient China’s civil service.
Reputed to be the toughest in the world, gaokao beats even that for various IITs (Indian Institute of Technology). Unfortunately, educated in a memorisation-heavy culture steeped in religious matters, most Pakistani university professors — including those who are HEC certified and with hundreds of research publications — would not clear Chinese university entrance exams.
Second, a reborn Weber would see China clearly defining its national interest with economic advancement being at the very top. As a rationalist-materialist country China aims at becoming the world leader in space exploration, brain science, quantum computers, electric cars, biopharmaceuticals, renewable energy, etc. Five-year plans are followed to the letter; there is no empty chatter or arbitrary wish lists.
At the next level of priority is politics. To reunite with Taiwan, China rattles its sabres from time to time. Nevertheless, China-Taiwan economic links are strong. Taiwanese companies have invested about $60 billion in China, and one million Taiwanese people live in China with many running Taiwanese factories. The Chinese political leadership keeps its military in check. There is no history of Kargil-like dead-end adventures and the military stays clear of trade matters. The warrior ethic is firmly subordinated to the capitalist ethic.
In Pakistan’s case, warriors define the national interest. Googling ‘national interest’, I found occurrences in speeches, university theses and in National Defence University publications. All such references were security and India related. In this single-minded approach, Pakistan-India trade remains hostage to Kashmir being resolved on Pakistan’s terms. Nowhere to be found is a plan for where the country hopes to be 20-30 years from now. No one takes the Planning Commission of Pakistan seriously.
Third, Weber would confirm that strong work ethics leads to high labour productivity, the backbone of economic growth. Although he knew only of Protestant-Calvinist workers and capitalists, the qualities of diligence, discipline, responsibility, punctuality and honesty of the skilled industrial workforce extends into the cultures of China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea etc.
In contrast, Pakistan’s labour productivity is appallingly low — less than half of China’s. Many economists and businessmen have pointed out that producing an item in high-wage China is cheaper than in low-wage Pakistan. Poor productivity owes to poor worker skills and general dissatisfaction. Exploitative employers pay minimum wages, ignore principles of fairness and disallow grievance mechanisms. But the ethics of workers are also low. Few take pride in or enjoy work, are diligent, or take initiatives. Like our parliamentarians and professors, most are shirkers who need to be reminded of their duties.
These poor habits start from Pakistani schools where kids are forced to focus on exam techniques and taught just enough to get by. Cheating is tolerated. Some parents — including those who emphasise religious rituals — encourage their children to cheat as a way to get ahead. But, at a still deeper level, quality education for all is impossible given extreme wealth disparities.
In China such disparities had been evened up by Mao’s communism. Although huge excesses happened in the Cultural Revolution, education was universalised and hard work celebrated. China is reaping dividends from its communist past. Pakistan never saw any such evening-up. Leaders of the Pakistan Movement — Jinnah and Allama Iqbal (the post-1930 Iqbal) included — were staunchly anti-communist. Some were big landlords who saw danger in educating their serfs. Education was a low priority in 1947 and remains low.
Curiously, the country that Pakistan’s founders feared and disliked most (after Russia) is now Pakistan’s closest ally. It does bash its Muslims; the evidence is irrefutable. Yet — other than how religious minorities should be handled — China has much to teach Pakistan. Among the most important lessons is creating a skilled workforce, giving dignity to labor, distributing wealth and public resources reasonably, emphasizing birth control, and encouraging a mindset oriented to the future rather than the past. If Pakistan wants to break the crutches of foreign dependence, that’s the way to go.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1634259/what-to-learn-from-china
Decades of Mental Conditioning Responsible for Anti-Minority Hostility in Pakistan: Speakers
Speakers at a workshop said policies in the past decades were responsible for the progressive radicalization of society. Decades of mental conditioning through education, ideological indoctrination, and other means have led to faith-based polarization and anti-minority hostility in Pakistan. In the contemporary environment, members of minority religious groups find it hard to live in peace with equal rights and dignity. Even constitutional safeguards and other legal protections have done little to ensure equality of citizenship for all, the speakers added.
Social researcher and author of ‘Radicalization in Pakistan’, Safdar Hussain Sial, said the discrimination against religious minorities is widespread and systematic and includes economic exclusion. The minorities often lack equal access to employment opportunities which is a key factor behind the immense economic disparity across different religious groups in Pakistan. In certain cases, members of minority communities are denied the critical identity or citizenship documents which, among other things, cut them off from the job market, Sial said.
The anti-minority sentiments are further aggravated by the weaponization of certain laws such as those criminalizing blasphemy or targeting a particular religious group. The blasphemy law has been misused against the non-Muslim and Muslim communities alike, leading to many incidents of mob violence, Safdar Sial said, adding that in such a scenario the role of youth in creating a more tolerant and peaceful society is crucial.
During the workshop, the minority issue was also put into regional perspective by security analyst and director Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), Muhammad Amir Rana, who revealed that around 65,000 Rohingya Muslims have been living in desperate conditions in Karachi for decades. Stressing the significance of citizenship, Amir Rana said depriving an individual of citizenship is depriving them of fundamental rights and basic social services such as health and education. The Rohingya community continues to languish as stateless people in Pakistan, he added.
Organized by the Islamabad-based think tank, Pak Institute for Peace Studies, the two-day educational and training workshop was part of the nationwide workshops for the promotion of interfaith harmony among the Pakistani youth. University students from across Balochistan participated in the workshop and exchanged thoughts around the theme of interfaith harmony. The participants were also given quick training in effective use of social media tools by senior journalist and social media activist, Sabookh Syed. The Pakistani youth can use the power of social media to support peace and harmony, and oppose discrimination against minorities, Syed said.
https://www.balochistanvoices.com/2021/06/decades-of-mental-conditioning-responsible-for-anti-minority-hostility-in-pakistan-speakers/
Pakistan’s Burgeoning Population: Challenge or Opportunity
Muhammad Bilal
Pakistan has a population of 220 million and is woefully behind on almost all development indicators. Our population comprises 65% of youth with limited opportunities to achieve their full potential. Ideally, we should have used the demographic power to our advantage, but lack of investment in education and the inability of the state to produce economic opportunities through the development of the manufacturing sector, the youth bulge has become a liability, which can be a serious threat to the country’s security. Unfortunately, we are not only failing our youth but destroying our youth. How do we expect to change the course of this country when we have ignored the biggest segment of our population i.e. youth.
11th July is celebrated as International Population Day and is a great reminder for us to do course correction by using our youth to change the course of Pakistan future by investing in our youth to make them high quality human beings — a critical area for the development of a country’s economic base. Historically, burgeoning population growth has been a cause of destabilization in the least developed countries because young minds, if not engaged in a constructive and purposeful activity are susceptible to extreme behaviors. A study conducted by Population Action International shows that about 80% of the world’s civil conflicts since the 1970s have occurred in countries with young, fast-growing populations.
Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) recognizes the gravity of this situation, therefore ensures engagement of youth in all its programmes. BRSP has a holistic approach towards youth empowerment through skills enhancement, civic engagement, sports activities, accelerated learning programmes, provision of assets for the establishment of small-scale enterprises, the establishment of Naukri ya karobar centers to link them with employers and digital hubs to give them access to technology. BRSP provided employable skills to overall 6,103 youth in Balochistan. Additionally, 13,265 youth of Madaris were enrolled in Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) to bridge the gap between informal and formal education.
BRSP with the financial support of PATRIP Foundation German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) repaired and renovated classrooms, established computer labs, libraries, WASH facilities, residential rooms of Madaris in different districts which benefitted 96,338 students. Additionally, 5,686 students from communities, educational institutions schools were taken on exposure visits to different educational institutes in Pakistan to exchange of ideas, learn best practices and interact with students from across the country. BRSP also organized 11,521 different recreational activities engaging 149,775 youth to promote, peace, harmony, and social cohesion.
A larger workforce is quite imperative for state development as demonstrated by China which raised herself from the rubbles of civil war. The most populous country in the world is surprisingly one of the largest growing economies because China was able to put its population to good use. China has the advantage that others lack, an incredibly skilled human resource that has been the lynchpin of their astronomical economic growth.
Those who believe that population impedes progress are gravely mistaken. If population stops a country’s growth, then Vatican City should have been the richest and China, the poorest. What we need to learn is how to utilize our population to its optimum level, China has already provided the blueprint for other populous countries to follow suit.
https://www.balochistanvoices.com/2021/07/pakistans-burgeoning-population-challenge-or-opportunity/
#Pakistan #PPP - Bilawal Bhutto arrives in New York to kickstart seven-day US visit
Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reached New York on a week-long visit on Sunday, Dunya News reported. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was received at the airport by PPP’s United States president Khalid Awan and other leaders. According to details, Chairman PPP will hold a key meetings in New York and Washington while Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah is already in the US. Aseefa Bhutto will likely lead the campaign for the Azad Kashmir election, which will be held on July 25, in absence of her brother Bilawal.