Loud Thinking

Archive for the ‘Corruption’ Category

In Pakistan, every body knows that we are no less behind any nation in corruption.

Moreover, we are also no less behind in raising hue and cry against corruption. But, the problem is that corruption can neither be curbed with hollow slogans nor by declaration of assets by the politicians and government employees.

Times of India reported on 19 November, 2011(Link:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Black-money-India-to-sign-agreements-with-42-more-nations/articleshow/10793795.cms) that After signing agreements with 48 countries, India will shortly ink pacts with 42 more nations to bring backblack money stashed abroad, Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs Harish Rawat said. Once these agreements are signed, India will be in a position to bring back black money stashed in different banks abroad, he told reporters here.

Corruption can only be minimised by deterrent legislation; which ensures that crime of corruption will not pay, neither in the short nor in the long term.

And effective judicial verdicts, like the one announced today by the Delhi court in which former Indian 86 years old telecom minister Sukhram, has been sentenced for five years jail, for taking Rs 3 lakhs as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996. He pleaded for leniency in court on grounds of his old age while the CBI called him a “habitual offender” and sought maximum punishment for him.The 86-year-old former minister was held guilty for misusing his official position during his tenure as telecom minister in P V Narasimha Rao’s cabinet in giving a contract worth Rs 30 crore to a private company, Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL), to supply 3.5 Lakh Conductor Kilometers (LCKM) ofPolythene Insulated Jelly Filled (PIJF) cables to the telecom department.

We in Pakistan, must realise that our main problem is not the existence of corruption. Rather, the fertile culture which help breeds corruption pay, as the most lucrative and profitable activity in Pakistan.

Till such time, we attack the very roots of this cancerous culture of corruption in Pakistan, no positive improvement should be expected in any sphere of life.

And we must be aware of the fact that, corruption is a bigger menace than terrorism.

Since, we have all the required institutions and no dearth of honest and honourable people, what is required is developing a system to post these DYNAMITE people to be head of NAB, FIA and Anti-Corruption departments of provincial governments.

Towards the achievement of this goal, a committee is proposed to be constituted, consisting of Chief Justice of Supreme Court, all Chief Justices of High Courts and leader of the opposition of National and all provincial assemblies, for appointing on a tenure post, all heads and key personnel of NAB, FIA and Provincial anti-Corruption departments.

Moreover, NO person in the country from civil, military, judiciary and any other department should have the immunity from interrogation, on corruption matters before these departments.

It is earnestly hoped that the above said mechanism if, put in place, will strike such a fear in the hearts of all and sundry, that no one will dare even think, of doing corruption in Pakistan.

Definition of Banana Republic in Wikipedia

A banana republic is a politically unstable country that economically depends upon the exports of a limited resource (fruits, minerals), and usually features a society composed of stratified social classes — a great, impoverished working class and a ruling plutocracy, composed of the élites of business, politics, and the military.

Kleptocracy, government by thieves, features influential government employees exploiting their posts for personal gain (embezzlement, fraud, bribery, etc.), with the resultant government budget deficit repaid by the native working people who earn money, rather than make money. Because of foreign (corporate) manipulation, the kleptocratic government is unaccountable to its nation, the country’s private sector–public sector corruption operates the banana republic, thus, the national legislature usually are for sale, and function mostly as ceremonial government.

Honourable Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani,
 
AoA.
 
It will not be out of place to begin with a news item published in the news papers today i.e., Wednesday 1 Feb. 2012, stating that the Indian Supreme Court warned on Tuesday that corruption posed a “grave danger” to the world’s largest democracy quoted as below.
 
Quote ” Today corruption in our country not only poses a grave danger for the concept of constitutional governance, it also threatens the very foundation of Indian democracy and the rule of law.” Unquote. The above was said by Justice A.K. Ganguly, while delivering a ruling in connection with the alleged underpriced selling of telecom licenses, which the national auditors says may have cost the country up to $39 billion.

An excerpt from a Times of India news published on Wednesday, 2nd Feb. 2012 is also given below for the information of Mr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Finance Minister of Pakistan, who says he expects only $800 million from the COMBINED telecom auction of 3G, (4G LTE) and (5G LTE-A.) (India got $69 billion for ONLY 3G, exactly two years ago, as per TOI news quoted below.

“The 122 licences were given by Raja for over Rs 9,000 crore, while 3G auctions for a smaller number of licences had fetched the government a sum of Rs 69,000 crores.”

 
In the same context of selling of telecom licenses in Pakistan, a mega scandal is also brewing, for which your kind attention is invited to immediately intervene, so that the nefarious designs of  unscrupulous elements to defame the PPP and its government, is nipped in the bud.
 
                                          DETAILS OF THE CASE  

With the recent publication of the advertisement of PTA  in the news papers for “Invitation for Expression of Interest” (EOI) with application for AUCTION of Mobile License/Spectrum (3G/4G/LTE [long term evolution] etc), the following questions needs answers to safeguard the national interest by all and sundry.
 
1. Why the LOW base price of US $ 155 Million for one Mobile Cellular License/Spectrum (800 MHz), when this license was sold for 291 US $ Million eight years ago in the year 2002? OK, it is being auctioned for 8 years instead of 15 years, but is there no premium for above 68 % mobile teledensity which was not there eight years ago?
 
2. Why the license will be technology neutral? Which means no licenses will be required for any future launches of 4G, 5G so on so forth. this also means selling all future long term evolution inductions free of cost. This happens no where in the world. Even in Pakistan when 2G was sold in 2004, it was not permitted to launch 3G without fresh license. So why now 4G onwards is being sold free of cost?
 
3.i. Why the LOW base price of US $ 210 Million for the auction of Three Mobile Cellular Licenses/Spectrum (1900/211MHz/3G/4G/LTE etc.)? 
 
3.ii. Here it should be noted that 2G license was auctioned by PTA in 2002 at US $ 291 Million, when there was much less teledensity than 68% as of now and in the next 15 years (the period for which new licenses are being auctioned), it will obviously increase to higher levels. 
 
3.iii. And above all this auction is technology neutral, which means license for 3G is also valid for FREE for 4G, 5G onwards. Under this situation this base price of US $ 210 Million is ridiculously low.
 
4. As per IM (Information Memorandum) on PTA website all three telecom companies winning the technology neutral AUCTION of Mobile License/Spectrum (3G/4G/LTE [long term evolution] etc) will be required to pay half of the bid value within 30 days in USD or PKR. Also Rest of the amount can be paid in USD or PKR in five equal yearly installments. This virtually means that Telecom companies will NOT bring any fresh foreign investment and also the remaining 50% amount will be deposited on PAY AS YOU EARN basis. This tantamount to robbing the nation of valuable FDI in the garb of auction terms, particularly when bidding is only allowed in minimum 2 million USD and maximum 10 million USD. So when bidding is in USD payment should also be in USD.
 
5. Why PTA has shown less figures of total Teledensity of Pakistan (68.39) in 2010-11 at para 3.7 of (IM [information memorandum] on its website) whereas, according to its own figures in the graph shown in  the para 3.7, the total comes to (68.43)?
 
6. Why the PTA advertisement published in the news papers of 24 January, 2012 states mobile teledensity as 62% against the figures of 64.9% shown in IM at their website? 

7. India is not 70 times bigger than Pakistan in economy or any way, but it got $69 billion, that too, two years ago, from it’s auction of ONLY 3G. Why our Finance Minister has kept a budgeted amount of ONLY $800 million as expected income from the auction of NOT only 3G but 4 & 5G as well?

 
Submitted for consideration and immediate corrective action before it is too late.

————————————————

It was reported recently on a TV channel, that Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh expects 800 million USD revenue, from the auction of 3G (fast Internet) license to telecom companies.
 
It is reported that government has fixed the base price for auction to held on March 28 and 29, 2012 for 3G and 4G as 210 million USD. Whereas, 8 years ago 2G was sold at 291 million USD. (Please check and confirm this data from PTA).
 
Here, I must forewarn all and sundry, that under no circumstances, the worth of this auction amount can be less than 10 billion dollars. India got 69 billion USD from the same auction in April 2010 i.e. two years ago. Details are available at link:- https://www.snayyar.com/3g-telecom-technology-pakistan-can-earn-billions-of-usd-by-just-selling-air.html.
 
It will not be out of place to state that as reported today i.e., Wednesday 1 Feb. 2012 the Indian Supreme Court warned on Tuesday that corruption posed a “grave danger” to the world’s largest democracy quoted as below.
 
All patriotic citizens and institutions must be alert, lest we may not be cheated again, by those who sold our valuable national assets, for even less than the peanuts, in Musharraf era.

Today, Times of India reported (Link:- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Black-money-India-to-sign-agreements-with-42-more-nations/articleshow/10793795.cms) that After signing agreements with 48 countries, India will shortly ink pacts with 42 more nations to bring back black money stashed abroad, Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs Harish Rawat said. Once these agreements are signed, India will be in a position to bring back black money stashed in different banks abroad, he told reporters here.

In Pakistan, every body knows that we are no less behind any nation in corruption. Moreover, we are also no less behind in raising hue and cry against corruption. But, the problem is that corruption can neither be curbed with hollow slogans nor by declaration of assets by the politicians and government employees. Corruption can only be minimized by deterrent legislation; which ensures that crime of corruption will not pay, neither in the short nor in the long term. And effective judicial verdicts, like the one announced today by the Delhi court in which former Indian 86 years old telecom minister Sukhram, has been sentenced for five years jail, for taking Rs 3 lakhs as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996. He pleaded for leniency in court on grounds of his old age while the CBI called him a “habitual offender” and sought maximum punishment for him.The 86-year-old former minister was held guilty for misusing his official position during his tenure as telecom minister in P V Narasimha Rao’s cabinet in giving a contract worth Rs 30 crore to a private company, Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL), to supply 3.5 Lakh Conductor Kilometers (LCKM) of Polythene Insulated Jelly Filled (PIJF) cables to the telecom department.

We in Pakistan must realize that our main problem is not the existence of corruption. Rather, the fertile culture which help breeds corruption pay as the most lucrative and profitable activity in Pakistan. Till such time we attack the very roots of this cancerous culture of corruption in Pakistan, no positive improvement should be expected in any sphere of life.

And we must be aware of the fact that corruption is a bigger menace than terrorism.

Since we have all the required intitutions and no dearth of honest and honourable people, what is required is developing  a system to post these DYNAMITE people to be head of NAB, FIA and Anti-Corruption deparments of provincial governments.

Towards the achievement of this goal, a committee is proposed to be constituted, consisting of Chief Justice of Supreme Court, all Chief Justices of High Courts and leader of the opposition of National and all provincial assemblies, for appointing on a tenure post, all heads and key personnel of NAB, FIA and Provincial anti-Corruption departments. Moreover, NO person in the country from civil, military, judiciary and any other department should have the immunity from interrogation on corruption matters before these departments.

It is earnestly hoped that the above said mechanism if put in place, will strike such a fear in the hearts of all and sundry, that no one will dare even think of doing corruption in Pakistan.

H’able CJ of SC has hit the bulls eye (in saying outdated laws must be repealed) as reported in the Daily “Pakistan Today” link:- http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/09/outdated-laws-must-be-repealed-says-cjp/#IDComment191800260. 

The fact is that panacea of Pakistan’s many ills lies in removing the out dated laws from the statue books of the country, where we have been made prisoners of our past.

Mr. CJ you and your honourable colleagues have done a lot for this country. Kindly do us another favour, for which our generations will be thankful to you.

Please find a solution to immediately replace the current election process (which is the mother of all problems) with a new one in which every party leader should stand to be elected directly, as head of the government. However, before the elections, each participating party will declare a list in advance of it’s assembly members (for the voters to know beforehand the qualifications, capabilities, character & mettle of their future public representatives). Now after the elections, the proportionate number of these advance named party representatives will be automatically elected, starting from the top of the list, according to the share of the votes polled in favour of the party leader.

In this way, very high quality members (who will be even confirming the appointment of judges) will come to assembly, Jagirdars hold on voters will lose its grip, election expenses will be drastically reduced, sale of votes will be eliminated, neat and corruption free governance will emerge, Biradari system menace will crack down, people’s frustration from the democracy will be minimized, parties will be forced to implement their manifesto and people’s say in direct selection of rulers will increase manifold.

Sir, the definition of insanity says “doing an act over and over again and expecting a different result.” There is also a saying in IT jargon that “Garbage in garbage out”. The existing system will never deliver in our circumstances. So, kindly help this nation come out of the clutches of the prevalent exploitive system, whereby, 3-5 % cruel minority is ruling & plundering rest of the suffering majority.

The change of system will also automatically stop the talk of dismemberment of Pakistan, so rampant these days.

Pakistan is calling for its Anna Hazare not for anti-corruption bill but for saving the innocent humanity in Karachi carnage.

Come on just one person from the huge crowd of President, Prime Minister, Ministers, Chief Ministers, Governors, Speakers & Deputy speakers, MNA’s & MPA’s.

Is there  not even one person in this nation of 18 crore people, to just stand up and protest like Anna Hazare, against the unabated killings of innocent perons in Karachi?

The silence of the entire nation and all the organs of the state on Karachi Killings is deafning, but all of us must remember, that if today we fail to move individually & collectively, to stop the daily carnage of humanity in Karachi, then be ready to face the situation, where even our names will be scratched from the annuls of the history.

Na Samjho Gay Tou Mit Jago Gay Aay Pakistan Walo

Tumahari Dastan Tak Bhi Na Ho Gi Dastanon Mein.

Straight Talk – The Power Crisis & The 780 million rip-offs. (The Nation, Sunday, 10^th July, 2011) 

The threat of a looming power crisis that the country would be facing in the coming years was raised way back in 1994, when a group of concerned citizens had filed a Public Interest Litigation against KESC in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Since then, Helpline Trust and other citizens have repeatedly raised this issue at various platforms. Yet despite the ringing of the alarm bells over the years, no government, civilian or military, has taken this looming crisis seriously.

Instead, the present government has excelled in promoting the culture of corruption in its various ministries. There are reports of mega corruption scandals almost every day and yet our leaders have the audacity to insist that they must be allowed to complete their five-year term in office, because the citizens had voted for the PPP in the last elections.

However, the voters had not given the government a carte-blanche authority to loot and plunder the country. They had voted for the PPP, with the hope that this time it would fulfill its promise of providing Roti – Kapra – Makaan to the citizens and establish good governance, accountability and enforcement of the Rule of Law. But, as in the past, it has failed to honor any of these promises.

However, instead of introducing good governance and investing in power generation units and improving the output and efficiency of the existing units, the government has been indulging in the worst kind of corruption and rip-offs in the power sector.

First we had the questionable KESC Privatization deal, which is still shrouded in secrecy, followed by the scandals of the massive rip-offs in the importation of IPP plants and the agreements connected with these shady deals.  (http://www.helplinetrust.org/EDC%201/youtube%20ht/kesc.htm).

This was then followed by the news of the recent rip-off in the importation of the Turkish Karkey power rental ship, which, according to reports, is standing idle off the shores of Karachi for the last few months and is costing this electricity starved City of Lights a cool  $9 million a month.

The deal to pay capacity charges of approximately Rs.780 million was struck between the clueless former minister of water and power, Raja Pervez Ashraf, who had boldly announced that there would be no load shedding in Pakistan after December 2009 and Raja Babar Ali Zulqarnain, son of AJK President Raja Zulqarnain Khan, the country representative for the company Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretim AS in Pakistan.

The power rental ship is standing idle because the government is not making any efforts to ensure fuel supply to make the unit fully operational. Instead, it is paying Rs26.37 per unit as capacity charges, while Rs. l5.48 per unit is being paid under the head of fuel cost.

This multi-million dollar loss to the national economy came to the surface during the hearing of the petition of eight power distribution companies. During the hearings, it was revealed that Karkey is producing only 30 megawatts of power, against an agreement to add 231 MWs to the system.

Allegations of massive corruption and mismanagement in the power sector have been circulating for a very long time, but who are the real Hidden Hands that are behind this recent rip-off is not clear but it is obvious that they must all be very pleased with themselves and smiling all the way to the bank. 

In India, the citizens have forced the government to form a Grand Alliance against Corruption and introduce a bill to tackle the problem. India’s Supreme Court has also ordered a special investigation into unde­clared money stashed in foreign bank accounts of the rich and the famous.

While in contrast, instead of assisting the Supreme Court of Pakistan in punishing the culprits involved in corruption, our democratically elected Awami government has tried everything in the book to sabotage trial proceedings.

It has frustrated the Court’s efforts to investigate cases of corruption and the Rs.5 billion NICL scandal, by trying to suspend ADG FIA, Zafar Qureshi, on the pretext of talking to media without departmental authorization.

However, the CJ has stepped in and ordered the government to reinstate the ADG or face its wrath. Such is the commitment of this morally corrupt government to eliminate the octopus of corruption and improve our system of governance.

According to media reports, all this was being done to accommodate the leaders of PML-Q, who have come forward to join a shaky coalition, to prevent the PPP government from immediate collapse.

General Musharraf, in his eight years of governance, had the opportunity to tackle the power crisis and could have taken the positive steps to set up power generation plants and revamp the dilapidated and outdated distribution.

But instead, this government had also ignored this problem and had taken took the easy way out, by privatizing the utility service, without examining the ground realities and had allowed allowing this city of lights to plunge into darkness.

And unfortunately, the present government has also failed to rectify the mess that the previous government had left and even failed to provide the basic facilities like electricity, gas, clean water and a decent health and education system to its citizens.

Our leaders have shamelessly humiliated and shamed this nation. Under this government, we do not have democracy, but a politics of bullets and fear, as it has failed to even protect the lives and property of the citizens, which is the primary duty of the government under the constitution.

Will the Grand Alliance between the two former rivals, PML-N and MQM, come up to the ‘Great Expectations’ of the suffering citizens? Will it force the government to end corruption, the increasing killings in Karachi and improve the system of governance?

Or is it just another attempt to push AZ and his Merry Men out of their Ivory Tower? Or will this GA end up as just another ‘Much ado about nothing’ charade, as in the past, only time will tell.

After 9/11, Pakistan had declared a war against terror. Perhaps it is time for the government to declare a war against corruption, target killings and the power crisis, which is crippling and killing our industries and making the lives of the citizens miserable and unbearable.

Until then, in the words of Gen. Musharraf, our former dictator, at the end of his resignation speech: ‘Pakistan Ka Khuda hafiz hai’ – ‘May Allah protect Pakistan’. 

Hamid Maker. (Email: trust@helplinetrust.org).

Sir, corruption is the biggest danger to the survial of Pakistan. 

Sir, there is a saying of Hazrat Ali RA, that a system of ‘Kufr’ can sustain but not a system of ‘Zulm’. And in my opinion, the biggest Zulm with the poor after injustice is corruption. In fact, injustice stems from corruption. The monumental increase in corruption has tremendously increased poverty which in turn is now breeding terrorism. 

I take this opportunity to advise Mr. Robert Zoellick, that the constant problem of getting funding for the WB can rather, easily be tackled, by laying more emphasis on the counter corruption measures for governments of the Aid Recipient Countries (ARCs).

Moreover, this counter corruption strategy (CCS) will provide manifold benefits, both to the WB & the ARCs.

Just to elaborate the above proposal, it should be understood that mainly the corruption has two roots i.e. direct kick backs and denying installing regimens, that puts full stop to the leakages of billions of dollars of government revenues.

In this regard, Turkey could be cited as a glaring example, where government revenues increased manifolds, when one of such systems was put into practise, on cigarette industry.

In case, World Bank under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Mr. Robert Zoellick, needs my assistance on the proposal, I shall be too glad to offer my services, which may help improve the living conditions of the poor & the suffering people of the world.

Prime Minister of Pakistan must immediately dismiss and order the arrest of Minister & Secretary, Religious affairs for all the hardships (not even water & tents are available & Hajis are forced live on roads) being faced by Pakistani Hajis in Saudi Arabia and for bringing disrepute, to the name of the country.

Actually, government high ups always challenge to prove any case of corruption, knowing fully well that the corrupt never leave any receipt, as its proof. However, corruption always explodes with a bang either in the shape of a fallen bridge or Hajis left high and dry, in the Holy land of Saudi Arabia.

May be it is also a fit case for Suo Moto action.