The applause is a thrill like none other. One should be wary of it. For excessive indulgence in it strips one of judgment and common sense. It was with much applause and ovation that the Punjab premier declared he was going to break the “begging bowl” of his government and would refuse to take any foreign aid. That whole trade-before-aid thing and what have you. Exuded the image of a man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid of taking tough decisions.
Well, reality just caught up with his government. After the chief minister’s announcement to not take any foreign aid, the USAID program in particular, the release of $ 500 million was stopped promptly. As the proverbial hit the fan, the finance ministry got worked up. The CM then immediately swallowed some pride (no clapping, please) and directed his planning and development department to ask the donors club for a restoration of the program. But the Americans will have none of it, it seems. It turns out the UK’s DFID is going to foot the bill. Yes, not Amreeka Bahadur but Company Bahadur; the good old days.
Politicians, like the rest of us, are plagued with personal insecurities. It’s called being human. We all grapple with these by changing ourselves and our circumstances, sometimes at a greater personal cost than would appear. For elected public officials, however, these costs transfer over to their constituencies. It is alright if a fit of macho bravado gets one a black-eye personally, not so much if it results in even one less child getting to go to school.
There is a case for reviewing the whole aid matrix. Much money, after all, is misspent, not only by the local employees of the aid projects but by the foreign project managers as well. But this review should be done in a carefully thought-out manner; not one which is premised on cheap thrills.
Some maturity in government, please. The people of the province deserve nothing less.
