The hurrier we go ...

.. the behinder we get.

These words of wisdom were oft quoted to me by my father as a humorous anecdote to the grammatical in-correctness of Army barracks syntax (where such quotes are all too common, and most importantly for the humorously inclined, almost always rendered incorrectly). The actual quote, attributed mostly to Lincoln by many (because it is a ‘truism’, I personally choose to attribute it to no one) goes thus: “if you walk in haste, you will often have to re-trace your steps”.

I can only wonder and guess the real intention of the author of the quote. If it was Lincoln, perhaps my ability to guess it may be enhanced. However I have a fond preference for using its more humorous (and unique in its eloquent bravery) version. We do indeed fall ‘behinder’ in our ‘hurriered-ness’; we all seem to be in a hurry to be architects of our own misfortunes. We are steadfastly clinging on to the notion that in our complaints, problem statements and negative rhetoric somehow the answers and solutions lie. We are moving with an intention to collide. With what, we do not seem to know. But we wish to collide with something, and we wish to do it now.

To seek walls to bring down is, in itself, a healthy thing. The streak of revolutionaries is their restless and single-minded focus on bringing someone, somewhere, down. Perhaps even hang, or imprison for life, the perpetrators of collective misfortunes. The right kind of revolution, at the right time, can change the face of the world for the better (or inspire a passion for change, a perpetual questioning of the status quo, like Che). The wrong kind of revolution can bring misery (Look no further than Libya) and the wrong kind of ‘change’ instinct can spell disaster for a nation seemingly (but not really) on the brink. I believe we are moving a little too fast towards mass implantation of the idea that EVERYTHING has gone ‘pear shaped’ (to adapt a phrase from our former masters, remembers them? They gave us our civil service)

Pakistan’s parallel economics mean that despite utterly disastrous policies and actions by the powers that be, we remain afloat. Few realize that our stock market index (the Karachi Stock Exchange, that infamous casino) rallying to near 12,000 levels is not some speculators dream come true but a sign of a core level of capitalization that exists within the market. Where did this money come from? Is it all aid driven? Take it from someone who follows such matters closely that it is not. If this is asking for a leap of faith, than it is being asked by someone who has already leapt, and will not be able to fly back. The same old players are working alongside some pretty solid fundamentals, using old school techniques for wealth accumulation. Good thing than that our market is indeed reflective of this moment in time, where local companies seem to have found some groove again (I am an observant citizen, recently returned from a trip to Karachi, and the number of real estate projects there are shocking considering we’re supposedly bankrupt). Local players remain resilient in their outlook (I gather this in my conversations with them). Yes, they complain and whine just like the rest of us, and yes, they have major problems just like the rest of us, but their hurry remains a progressive one. Their time is too precious to waste using social media predominantly as a complaint board. They are far too busy creating some measure of value for the economy; they always have been. From the House of Habib to the Manshas, from the Crescents to the Nishats, survival is the name of the game. A game that does not pardon whining while more pressing matters await.

There are other glimmers of real and viable hope. Give an SME (small & medium enterprises) a loan and 9 out of 10 times they will default on it. Give it proper due diligence, advice, oversight and a ‘real’ world approach, and we have exponential growth delivered immediately. There is opportunity here; our hurry should not be to go bang ourselves against some massive wall, it should be for all of us to get busy trying to make things, services and ideas work commercially.

While these two may be fine points, open to contention or all too cumbersome for most to absorb, there are other, more obvious reasons to have hope; Pakistan has unrecognized assets and wealth stored away from statisticians. What this means for you and me is a control on economic decline. It means there will be a sudden and wholly surprising surge in industrial output the moment (and I do mean the moment) we tackle the basics of energy, debt and economics at par with even any resemblance of decent policy. It has been done, the people who did it are still very much alive and very much part of the game. Look them up; you may be surprised at how accessible they are.

We are also in a hurry to pick up ‘micro-causal’ issues; minority rights, religious passions, cricket and what not. Leave them be, these issues will fester and continue long after our bandwagon has overtook them. Focus instead on ‘macro-causal’ realities of economic growth, wage control, tax responsibility and due effort towards informed trade decisions. Every minority issue will not be addressed by the courts or the politicians, instead let poverty elimination and universal access to capital ease the pain. The religious rhetoric of hate gets only stronger the more it is mentioned. Ignore it, be progressive in your social outrage and measure your responses by reducing these ugly traits to ignominious anonymity. Every cricket match lost is not necessarily fixed by bookies, sometimes, the team just loses.

Our hurry should be to embrace and adapt the rhetoric of hope: we need to feed our SMEs money and we will grow. We need to provide agriculture some science of things and we will all feed beyond measure. We need some control and oversight and our debt levels and our energy crisis will lessen with time. We are a nation of millions upon millions which means we have the labor of millions upon millions waiting to be deployed. No one has breached our borders yet, terrorism is asymmetrical warfare and is bested nowhere. Corruption is a universal human trait, our aid donors sit above us in its global ranking. We have some fantastic writers, we now have a proven film-maker, we have great artists and we do (yes we do) have some true leaders in our midst. Rush to embrace them, fast forward to a futuristic Pakistan and make it happen. Nothing will ever be as bad or as good as people make it out to be.

Our hurry should be towards moving forward, ignoring the news for a while, work in spite of our colossal public sector, picking up a daily dose of good cheer and encouraging the younglings to be positive about their economy. Otherwise there remains the real risk of a self-fulfilled prophecy of doom and gloom. Getting ‘behinder’ will only do us harm if it is with our usual, impatient great hurry that we espouse the entire negative and ignore all that is positive. If nothing else, maybe we all need a break from the tired and tested, and a jump into the unchartered waters of positivism.