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The federal budget (1990-91) and common man*Published by the daily The Frontier Post, Peshawar on June 16, 1990 The federal budget for the year 1990-91 being part of the third of the seventh five year plan, has been unanimously termed as a "tough, defense-oriented piece of figure work with a 200 billion deficit". The reason behind such a bleak assessments of the PPP's government budget are implied from the history of the 7th five-year planning, which was done during Zia's era and where upon it was officially stated that Pakistan would emerge as an Islamic welfare state after this plan was executed and implemented. Hence by the Zia's government a stage was erected with the help of technocrats and bureaucrats under the very supervision of the armed forces. However after the revival of democracy the present government had no other grounds to stand on financial and fiscally save the one left behind by the late dictator. The elected government of Benazir Bhutto being heavily influenced by the concept of privatization that she learnt about while living in self exile in the West is committed towards ensuring "less government is best government" And as such deviation in words and spirit of the greater long term planning has been not avoidable. Still to many economists by the first year in office the present government has just resorted to a shift in degree and not in kind from the main blue prints left behind by Zia's regime. Hence the PPP leadership is yet to made certain vital changes as with respect to the new urges that have emerged on international public market around the globe. This means that the Prime Minister's turning back on her own party basic philosophy of a socialist economy has been a demand of the era. Here it is worth mentioning that while following the pattern of Mrs. Thatcher's government, Benazir Bhutto have to keep in mind that in UK privatization was implemented after the masses were ensured the basic necessities like education, health and employment insurances by the state. But as in Pakistan we don't have access to any such state security and while it was the very goal of every successive government since independence. Therefore leaving every thing to the private sector without the people having any social security would mean inviting a more cruel circle of poverty amongst the toiling millions of this country. Occurring in the third world we in Pakistan have the dilemma of how to provide a proportionate share to our crumbling GDP as US owns unto 75 % share of most of the third world economies. Hence resorting to an unleashed privatization without binding legally the private sector to observe the rule of law and provide the work force what would be its due might lead us to bankruptcy in the near future. Further expressing a toto confidence in the international monetary market and expecting the worldly agencies to be helping us out of the crisis with out make us bow on points or compromise would be a fool dream. Hence with a meager per capital income of $360 annually, withy $2 billion receipts of income from overseas workforce our actual economic activities could hardly be termed as healthy and that is where we can't go for biding it in the international market. Two decades early, Pakistan had a 22 family owned network of industrial set-up while in 1987-88, this number has dropped to just twenty big guns? This on the local level shows the concentration of capital in a fewer hands while its gradual reduction in magnitude. This phenomenon is reflective of the fact that government is leading the millions of have-nots to further sufferance and decay. Such a strategy even by an elected government to watch the selling out of its voters will ultimately lead to revolts and anarchy in the country as the people getting poorer would have no resort what so ever left for remedy. In this back it will be but blessing of the present elected government to let the masses ask the question as to what corner they are being led into. This means liberalizing the controls on all freedoms of expression so that a general consensus be evolved for the future course of action. By now it is visible from the international move of privatization that sooner around the entire world a new race of exploitation is to start. Accordingly the capitalists of the world irrespective of their nations or nationality interests would conglomerate into a "world corporation" so to rule the entire planet on its own terms and conditions. This means that the coming 21st century might start with a new series of horror, strives, warfare, hunger, revolts...particularly in the part of the world Where Pakistan is located. This first budget by the elected government of the peoples of Pakistan have a lot of implications that hopefully be discussed during the budget debate in the federal assembly.
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