Greece on the brink
RARELY, in recent times, has the voice of a people echoed so loudly around the world. The decisive ‘No’ vote served up by the Greek electorate in their historic referendum was unexpected and has created perhaps the biggest crisis the European Union has ever faced. The crisis has rekindled memories of the German reparation payments of the 1920s, and some have pointed out that Germany itself, which has taken the toughest line demanding full compliance from Greece on its debt service obligations, has been the beneficiary of historic write-downs of its own external debts, most recently in 1953. The most dramatic invocation of history came from the French economy minister just before the voting began, saying “[i]f the ‘No’ wins, it will be our responsibility not to create the Treaty of Versailles of the eurozone”.
The crippling repayment terms spelled out in that treaty and the stubborn insistence of the creditors — particularly France — that they be met in full led to the collapse of the economy of Weimar Germany and paved the way for the rise of National Socialism. The present crisis is already stirring atavistic passions across Europe, although the fact that 31pc of the Greek electorate still voted ‘Yes’ shows that many remain mindful of the immense risks they are being asked to take.
In the days to come, some may well ask whether or not Pakistan ought to also engage in similar brinksmanship. Of course, we are not at such a crisis point at the moment, but the underlying realities can change fast in this country, as the financial crisis of November 2008 made clear. Before any wrong lessons are derived from the events in Greece, it is worth noting a few things about the drama there. First, the world is growing weary of arranging repeated bailouts, as evidenced by the willingness of Greece’s creditors to walk up to this precipice, even if they are not willing to go over the edge at this point. Second, the immense strength that it took for the Syriza party to face down its creditors came from its close connection with the electorate, something that nobody in our political arena enjoys. When facing pressure in any form from the international community, Pakistan’s strength has almost always come from its geopolitical endowments rather than the credibility of its institutions. These are weak foundations upon which to build our standing in the world community. They are likely to deplete faster than durable institutions. And finally, it is worth bearing in mind that the present mess in Greece is ultimately the result of profound misgovernance by the generation that came before the current youthful leadership of Syriza. We should think harder about leaving our next generation with a mess of similar proportions in a world exhausted from bailing others out.
Neglecting history
THE treatment of cultural and historical artefacts by the authorities in Pakistan leaves a lot to be desired. Either the state has been neglectful in preserving historical treasures, or it has looked the other way as artefacts have been smuggled out or sold for profit. An example of this official carelessness was highlighted in a report published in this paper on Sunday: priceless historical relics in Karachi belonging to the Moenjodaro and Mehrgarh periods may be facing the risk of theft as well as damage due to improper handling by the authorities concerned. The artefacts are being transported from private premises to the National Museum of Pakistan in the metropolis. However, the manner in which they are being packed and transported seems to be highly unprofessional. Though Sindh Archaeology Department officials say the shifting is being overseen by qualified technical staff, professional archaeologists told this paper they had serious reservations about the way the objects were being handled. Moreover, they point out that the archaeology officials are not properly keeping track of what is being shifted, which means the objects — some of which date back millennia — can be ‘disappeared’. A photograph published with the news report clearly shows the artefacts casually placed in boxes, as if they were regular objects of little worth.
This is not the first time ad hoc measures have been applied when dealing with antiquities; in the past there have been reports of similar non-professional methods used to deal with the objects kept in the Taxila museum. With the provinces now firmly in charge of the cultural sphere, they must address these inadequate methods of dealing with our history. In the present case, since the relics had to be moved, experts should have been consulted in order to package and transport them in a professional manner. Instead of applying the usual unfeeling bureaucratic touch, perhaps students with a passion for history and culture could have been engaged to help shift the objects with due care. There is still time to bring in professionals in order to properly shift, list and transport the objects, which are about 35,000 in number, if the Sindh authorities so desire. Looking at the bigger picture, officialdom needs to reconsider its attitude towards handling history for unless things change, very soon there may be very few artefacts left to display. This uncaring and apathetic approach towards dealing with our rich history requires an urgent reset.
Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/newspaper/editorial