Thursday, March 15, 2007

Naeem Sadiq on Stuff: Fake, Foul and "big armed"

Once in a while you meet someone--often someone you already know--and your reaction is "Man, you should really have a blog." Well, I have been meaning to introduce exactly such a person on this blog for a while. I refer to a gentleman by the name of Naeem Sadiq.

Naeem Saahab is a bit of an essay writer and sends around his thoughts to his friends and family via email. Like I said, he's the perfect candidate to become a blogger, and has even been on the verge of starting one at least a couple of times, but things like the ban/block on Blogspot in Pakistan have gotten in the way of sustaining the effort. I am hoping to work with him that. And I will write a better, fuller introduction some other time and explain why he is worth listening to and why I often look to him for insight, advice, and just the kind of vibe one gets from an elder brother. For now, I am going to just post his latest dispatch and see if I can keep that up, at least:
Fake, Foul and "Big Armed"

Is this the only country in the world where Federal Ministers have fake degrees, use abusive language on TV and beat up citizens who suggest that they stand in a queue. Is it also by design that the ones with fake degrees are made responsible for the religious affairs and those who use abusive language and assault ordinary citizens end up becoming responsible for justice and human rights.

The Prime Minister has been a big disappointment quantitatively as well as qualitatively. His extravagant fleet of some hundred odd ministers is a burden on the tax payer, while their quality leaves much to be desired. Is this a good time to make amends and get rid of all fake, foul and "citizen thrashing" members of this bloated cabinet. A judicious trimming will automatically shrink the cabinet to some ten odd ministers – a perfectly appropriate size for the cabinet of a developing country. In this welcome season of accountability and references, let the chopper fall equally and fairly on all, notwithstanding the "big arms" that some so much boast about.

Naeem Sadiq

Photo courtesy Altamash Kamal.
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