So for those of you that have not been with us for the first two parts of this series, please take a moment to read Part I and Part II.
I took a few days off in the middle of this series to look at the direction that we were moving in and making sure that I have adequately covered the arguments that I have put forward. I think that we have a good basis to move forward, but I again ask you, the readers, to tell me if you think that I am off base with something or if I have missed something that is crucial to understanding the State of Pakistan today, please add your comments.
Now, moving forward… As most of you have probably figured out, I don’t have a problem “putting it on the table,” but what you will find in today’s post are the things that really make Pakistan a hard place to live at times, or what I like to call “Things that Annoy Me about Pakistan.” These are the things that I know each one of you thinks and wonders everyday of your existence in this country, and trust me, if you aren’t thinking it there are about 160 million other Pakistanis that are.
No Concept of “Fair Play”
I really don’t need to expand on this for anyone who has visited Pakistan, but for those of you that haven’t… in Pakistan, we live by a principle. One single thing that matters above all else: “If it’s good for me, it is right. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
We drive like maniacs, but get furious when others drive like us. We think it’s ok to “pay a little something” to get something done for ourselves, yet cry foul when anyone else does it or makes money from it. We show no signs of civility or manners, but call others animals or “jahil” for acting the same way. What makes it right or wrong? The model of car the person is driving? The style of clothes? Do you know that the police in Karachi are more likely to manhandle a person on a motorcycle, as compared to a car? When do we learn that people have to make the difference?
When we all act the same, who can tell the difference between the educated and uneducated?
Want to know what I think is the funniest part?
These same Pakistanis that can’t seem to follow the traffic laws, stand in line, behave like educated human beings, and work with some sense of professionalism fly to other countries and behave as model citizens for the time that they are there; but upon disembarking from the plane to Pakistan, they return to their natural behavior.
Do you really want these people in your country?
Actually, you Westerners aren’t to blame. If it wasn’t for you coming to Pakistan and behaving like animals, we wouldn’t even know how it was done.
Ethics?
What are those? Ethics are an unknown entity in Pakistan from life to business. It is no big deal to twist a few arms to get where you want to be, be it a legal or illegal twist.
A lot of people have asked me why emagine doesn’t do more business in Pakistan, and the answer to that is very simple: why should I waste my time? Now, you may think that is harsh, but let me explain with some of our background so that you understand, and I am sure that many of you have interesting experiences of your own:
A client hounded us everyday until their website was completed, but when it came time to pay the invoice, they never picked up their phones or returned a call. When we took them to an arbitrator to collect payment, they spent the whole time telling the arbitrator how big and wealthy of a company they are. The arbitrator summed it up to us in one comment: “Amazing how many excuses a company with that much money can make to not pay this nominal an invoice.”
Another client, in a major bind, asked us to design materials for a conference in the US. We asked for payment before releasing the work and were told that they would make payment right after the conference. I still have the email from the CEO giving me his personal guarantee for payment that I forwarded back to him after 3 months of him not answering an email or phone message.
Another client who was setting up a new company in Pakistan asked us to design their entire brand image and corporate collateral. From the start we had problems with this client, but the President, who was based in the US, gave us his personal assurance that all invoices would be cleared and nothing would be left outstanding. When we completed the work for them, we had to send a collection agency to their offices to collect our money because the no one wanted to reply to emails or telephone calls.
And my most favorite… We did some work for a client that had a young manager running the show. The young manager approved project cost increases without ever discussing them with the owners. When we submitted the final invoice, we were told that they had never approved the increase and the young manager didn’t want to “tell the truth.” Instead, he called up my wife one day and told her that he would “make her a widow” if I tried to collect the outstanding amount. I also got a written death threat, which we forwarded to the police and they did nothing about it.
Ethics in Pakistan… it’s a nice thought.
No Concept of Compassion (Are you Serious?)
Ok, now I admit that I am not the most compassionate person in the world, even though my wife likes to call me a big softie, but are you serious?
You take your family out to dinner and have a little au pair sitting along side to take care of your children. You order large meals for everyone, while passing breadsticks and water to the au pair… are you serious? Would you like someone to do that to your child?
Let’s turn the table… your boss takes you out to lunch with some of your co-workers. He orders lavish lunches for each of them, while telling you that there will be so much food, you can get some from everyone. How would you feel? Does small and insignificant even come close to describing the feeling? Why would you do that to someone else?
Hey, here’s an idea… how about you take care of your own children? Why don’t you take responsibility for the little lives that you have brought into the world, rather than passing them off on hired hands? You know why kids in the rest of the world are better behaved and more intelligent? Because their parents raise them, not the driver, maid and nanny.
And since we are on the topic… are you stupid? Do you even know what compassion means? Why do you take the servant with you when you go shopping for your kids clothes and toys? Do you relish the pain that you cause them knowing that they can never, and I do mean never, afford anything in that store?
We are a people that flaunt wealth in front of the poor. Why else would we feel it necessary to not pay the government property and income tax, have billions in loans written off and all the while buy ourselves Mercedes Benz and multi-million rupee homes. Did you know that a small home for a newly married family in Karachi costs a minimum of Rs. 2,000,000? That’s US$ 330,000 for your first home. And that gets you… no clean water, no clear sewer lines, no security and no protection. What a deal!!! Or you could go for the apartment which will cost you slightly less with all the same perks… what does the common man do?
And while I am on the topic, to all of you shop keepers, what makes you think that it is right to raise, no sorry… double your prices, during Ramadan. Do you think that just because it is a holy month you can gouge people and make the month of fasting harder for them, while it becomes easier for you? They have a word for that in Islam… Haram…
I have my own…. bastard.
As a nation that happily tramples on other people’s dreams, why are we so surprised with other’s do it to us in return?
Oh yes… I remember… we don’t understand fair play in Pakistan.
Tomorrow, we will round the stretch and head for home.
Think hard Pakistan… is this who you want to be for the next 60 years?
