SAARC Syndrome: Asia's Burden

Housing sixty per cent of the world’s poor, beset with disputes engaging political, ethnic, religious and cultural sensitivities of all shades of people, with leaders having abiding disregard to learn lessons from the past, complete disrespect to humanitarian issues made contingent to political expediencies -- this is Asia. Completely corrupt, it is bogged down under its own weight.

Adding a straw to break the camel’s back is SAARC. In the last two decades it has done nothing except to raise hopes and turn people into cynics.

Asian leaders love to talk; they don’t like to act and translate their avowed ambitions into action. Dearth of resources, quite a debatable question, is not the only impediment; absence of constructive will is the real obstacle. The Dhaka summit held two weeks in the country whose President, Ziaur Rehman, had taken the initiative to create SAARC in 1985, is the morbid reminder of our leaders’ impotency in pragmatism.

We have not achieved much in the last 20 years. Bangladesh still is the second most poor country of SAARC region with Nepal trailing behind. We have added another country, Afghanistan, to the list upgrading Bangladesh and Nepal’s status up the ladder.

‘Conflict resolution’ is not the only symptomatic problem inhibiting SAARC to overcome its inertia. Most profusely, the absence of trust between India and Pakistan to tackle and resolve bilateral problems haunting both countries has affected even their approach to the problems for their resolutions. Pakistan wants to go fast (head on in Shaukat Aziz’s terms) whereas India wants to go slow; step by step. Pakistan wants to be open and frank in dealing with all issues while India, may be in line with Hindu mentality, wants to be secretive and confidential.

Both Pakistan and India have their own list of preferences as to which issues should be discussed first and foremost. The third round of talks scheduled in January 2006 is a foregone conclusion; and we are happy because we are talking. Yes, it may provide a sense of solace to leaders who broke their silence after 40 years but for people at the receiving end of misery, poverty, suffering and downright abject despondency, mere gibberish of their leaders is no consolation. At Dhaka summit, the problems are rightly pointed out; poverty and terrorism, and a great deal of good talk was also done. There yet again emerges the spectre of inefficiency, insincerity and mistrust. In the absence of efficient organizational structure how recommendations are to be translated into tangible action.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz went to Dhaka with a 7-point agenda to strengthen SAARC so that it is able to deliver on promises. He laid stress on maximizing the use of available energy, environmental protection and sustainable development, conservation and management of natural resources, joint projects to alleviate poverty by promoting health and education and agriculture. He stressed upon the need of improving and expanding regional transportation and communication links. He also called for a greater cooperation and coordination in monetary and fiscal policies of SAARC member States. He asked for everything essential and imperative to the needs of our region.

Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh came up with matching offers to improve SAARC credibility to deliver. He proposed: (a) daily air service to major Indian cities from SAARC countries on a reciprocal basis. (b) to establish a food bank to meet the food shortage in the region. (c) to establish a SAARC university as a centre of excellence. (d) to make a SAARC textile and handicraft museum to project textile wealth of the region. (e) to establish a system of transit facilities for member States to facilitate trade with the West and Central Asia.

All other leaders who spoke on the occasion said great things and expressed their sincerity as well as concerns to make SAARC click. Regarding her performance in economic and social areas SAARC can be equated with her sister organization in the Middle East, the Arab League which has completely failed the Arabs on all counts. Their disunity is proverbial and stands at the same level it was about twenty years ago when the following joke copiously frequented among the journalist community: “A man who does not know how to play the trumpet is hired at Arab League Headquarters to blow a fanfare when Arab Unity is announced. “It will never happen,” he explains to flabbergasted tourists.”

What has plagued SAARC is the same lack of trust that is not going away quick. This is why SAARC has not delivered so far. We have faltered on this count. What can inspire us to act if we are not moved by the misery, gloom and despair of millions of half-starved, living below poverty line are people around us?