The Chicken and Egg Conundrum

  • The Chicken and Egg Conundrum

    The Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr.  Imran Khan while addressing the nation on the completion of 100 days of coming into power of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf regarding any and all progress they have made during this period and they laid out a rough blue print of the plans the planned on implementing in the near or distant future. Along with this Mr. Prime Minister had a few suggestions that he presented us with. One of those obviously being the opening of a chicken and egg enterprise so to speak. A suggestion that didn’t bode well for him. This statement of his was followed by an immediate backlash from people of all walks of life. Several comments were made about this and the issue was tossed around for quite a bit in the media, all sorts of people had all kinds of things to say, from light jokes to harsh criticism, this little comment has faced it all.

    The opposing political parties, goes without saying, took this opportunity hands on. They denigrated the suggestion to various extents. For some the notion was downright ludicrous for others it was hilarious. While a few significant others managed to feign serious concern about the future of Pakistan. How could somebody so reckless or callous go on to lead a country, a leader needs to clear his head and think before he speaks (or read as is the case with most of our leaders), they obviously speak with experience given the existing state of our country.

    Not only the opposition but the Pakistani people too were a little baffled by this suggestion/remark. The outpour of remarks and emotions against this comment was a tad bit overwhelming. People made their opinions public, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram had instantly turned into a battle ground with all the typing warriors from around the country glued to the screen throwing in words and retorts to support/defend their leader. It was a war of memes and snide remarks, one followed by another. Anybody and everybody who fancied themselves a certain somebody voiced their opinion and filled in on behalf of the chickens, it seemed as though they felt that its was unfair to unleash such a heavy duty onto the chickens.

    Mr. Prime Minister, in his defense, declared the opposition’s onslaught of his statement rather childish in nature and chided them for not having a vision. He went on to quote one of the world’s most renowned businessman, the pirate of the Silicon Valley, Mr. Bill Gates who had originally proposed the idea of chicken farming as a means of ending poverty. The gist of it was to provide a poor family with a certain amount of chicken (a rooster and a few hen) which could help both feed the family generate money for them, according to him the profit in this business per year was massive the likes of which could not be matched by any other form or type of business. It should be, according to him, enough to help them propagate the business further and they can move from poultry to livestock. The whole deal was centered on helping people by enabling them to run their own business and instill in them a sense of independence so that they do not have to depend on the state. Furthermore, breeding chicken or poultry farming was also supposed to be a good idea in terms of fodder, chicken don’t have vivacious diet and tend to feed on anything grass, seeds etc. thus limiting the expanses.

    Should a prime minister really be quoting a businessman? Should he really be suggesting poultry farming to people as a means of ending poverty or had he simply gone bananas? Was the suggestion really that ridiculous for people to have reacted like that or is that something people should typically expect of the Pakistani nation or is our prime minister a little too nonchalant to notice that the economic deficit we  currently face cannot simply be overcome by poultry farming.

    The truth really is that we as a nation are just a little too scared to try something new. We’re living in a world where desperate times call for desperate measures. At this point we should be willing to try anything that can get us out of this grotesque economic situation that has us as a nation constantly kneeling down asking for help. Better poultry farming then beg right? No harm in that. And doesn’t have to be everybody, just a few people. This idea wasn’t aimed at everyone. It was aimed at the poorer people hailing from different villages, to help them generate money for daily bread and butter. That being said we still need to be able to realize that at this point of time we need to generate our own resources. Poultry farming could be a subtle start to something big. It doesn’t have to start and end at this, it could go on to turn into something big. It’s about taking a start, cars don’t necessarily have to roar to life, modern technology ensures a quitter start but a longer and smoother journey. Produce and reproduce until the world takes notice. Take control of your future, pull all the strings, be the puppet master. We as a nation need to broaden our horizons, see what lies beyond and at least try to reach out to whatever lies there. This is how great nations are built. It doesn’t even have to be just chicken and eggs, it can be any form of business, anything that can help us generate capital and improve our overall GDP.

    Our new Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan comes with a fresh new vision, fresh ideas and a fresh new ideology. How often do we have our prime ministers saying Pakistan will follow the golden rules which were implemented in the riyasat of Madina. The political parties in the past were always lurking around the corner begging for help. They weren’t bothered by the dire state they had gotten our country into. They weren’t in the slightest interested in encouraging people in creating and running their own businesses, no incentives. Who needs to encourage this flock of sheep when our Swiss bank accounts are thoroughly and completely satisfied? Our only problem is that we have gotten accustomed to such treatment so badly that finally when somebody is willing to present us with opportunities we are not only too reluctant to accept the offer but too critical of the very idea and disrespectful of the person who gave us the idea, and that too through no fault of our own, we are just not used to being treated nicely and being offered chances like this. What becomes of Pakistan and PTI is a thing of the future and only time can tell.

    Name: Syed Shah Rukh Ali

    Class: M.Sc Mass communication

    CMS: 23271

    Semester: 3rd