Letters To The Editor


“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” –Aristotle



The fight against corruption

In this age of globalisation, where economic motives precede over all virtues and traditions, protection of larger public interest from great corporate scandals has become matter of great concern. Faced with cut-throat competition, fraudulent conduct, illegitimate dealings and corrupt practices have become the norm. The exposes that have surfaced recently in the public and corporate domain have made a serious dent into the country’s image and in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, 2021, Pakistan ranked 124 out of 180 countries. This issue is one of the biggest challenges facing the country. What can be done? The political class has failed to tackle the issue, the complicity of the bureaucracy is an open secret and the corporate houses seem to be hand in glove with the unscrupulous. The answer has to come from the lesser mortals, the ordinary people who are the real stakeholders. Against this backdrop there is need to understand and strengthen the framework of whistleblowing. Corruption is a phenomenon that affects everyone in society. Whether you represent a small or big business or work in public service, whether you are an employer or self-employed, poor or rich, you will be affected by corruption, directly or indirectly, since the costs of corruption are suffered by society as a whole. All parts of society, therefore, have an interest in containing corruption, and must share the responsibility. Corruption must never be perceived as an inalterable fact of life. We all can, and should, have our share in enhancing a culture of transparency, integrity and accountability. But maintaining a strong rule of law does not necessarily come automatically. It is an everyday challenge. We are all called upon every day to uphold the rule of law when carrying out our duties. This is not always easy, especially in difficult economic times.

Rabia Shah,
Karachi.

Bridge the communication gap between parents and children

The term generation gap has become synonymous with the communication gap in today’s life. With the involvement of technology and parents running behind earning more and more money to provide better facilities to their children, parents forget that the materialistic things and the values and morals taught to the child will shape his personality. The upbringing of a child depends upon a healthy communication between a parent and a child. Parent-child communication could be a sophisticated method that involves words, behaviour, non-verbal cues, and emotional signals. The communication gap is increasing widely day by day. Folks are working overtime and come home exhausted and eventually get too busy to pay quality time with kids. Thus, children get emotionally distant from their parents and fall prey to online friends, online gaming, etc. But why is there a communication gap to begin with? Pakistani parents mostly try to impose their thoughts and will on their children because they believe that they are always too young to make life decisions. And say it or not, the beginning of this imposition of will is the beginning of the end of the thought sharing process by the children’s side. Another prospect of this communication gap is the mindset difference between them, which originates from the age gap. Parents are often too rigid to understand that needs and mindsets were not the same 30 years ago. Although it’s hard to resolve the problems between a parent and a child, it is simply bridged if, especially, parents attempt to communicate with youngsters on a daily routine. Any conflicting or disputable problem must be thoroughly discussed and reacted healthily to avoid any confrontations and penalties. Parents ought to provide them enough space so youngsters will candidly share their issues with them and perceive their scenario from their viewpoint.

Laraib Abid,
Karachi.


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