The right to strike, the right to protest, and the right to dissent are part of the freedom a person enjoys as an inhabitant of the world. It is the basic action that distinguishes these rights and the intentions of those who enjoy, suffer, or participate in the rational or irrational display of these rights. The expression of these rights is universal. For example, workers strike against the so-called injustices of the employers, the oppressed protest the treatment meted out by intimidators, and peaceful activists do not agree with the hard-liners who advocate supremacy or a tough stand. This expression is an on-going process and people take advantage of these rights in varied ways. In Pakistan, these rights have been increasingly practiced by those who work for the Government. The recent trend by Government employees is to energize their rusted vitality and channelize it into exhibitions of disagreement.

The income Tax employees have pulled down the shutters of their place of work and have walked off the job. They have presented a long list of demands to Mr. Ghulam Yazdani Khan, the affable Chairman of Central Board of Revenue. The immediate result has been the complete cessation of all endeavors to collect revenue, for resolving all claims, and for dispensing of all appeals against decisions of the Income Tax authorities. The Ministry of Finance is determined to broad-base the tax net and thus has to keep a very large staff in the Income Tax department. Since CBR is stuck with this large network it is having difficulty in agreeing to the demands put forth by the striking employees. Thus the mass walk-out by the latter. Whether the demands are justified or not is not the moot point. But an UDC in the Income Tax Building was recently asked how much was his monthly emoluments. He said its enough to cover one day's expenses. His salary? Rs.1600 per month!! Nevertheless, it is ironic that revenue collectors are fighting among themselves.

The Customs people recently went on a strike. It seems that the FIA discovered some alleged shenanigans by certain Customs personnel. After apprehending the alleged offenders, the ever vigilant FIA incarcerated them till further actions. Naturally the Customs personnel went on a lightening strike which put all import-export shipments and clearance on hold, the sea port and the airport activities at a standstill, and mayhem at the various business and industrial houses. This episode illustrates vividly how fraternal brothers are antagonistic towards each other and dislike interference in their activities. They want a free hand to do whatever they feel like doing and without any obstructions. Of course they don’t appreciate giving this facility to the private enterprise. Nevertheless, it is ironic that law protectors are fighting among themselves.

The school teachers of nationalized schools are on strike. The sagacious decision of the Government to denationalize schools previously run by various communities was lauded by all except the teachers themselves. The Government had accepted the fact that the policy of nationalizing schools was a clear-cut failure. Proved without any doubt. Thus the reversal in the policy. The Government did not act like an ostrich. It moved pragmatically and unshackled these schools from captivity. Then why are these teachers striking? The reason is obvious. They want a lethargic atmosphere in the schools, they want unregulated supervision in the schools, and they want to impart third-rate education in the schools. Nevertheless it is ironic that the knowledge dispensers are fighting among themselves.

The easy way out adopted by Government employees who want to keep workload at a minimum, who want to keep the flow of assignments disoriented, and who want to strangulate the normal routine of their tasks, is taking Pakistan to the road to disaster and devastation. The above three examples are only the March 1990 versions of the attitudes of Government employees. It could be worse in the future. If the police stop controlling traffic or catering crooks, if the utilities switch off power, gas or water, if the telephone linemen let phones go our of order, if the dock workers refuse to unload wheat or fertilizers, if the trains do not chug-chug, or the planes do not jet in the sky, or the ships do not sail, or if the Government machinery goes on a self-declared vacation, it will be bye-bye time for the citizens of Pakistan. As it is, the efficiency of the above mentioned is dismal. Strikes, protests, and dissents are effortless avenues of force one's viewpoints, but hey are not panaceas to salvation.

If the Government employees what to hit home their perspectives they should embark on a course that will enable them to reasonably attain their desired objectives and at the same time obtain total public support for their endeavors. This is only possible if their actions bring about a commensurate relief, comfort, and benefit to the people. Some ideas are proposed for the Income Tax Staff, Customs Staff, and School teachers which will assist them into becoming "goody-goody" models for others to emulate and for those citizens who have to deal with them.

The first process envisages those Income Tax employees who are striking for better wages and benefits. They should observe a strike by getting all income tax returns cleared in the fastest time available. They should not use red tape to delay matters, they should not use red-tape to prepare superficial observations, and, they should not use red-tape to make an assessee's life miserable. They will not harass the tax payers and they will create a conducive and friendly. Environment in the income tax building. They will strike vehemently to collect realistic revenue for the Treasury and at the same time abstain from treating tax payers arrogantly and contemptuously. The after-effects of the strike will also be felt on the higher ups in the department who will then help formulate positive policies to bring about honest change in the efficiency and productivity of the department.

The second process envisages those Customs personnel who have their own axe to grind. They should announce that henceforth they will register their protests by clearing all shipments without charging "speed money" from the consignees. They will further protest by expeditely completing all paperwork and acknowledging that all importers are not out to hoodwink the Government. They will put their total effort on convincing themselves that they will protest by making the Customs Department the darling of CBR. The top honchos at CBR will then shelve their program to handover Customs to foreign organizations to operate.

The third process envisages those teachers who are instructors in Government schools. Rather than quibbling about the professed calamity that will fall on them if the schools are denationalized, they should show their displeasure by putting in extra time and effort to teach the young children. They should strongly protest by doing more research to enable them to inform students about the progress in this world. They should zealously protest by taking more interest in a students' classwork and not coerce the students into getting tuition from them after school hours. They should fiercely protest by improving their command over the subjects they instruct. Then, they will not be afraid of the positive consequences of denationalization.

The above processes are just the beginning. The same procedure can be applied to other job classifications with affirmative results. Hopefully, this will usher in an era where the citizens be sympathetic towards the bureaucracy and not display the apathy or ill-will as is the case now. This will usher in an era where the Government functionaries will get the work assigned to them done in the prescribed way and that the word "red-tape" will become OBSOLETE. This will usher in an era where the business and industrial community can sit down with policy makers to avolve realistic long term policies beneficial to the country. The F. Government employees will reap the fruits of co-operation too. There is a pertinent Latin proverb which says "No one knows what he can do until he tries."