Mahatma Gandhi once said that real progress of a nation is measured by the uplift of the people lying at its lowest strata. Does the current progress in the Gulf countries conform to this yardstick?
Only last year, not a single day passed without the talk in the media of launching new luxury real estate projects. Prices were exponentially rising with every new launch. As soon as a project was launched, it was claimed to be “sold out”. Who were buying? Will they use these properties for their own living? If not, who would be the ultimate users of these properties? Will they be the common masses? How would building luxury apartments and malls enhance the lives of the common man? How come the cost of living for ordinary people in the Gulf is becoming costlier, while the rising oil price have made Gulf countries richer? Are these the signs of “real” progress? These questions continue to baffle me.
A country’s entire workforce represents a pyramid - broadest at its base and narrowest at its tip. We need an army of people to perform countless menial jobs and gradually less number of those who discharge skilled and highly skilled jobs. The country must provide for such an infrastructure that would cater to their respective needs. There should be adequate housing for all categories - maximum for those living in the lowest income-group. I wish governments diverted some of their oil earnings in building low-cost housing in greater number than the mega projects of luxury properties.
A nation’s riches must be proportionately shared among all its residents in order to keep them happy. Happy residents eventually make a happy nation. There cannot be a better measure of progress for a nation than the uplift of all its residents, whether nationals or expatriates.
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