BR Research

Elmo blows the whistle at the Rafi Peer group

As if there wasn enough happening in the Pak-US relations arena, recent corruption charges on the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop - the group co
Published June 8, 2012

 As if there wasn enough happening in the Pak-US relations arena, recent corruption charges on the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop - the group contracted by USAID to produce the local version of Sesame Street, Sim Sim Hamara - dealt another unpleasant blow.The USAID has annulled further funding for the childrens TV series owing to credible allegations received against the theatre group for using the proceeds for personal matters. Out of the $20 million allocated for the production of the programme, $6.7 million had already been disbursed. Since the show premiered in 2011, 26 episodes have been made, which is a third of what was originally planned. Noting that about a third of the disbursements had been issued only and not more, one leans towards urging further investigations to verify the accusation. This move comes amidst growing Pak-US tensions regarding US drone strikes and Pakistans closure of NATO supply lines, making one suspect some diplomatic influence on the abrupt cessation of finds for the educational programme. "No one is questioning, obviously, the value and positive impact of this kind of programming for children. But this is about allegations of corruption," State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, was quoted in the Reuters. The agency also reported of a similar withdrawal of US funding from the Palestinian version of the programme this year following Palestinian efforts to gain admission into the United Nations. Contrary to what this suggests, one hopes that such appreciable educational initiatives for children are not subject to diplomatic relations between countries. Faizaan Peerzada, Chief Operating Officer of Rafi Peer, denied these allegations, claiming that the USAID funding was meant to end in September anyway. The group plans to continue with the local version of the show, however, and will be seeking other sources of funding to continue to produce it. The funding was terminated even though Investigations are still underway about the charges against the group. "We deemed that the allegations were serious enough that we wanted to suspend or cut off the programme until we were able to complete this investigation because we take misuse and misspending of US taxpayer dollars very seriously," Toner was quoted by the Reuters. Yet, regardless of the outcome of the investigation, the repercussions for the image of both Pakistan and the Rafi Peer group are not to be ignored. The news has done the rounds of international media extensively, and readers comments tend to indicate a lack of surprise about this coming from a country like Pakistan known for corrupt practices. For the Rafi Peer group, this puts question marks about the integrity of the group, and will likely be a strong hindrance when it comes to seeking additional funds. Needless to say, the fate of a great programme for children will go into limbo. What more can one do but lament at the sad state of affairs that is afflicting the social fabric of the country too, besides the political and economic misgivings?

Comments

Comments are closed.