Official reports by international consultants are all the rage nowadays. One can use them to whichever effect one wishes. It is no coincidence that the verb ?reporter? in French, actually means ?to postpone?.

Apart from a few mishaps, such as the ?intellectually limited? episode, the government has perfected the art of the politically correct. So much so that it rarely takes any important decisions without the backing of a report by an internationally-renowned consultancy. Not only does this approach cost the taxpayer a tidy sum, but it also conveniently allows the powers-that-be to postpone taking action on urgent matters until ?that report? is published and, by limiting the scope of the ?independent? consultant?s field of research, vindicates eventual decisions that defy both logic and popular sentiment. Oh, and in the event of a report disavowing policy, government can always order a new one, making sure to establish a set of rules that play in its favour. Masterful, yes. Sustainable, no.

When used as blueprints for a coherent long-term strategy, these documents can be useful. Unfortunately they are squandered, in the best of cases, on short-term political gain and, in the worst, on damage-limitation exercises. Three of these reports provide a case in point.

The South-East highway project has been a thorn in government?s side for a while now. Two official local reports condemned the ecological toll that the project would inflict on Ferney?s endemic forest. What does the ?most ecological Prime minister ever? do? He commissions international experts to complete a third one, though this time their job will be limited to approving one of the two routes designed by the Road Development Authority. By doing this, he ensured that the outcome would toe the official line.

The second example is the Carl Bro report on the Mare-Chicose landfill site. The inhabitants of the village next to the site, whose lives have been spoiled by it, waited years for this report which, they thought and hoped, would lead to a solution to their predicament even though the consultants never saw it fit to interview them. The report finally came. The solution didn?t. Government announced that it would wait for an Environmental Impact Assessment, which would take another five months, before deciding whether to relocate the villagers or the dump. Two down, one to go.

Last Sunday, the Prime minister visited the village of Chitrakoot where houses have been greatly damaged and rendered uninhabitable by landslides during the recent heavy rains. Some of them are literally cut in two. One of the houses is even leaning against a branch for support. Although government declared that fifteen families would have to be evacuated, it also said that?it would wait five months for a geological report before deciding on a concrete course of action. Thoughtfully, he asked them to look after their safety.

In all these instances, swift and appropriate action have been foregone in favour of reports by international consultants, who are unfamiliar with the local context. Not to worry though, we?ve got some consultants on the job. Their report will be ready in, oh say, five months?