THE people are sick of the scourge of loadshedding of both gas and electricity. It has been getting worse with the passage of time. Their anger often provokes them to take to the streets. More and more industrial units get closed owing to the power shortages. The result is massive unemployment and greater resentment against the government. But 'get ready for loadshedding' is the warning from Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf which is a cruel joke. Since already the worst kind of loadshedding is going on, he perhaps meant 'get ready for the worst'. As of now, except for big urban centres, the rest of the country is facing regular outages for several hours. Mr Ashraf's call, therefore, is intended to tell the nation to completely forget about electricity and start relying on lamps and candles. Much to one's chagrin, he feels no regret even after failing to meet the December deadline for ending loadshedding. On the contrary, he told reporters that loadshedding is a necessary evil. What is more, he pointed a finger at media for criticising the rental power plants. If he felt that the criticism was unjust, why did he not, in his capacity as the federal minister, separate fact from fiction? Obviously, there was nothing much to say in defence. Indeed the RPP projects symbolised corruption and bad governance, traits that have become the hallmark of the ruling class. Reports about kickbacks involving shady deals made with American firms have been rife. A number of generators were old and worn-out and their consumption of oil was unacceptably high which would have raised the country's demand for furnace oil. There is a perception that Mr Ashraf has been found wanting in his duty to do justice to his portfolio. Solving the energy crisis is no rocket science. All it needs is will and capable men who could practically deliver rather than making speeches.