Pillars of government

• Problems and possible solutions 

By: Dr Ahmed Kiani

The nation is once again at the crossroads of political anarchy, economic insecurity, international isolation, neighborly threat action and of course the ongoing ravaging effects of the Coronavirus in the form of illness, severe economic hardship and death. Such whimsical absurdities are played as a melodious tune for all ages since the country’s inception. The age of pseudo-intellectual men in power over the decades is the cause of the advent of psychosomatics, grand ethereal storytellers, fearfulness inciting fortunetellers, and complex engulfed national thinkers.

The new world order is witnessing a full circle in leadership and governance; the plutocrats govern the meager, narcissists and egomaniacs rule the modest and verbose deceive the succinct. Hence the wave of socialism of the 1960s has completely subsided, and fascism of the 1940s is fashionable again. Democratically elected or nepotism favored Machiavellian leaders of today are examples of such individuals, including Donald Trump (Age: 73), Narender Modi (Age: 69), Rodrigo Duterte (Age: 74), Kim Jong Un (Age: 36), Muhammad Bin Salman (Age: 34), Nicolás Maduro (Age: 57), Rama X (Age: 67) and most heads of African nations. What is alarming is that such racist, sexist, Marxist, evangelist or divisive tactics win voter confidence and promote accession to the throne, thereby, despicably resonating as the sentiments of the masses.

In today’s Pakistan or ‘Naya Pakistan’, there is no difference, Prime Minister Imran Khan, an excellent willed but a pitiable practitioner ascended to the top office by lambasting the status quo with very smart media marketing quirks and support from the country’s ubiquitous establishment. The projected statesmanship faded quickly, and now what remains effective is media-centric grand speeches at international summits or a ballet of imagination at political rallies or Islamic preaching to maintain relevancy in the global colosseum.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seems to be a complete a loose cannon, ready to strike with or without reasonable grounds for action. The gimmickry in the system is obvious as individuals are booked under NAB legislation and are set free by the courts. The recent act of government in curbing powers of the NAB is a positive move towards confidence building amongst the business community.

The doom before the so-called boom of PM Khan is a failing state with just close to two years in power. Catastrophes include defaulting businesses, collapsing industrial sector, unchecked/unabated inflation, exodus of educated/skilled young people, failures in agriculture to affect food security, diminishing global standing, soaring national debt, sluggish development, joblessness and most recently the gross mishandling of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic etc.

There are several factors aside from the above and the corrupt former leaders that contribute to the dilemma that is Pakistan today, the most important being people representing the state or at the helm of it. Some key features of where Khan’s reign is tremendously struggling include:

1. PM Khan’s unique selling point in election slogans overwhelmingly stated his team-building acumen such as that of the 1992 Cricket World Cup. There are three significant differences in that with his political fighting team:
   1. The team comprised of professional cricketers and not untrained switch hitters.
   2. Every individual had an assigned task to deliver upon.
   3. The youthfulness of the players.

What is evident in PM Khan’s team today is:

1. Cabinet ministers with no professional or academic background to govern their respective ministries hence the over-reliance on bureaucrats, advisors, and task forces, which showcases most Ministers’ incompetence.
2. Aged old-timers to the point of being in their last leg of life or have had their latest professional success decades ago, hence irrelevant choices. This can easily be resolved using a two-prong strategy:
3. Presidential form of government, where technocrats and experts are hired after parliament scrutiny to run ministries as specialists. Politicians should be responsible for legislation only.
4. Retirement as any other public office bearer at the age of 60. 70% of the country is under 30 years of age and governed by the old boy’s club, including PM Khan (Age: 67). Successful examples of young heads of state include Jacinda Ardern (Age: 39, New Zealand), Sanna Marin (Age: 34, Finland), Oleksiy Honcharuk (Age: 35, Ukraine), Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Age: 39, Qatar), to name a few.
5. The diplomatic community enjoys the perks abroad on foreign missions with minimal contribution to business generation or FDI injection. Their face-saving solely relies on international remittances from their respective country to the national exchequer. Recent achievements of our diplomatic frequent flyer club members include diplomatic failures in Kashmir & other anti-Muslim actions by the Indian state machinery, loss of support from Muslim states like Saudi Arabia / UAE, degradation in relations with China, Malaysian summit crisis and most recently the aftershocks of Iranian frontline battleground. A foreign service program, through the Civil Service, should be wholly replaced with PR specialists and lobbying experts, an example of which is Mr. Ali Jehangir Siddiqui and a PR / Investment target to be given with a bi-yearly review by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The bureaucratic system should also be replaced with multinational corporate set up with experts running ministries as opposed to the civil servant circus hopping from one ministry to another without credentials.
6. Media, which is responsible for the projection of the country, is a dogfight competition platform, where every curse on live stream is a point scored for TRP with blatant disregard to the authenticity of the content televised. Televised political shows portray civil anarchy, promote divisive hate-mongering, and personifies personal frustrations of individuals without achieving any consensus or providing a way forward but spreading despair to an already depressed society.
7. The judicial system is another marshal with a legal whip in its hand, overstepping in every way possible to make sure everyone is pinned against each other. Whether it assumes matters of the functioning of hospital facilities or Army Chief extension by the Head of State or very recently the command of Chairman PIA or granted bail to opposition leaders being prosecuted by accountability authorities. Chief Justices of the High and Supreme Court have turned into controversial administrators rather than law implementors. It should be made clear to them, that not every single moot point on popularity seeking case merits a Suo Moto class action. These efforts should be targeted in resolving the astounding volume of cases not benched to date and to keep a check on the legal fraternity to maintain decorum, especially after incidents of PIC Lahore. Ministry of Law should evaluate performance, and accountability agencies should strictly monitor the personal wealth of the entire judiciary.
8. National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seems to be a complete a loose cannon, ready to strike with or without reasonable grounds for action. The gimmickry in the system is obvious as individuals are booked under NAB legislation and are set free by the courts. The recent act of government in curbing powers of the NAB is a positive move towards confidence building amongst the business community. Although, individuals involved, especially politicians and close government aides of the present and past, should be under extreme scrutiny for any misgivings or misuse of office while in power.

These are just some examples of state pillars, which even PM Khan is unable to control or have made to function, emphasizing that either he is incompetent or inexperienced or unfit to lead. PM Khan is unquestionably the most successful philanthropic fundraising socialite the country has ever produced, with the exception that earlier it was for hospitals, and now it’s for the welfare of the so-called “Riasat of Medina.” If PM Khan does not address the fundamental principles of governance, it is only a matter of time that he too will be residing back at the Goldsmith mansion in London in a self-imposed exile.

The writer is a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. He is an expert in emerging technologies, having worked in the UK, USA, UAE, and Pakistan. Currently, he serves as Vice President of Core Group in Pakistan and can be reached at [email protected]