” The report also pointed out that GDP could have been higher by three percent or around Rs. 450 billion, had there been no shortage of power and water that has adversely affected the national economy. Today, bad governance has emerged as a much bigger challenge for the nation.Maladministration is not just limited to administrative failure but it also promotes a vicious circle of corruption which mars the whole structure and ultimately deteriorates the country’s socio-political system as well. Pakistani experience shows that as a direct result of bad economic policies of the past regimes since 1970s, corruption and poverty are rising drastically. The law and order situation is deteriorating with the government struggling to control it but all in vain as it lacks competent, professional and dedicated Officers who can bring desired social changes with effective reigning of the machinery.
The ruling coterie is dishonest, corrupt and above the law; the worst part is that the affluent strata are most certain that no meaningful action can be taken against them and they can get away at will. The most horrible impact of bad governance in Pakistan is that respect for rule of law has seemingly vanished in the minds of the rich. This has resulted in “might is right” syndrome in the society. Another aspect of bad governance is absence of balanced check and balance system and government’s inability to redress public grievances.
Our bureaucracy- the successor of the famed ICS, has also failed to follow the shining traditions of good governance of olden days; rather it has emerged as the complex and intricate administrative network which is self-servient. Steady transition of the bureaucratic elite from a key element in the State structure to a pervasive power in statecraft should be a case to study. It is a common fact that good socio-economic conditions help reduce corruption. People living in countries with acceptable living conditions, higher literacy rate, nurtured democratic systems and good governance standards are less poised to indulge in corruption.But corruption is not just linked with socio-economic circumstances of a country, it also creates and reinforces a vicious cycle of bad governance which ruins all institutions and poor suffers the most. Therefore, it undermines democracy not just the economic welfare.
Pakistan, unfortunately, has become a place where institutionalized corruption is taken as an accepted lifestyle. Due to lack of any institutionalized control mechanism, fraud is deep rooted in our social-culture and any half-hearted effort of eradicating it will not bear any fruit.We may need to learn from the British who ruled the vast continent of India with not more than 1500 ICS Officers; there were only 96 Muslim ICS among them, and only 86 joined the newly independent State of Pakistan. While the British ICS Officers were giants in their field due to their dedication and competence, the bureaucrats in Pakistan have ended up as selfish pygmies, more interested in their postings, perks and privileges.
Their Services’ infightings have further ruined the vital institution of civil service.For example, in Punjab DMG is skirmishing with its junior counterpart, the PCS and public relief is not a priority any more. The frequent military interventions, insolence for rules by ruling elite, lengthy legal system, lack of public-trust on government institutions and civil service’s failure to help solve these issues so that country could take off on the economic super highway, are but some of the reasons for bad governance in Pakistan which promises equality to all of its citizens. Democracy, as a result, failed to ensure a system based on good governance.Good governance can solve our most of the problems; it, if implemented correctly, can create an enabling environment for investment, including investment in the people and lead to higher income; help reduces poverty and improved social indicators.
With the passage of time, good governance has become a more specialized term. Starting from corporate governance to global governance and from project governance to nonprofit governance; its new dimensions prove that governance is taking new roots in today’s complex life.Similarly, with the emergence of information and communication technologies, e-governance is also help creating a comfy, translucent, and economical interaction between government and its citizens. Over the last more than two decades, as the ICT has started to grow up and influence our lives, several efforts have been conducted in the research and international development community in order to assess and measure the quality of governance all around the world.In today’s fast-paced world, good governance and bad-governance are going side y side in developing countries and Pakistan is no exception to this global phenomenon.
The core issue of all of our national as well as institutional decay lies in our failure to adopt a system of governance which delivers to the most of the people and doesn’t prove beneficial to ruling coterie alone. The mantra of democracy is good but we also need to develop and strengthen composite support institutions which could ensure corruption free functioning, efficient provision of basic resources to the public and transparency.Pakistani experience shows that our politicians prefer to sail along temporal slogans while ignoring the real issues and institution building. Pakistan cannot achieve good governance unless and until it is ready to develop a State structure which is people-friendly, transparent and backed by an efficient legal system. Otherwise, Pakistan’s corruption ranking will keep on spiraling every year as our national leadership lacks sustained, sensible, coordinated and well-planned approach to national problems like floods, energy, poverty and parochialism.
This complex paradox points-up the importance of efficient democratic governance for eradicating poverty through sustainable work for the poor. This can be done by promoting genuine democracy having accessible to all the 170 million people of Pakistan. This would be the right policy matrix for good governance in Pakistan. People now place their hope in God, since the government is no longer able to rescue citizens stricken by absolute poverty.
Indeed, it is all too clear that when the Federal or the Provincial governments perform poorly, resources are wasted, services are diverted for personal ends or not properly delivered, and the common men—especially the poor—are denied social, legal, and economic protection. Good governance is now considered as a sine qua non for poverty reduction. According to the Asian Development Bank a leading contributor to Asia’s poverty is poor governance, manifested in corruption, political instability, violence, absence of the rule of law, and ineffective government.The ADB points out that the type of government which is not accountable to all sections of society and which suppresses or stifles contrary views is likely to be less attentive to the needs of the poor. There is near unanimity among scholars and current affair specialists that an ineffective government cannot raise adequate taxes nor make the best use of government revenues. The government of President Zardari has ignored the need of taxing the affluent classes.
According to recently published data about 70% of the parliamentarians in the country do not pay any taxes.At least two Chief Ministers pay no taxes. Data on President Zardari is not available. There may have been no need to impose the RGST which has seemingly ended in a fiasco if President Zardari’s government had taken measures to plug the loss of Rs. 500 billion pilfered by the tax collecting officials of the Federal Board of Revenue.
Also the bleed of Rs. 300 billion by the State owned corporations could have been prevented if these dens of corruption were re-structured and their chief executives replaced by professional men of integrity.According to cables sent by the U. S.
Ambassador in Islamabad and leaked by Wikileaks, the government of President Zardari is ineffective and lacking in credibility. It is for this reason that donor countries have avoided making contribution to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund and have preferred to provide relief to the flood affectees through various non-government organizations (NGOs). Private Pakistani organizations and individuals have also preferred to provide assistance to the calamity struck people directly.Due to poor governance abilities, even several months after the floods, water from some of the affected areas has not been drained out and no worthwhile efforts have been made for efficient delivery of services in the health and education sectors. One of the worst manifestations of Government’s poor governance is the inability to maintain law and order and to control the eruption of violence.
In recent months, there has been an alarming increase in street crimes in Karachi. The perpetrators of these crimes are hardly ever arrested and brought to fact trial.The superior judiciary has often remarked that due to poor investigation by the police, criminals are released as cases against them are not established. It is not known if any action has ever been taken against police officials responsible for the poor investigations. Criminals responsible for sectarian violence are hardly ever arrested and brought to trial.
These failures have had a negative impact on the growth process of the economy. Despite pious declarations that “thana” culture will be eliminated, there is lack of political will and the ability to undertake the task. Thana” culture, in the event continues to flourish.The poor are the worst affected as they face financial extortion by the corrupt police officials.
They also suffer directly because corrupt and unscrupulous government functionaries enjoying the patronage of the local influentials are able to mis-appropriate public funds meant for provision of basic amenities to them. Pakistan’s ability to deal with the current economic crisis depends on rapidly developing a sound governance structure that is based on transparency, merit and professionalism.Governance includes a functioning administrative system at all levels that promptly responds to all situations that affect the life, property and well-being of the country’s citizens. Zero tolerance for corruption shall have to be the avowed state policy. Only then can Pakistan hope to attract both domestic and foreign investment.
This policy will also promote economic growth and retain talented citizens to serve in both the public and private sectors. The ultimate test of good governance, however, is the popular perception of the quality of management or governance.The main elements of the popular perception about governance in Pakistan can be summarized below:- • State power is used only for the benefit of the elite and does not protect citizens from the excesses of the powerful. • The leverage of power has been institutionalized by the rise of mafias who gain access to the political system.
• Corruption has become institutionalized and has become a well-developed habit. • Regulatory systems are believed to be not for the public welfare but for economic exploitation and suppression of the vulnerable sections of society.The general mass of population is alienated from the state institutions that exist for their welfare. This alienation has bred large scale cynicism. This alienation has led to the rejection of the system of governance. Pakistan has to restore the confidence of its people in the ability of the state to provide across the board accountability, make transparency the hallmark of all transactions and see itself as Caesar’s wife who must be above suspicion.
