A long, hot summer
The Allied Landings in France on June 6, 1944 remain the greatest maritime invasion in history, widely known as “the longest day”. Karachi had recorded 47 degree Celsius 47 years ago, it reached the second highest temperature three days ago on June 7, 2000 at 45.5 degree Celsius. The last days of May and the first few days of June 2000 being any indication, we are in for a long, hot summer and not of the seasonal kind. Mulling protest in the face of documentation, the traders’ wildcat alliance with religious activists on the anti-blasphemy issue drew first blood. Since the tax surveys started on May 27, virtually the entire community of shopkeepers are on a shutter-down strike. One trader died at the hands of taxmen in Faisalabad, another shot himself dead in the offices of the Islamabad Electric Supply Company Limited (IESCO). False rumours being circulated about his “murder” by WAPDA men, the result was anarchy in parts of the capital as police used tear gas and batons to clear the protesters. Transporters have now joined the countrywide strike action as economic life threatens to come to a virtual standstill.
There are two parts to the Oct 12 counter-coup, viz. (1) the Army’s reaction to the sacking of the COAS by the PM while he was away from the country and (2) the decision by the COAS to take over the governance of the country. The second part had been discussed within the military hierarchy since the storming of the Supreme Court in 1997. The initiative had a single nexus, that politicians had destroyed the institutions of the State, and thereby put its integrity and sovereignty at risk through corruption, nepotism, inefficiency, overspending, bad-decision making etc. The military’s aim on taking over was clear, to viz. (1) govern the State (2) restore the economy (3) effect accountability and (4) reform the institutions of the State to restore viability. Accountability and reforms take time, it is in day to day governance that the military’s normal surefootedness is faltering, mainly for economic reasons but including extraneous pressures, lack of inherent experience in nation’s governance, selection of average ministers with bloated reputations and sparse experience in administration, lack of contact with the needs of the masses, and last but not the least, corrupt holdovers from the previous regime in key public posts, protected by new “Godfathers” among the khakis and giving the perception of “business as usual”. The process of accountability and the reforming of institutions is proceeding with fits and starts, the initiatives are still in the theoretical realm rather than of any practical significance.
The most important of the reforms proposed is the concept of district government. Some of the ideas incorporated are brilliant but in a country divided on ethnic, religious and sectarian basis, are they practical? Feudal lords dominate the rural areas and the nouveau rich rule the urban, a common melting pot is necessary where pragmatism must rule over theory. There is too much distance between the Province and the District, without an intermediate governance mode command and control will disintegrate. Some tribal leaders and principal waderas may even make “unilateral declaration of independence” (UDI). Financial powers are still directly in the hands of the bureaucrats, the allotment of 50% of power to women will work very well in the urban areas, a non-starter for the rural areas where the process should be on a phased basis. The Feudal will misuse his powers through the puppets that he will install on women seats. The police reforms proposed by Lt Gen Moinuddin Haider did not envisage police being put under the aegis of the Chief Mayor in the Districts, rumours are that the NRB may well remove the police from under his operational control to forestall misuse by the influential tribal Chief/Wadera who will otherwise give anybody who does not toe the line a short shift, the population will be in worse trouble than it is now. While the much-touted economic reforms are still rhetoric, the decentralization of financial powers to the Provinces and down to the Districts is an excellent initiative, why should a faceless bureaucrat sitting in a cubbyhole in Islamabad have control over what is necessary for Arambagh, Karachi to ease the travails of the common citizens of the area? This principle should also apply to taxation, let the Districts collect Federal and Provincial taxes according to a common formula, retaining a portion, anything between 20-30% for the District’s needs. Why should affluent Districts line up for the dole from the Federal and Provincial Governments alongside the not-so-affluent Districts that need to? Unless local authorities get into the tax collection act, this will remain an imperfect exercise. Personal income tax and property tax should both be decentralized, corporate taxes should remain under Federal preserve.
Progress has been made on accountability but the reported statement of the NAB Chief Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Muhammad Amjad that “deals” will be made with those who have plundered the nation’s wealth is very alarming, opening the door to rampant corruption. Will Amjad be able to control his own people from getting involved in the “deals”? A criminal act deserves punishment, who will quantify the volume of crime? What about those civilian lawyers that NAB has engaged for various references, some may well misuse that authority for some other client in the pursuit of their private practice? One unscrupulous person from Lahore from a very famous law firm claims to be connected to NAB is doing just that, having failed in his efforts before the Arbitrator and the superior judiciary. Such rascals should be barred from private law practice. Those who have made billions illegally can easily afford to “ransom” themselves, made up (and much more) in no time when they are free. A very respected investigative journalist did a full expose of two presently held in NAB custody. In short time the journalist was forced to keep his peace. Other than legal steps taken to shut the man (and the newspaper) up, the Group’s various companies quietly warned various newspapers and magazines that they would suspend all advertisements if any “adverse” news items appeared. Such is their ethics and morality, everyone kept quiet. On requesting the journalist concerned for a copy of the investigation report that appeared in the newspaper many years earlier, he categorically denied having a copy. The newspaper did not have it in their records. People were deathly scared of them and no wonder, a senior tobacco executive of that Group wanted to leave because of all the illegal activity. When he threatened exposure, he was brutally murdered in Islamabad, the mystery has never been solved. From getting bank loans under different names to smuggling contraband and nuclear missile material to evading excise, customs duties and direct taxes, they are into every criminal act conceivable. Having a virtual stud farm of highly paid lawyers and influential lobbyists on their pay roll, they have full flank protection on their black money which is now legitimate, so what is the NAB chief talking about? Accountability has to be even-handed and should be as applicable to NAB and army personnel as anyone else. If some army personnel are mixed up with them, it should be brought out. “At the height of the Islamic State, a permanent department was always maintained to oversee the activities of officials and to correct and punish all their wrong acts. The department was also responsible for maintaining moral standards in society and for disposal of cases and complaints. These duties were performed by the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) himself during his lifetime”, an extract from “The Last Prophet and Teachings”.
The matter of governance should be totally separated from the accountability and reforms. The quality of leadership at the helm of affairs of the nation is often found wanting, particularly in matters of character and integrity. In reading a book called “Wisdom of the CEO”, contributed to by 29 of the world’s leading Corporate executives, one comes across much advice that is of striking similarity to the role of any CEO.
For any Head of State or Government (e.g. the CE of Pakistan) it is desirable to know where the nation and the nation’s enemies are heading. Next the CEO should cultivate “confident nervousness”. Confidence is great, not when it translates into complacency, and lastly, the CEO should surround himself with people capable of thinking better and smarter than himself. For the sake of this nation he should focus on the actual results being generated, reputations are merely a figment of public perception, fed by the bullshit artists who work the Public Relations (PR) of the person. That is no substitute for performance.
Good governance at the national level cannot be run on reputation alone but on performance. That is the bottom line, to perform ably for this nation without becoming a prey to different temptations, unfortunately barely six months into the mandate one has reason to be apprehensive.
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