The Curse of Corruption
Despite the excellent work being done by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), corruption is alive and well and prospering in Pakistan. Unlike Saifur Rahman’s Ehtesab Bureau (EB) which targeted only the real or perceived enemies of Saif’s mentor or Saif himself, mostly not in that order, NAB has established a reputation for being even-handed even though sometimes they can be ham-handed. As the NAB Chief has himself acknowledged, where the target was not politically motivated EB did some good work. In balance EB failed because it differentiated between friend and foe in holding only foes accountable. The public perception about NAB is that they are going about their business without fear or favour though it is unfortunate that the “physicians have been restrained the healing either themselves or the judiciary”. This restriction undercuts the absolute credibility NAB badly needs and for that matter, deserves. However something is better than nothing, the already beggared can hardly be choosers, one’s only recourse is to be satisfied with whatever crumbs are thrown one’s way, at least a few of the infamous are being held accountable. Amjad has lived upto the reputation he arrived with to establish NAB, that in itself is a very positive sign. The character and integrity of leadership of any entity must not only be above question, it must be genuinely and universally admired to be of support to the ultimate purpose of its existence, in this case accountability with credibility.
Whether it is NAB or any other accountability unit, its effectiveness is only as potent as the integrity of its personnel, especially its lead managers and investigators. Unfortunately entities tend to misuse the military’s determination to wipe out corruption for their own nefarious purposes. Let us take the example of the 1000 or so CBR people dismissed by the Government. First of all, the purge was weighted in favour of the senior CBR personnel, the fact is that most of the corruption is at the top. Yet 850 of the 1000 suspended were class 3 employees, making a pittance for their own pockets compared to those in the upper echelon. And except for a handful of notorious cases among the senior CBR personnel, the rest were those generally without any “connection”. In the meantime, the corrupt thrive on the strength of this cleansing, they now have an open cheque to loot the country. The disappointment among the more honest CBR personnel was double, shock at seeing some genuinely honest persons among the “death” list, frustration as well as confusion at the very known corrupt surviving the axe. The question one asks, why was this cleansing operation muddied? And by whom? “Why” we can easily answer, to frustrate the process of accountability in CBR, “by whom” is more difficult.
Corporate Pakistan
Twenty-eight years to the day (Dec 16, 1971) when we broke apart the finest experiment of nationhood in the expanse of time, the Chief Executive (CE), Gen Pervez Musharraf addressed the nation on Dec 15, 1999, mainly to outline the much-awaited “Economic Revival Plan” (ERP) at another critical crossroads in our history, far more economic than political this time. The brainchild of the Finance Minister, Shaukat Aziz, assisted by an Economic Advisory Board, the theme was credibility with creativity, poverty alleviation with corporatisation and a distinct bent towards supply-sided economics while meeting crucial obligations that a nation has towards its downtrodden masses. Stripped of rhetoric, the CE’s speech addressed quite a number of substantive issues positively. Earth-shaking the initiatives were not, yet they broke some solid new ground and gave hope that with sincerity in implementation, there may be light at the end of the tunnel after all. The simultaneous reading of the CE’s speech in both Urdu and English on different PTV channels was a plus point in reaching out to all the people.
A Day of Reckoning
In his speech on Oct 17, 1999 the Chief Executive (CE), Gen Pervez Musharraf set one month’s deadline for loan defaulters and tax evaders to make good their commitments. Thereafter he set in motion the process of selection of like-minded people with credibility who would help him give good governance to the country while setting a workable system in place and bringing the recalcitrants to book. The one-month deadline expires on Nov 16, 1999 and given the General’s priorities, for those who do not heed the warning, Nov 17 should rank as a “day of reckoning”, or so the masses expect.
The big defaulters have already been identified, mainly in the industrial as well as in the agriculture sectors. In many cases loan default and tax evasion coincide. To make a list may not be as hard as one can imagine, however, to make a sort of a “rogue’s gallery” with cast iron evidence that will stand the scrutiny of the process of law, given the various loopholes present and the largesse available to hire the services of good lawyers, may be more difficult. The deadline has raised inordinate hopes and aspirations of the majority of the people of Pakistan, there are certainly motivated forces at work who will attempt to derail this process on one pretext or the other. On the other hand, having suffered for over five decades at the hands of the so-called elite, the masses are hungry for blood and Nov 17 has become a psychological landmark in the public expectations that is becoming scary with regard to possible consequences on either side.
Magic Wand or IMF Stick?
What others would not attempt in a lifetime, Moeen Qureshi’s Administration has carried out in less than eight weeks. MQ has had the courage to face upto problems affecting the lives of a majority of the Pakistanis in supersession of the motivated interests of a privileged and elite minority, a class act by any standard of measure.