All problems emanating from poor governance: Piracha

LAHORE - Chairman Good Governance Forum Mumtaz A Piracha has said that the root cause of all the problems Pakistan is facing today is the absence of good governance, which in turn generated problems of its own while no progress has been made finding the solutions of the same.
He expressed these views in a special interview with daily The Nation on Monday. Piracha said 1973 Constitution contained proper check and balance system but the amendments made had disturbed the balance of power and cited the 17th amendment as an example that shifted the equilibrium in favour of the president at the cost of the prime minister. But more importantly it initiated a new tug of war between the two, he added.
He said good governance could only be achieved when executive branch of the state worked properly and bureaucracy limited itself to accurate execution of the policies formulated by the popularly elected government.
He said in this regard, the judiciary must ensure to fulfil its responsibility to protect the rights the masses granted under the law of the land, while question the government whenever their rights are usurped. But at the same time, it important that the judiciary keep in mind the restrictions as prescribed by the constitution as well as the complete independence for delivering justice.
At the same time, Piracha reminded media of its responsibilities saying that to highlight the achievements and short comings of the government for improve its working.
Simultaneously, the civil society organisations should research and analyse the prevailing issues for presenting feasible remedies.
He was of the view that the challenges of today were a product of the last 10 years that could only be solved through good governance. He said the biggest issue being faced now was of economy, as whatever progress was made during the mast decade or so had benefited the landlords, elites, upper middle class and politicians, adding, it was the same lot who controlled 80 percent of national wealth but constituted only 20 percent of the population.
He was categorical in saying that until extensive development was not targeted in the agriculture and industrial sector, elimination of unemployment was impossible. He demanded special attention on small and medium enterprises and development projects at eh gross root levels along with effective measures to reduce alarming inflation. He also called for state intervention to curb various cartels and hoarders who manipulate the prices according to their interests.