One of the prevailing views about Pakistan revolves around the absence of good governance. From the collection of taxes to the distribution of funds to provinces to development projects to reported corrupt practices in Ministries and Departments, an array of ills could be named in this regard. By the same token, inefficiency, sheer lack of expediency and accountability are quoted as reasons for the continuous failure of successive governments in addressing issues of public interest and implementing policies both at home and abroad. Being continuously in firefighting mode, the government machinery has hardly any space for it to focus on real issues such as the alarming population growth, deteriorating health and education sectors and other impending issues such as climate change. Policy failures, looming economic recession, inflation, unemployment and lack of foreign currency coupled with additional borrowing and portentous debt-servicing further tighten the noose, resulting in an unending blame-game. Add into it the enormous costs of counterterrorism efforts, combating extremism and various security-related issues and you are looking at a very gloomy picture of the future of this country.
Then there are theories and various doctrines that vanish from the scene the moment the propagators of such brilliant ideas fade away, leaving behind inconsequential debates. One can perhaps alter the course of the present through the honest implementation of policies. Or, perhaps one can lay the foundation for a bright future by following the rules of morality and good governance. However, one cannot change the past no matter how empirical one might be in their approach. But no. We are more interested in finding the truth in history rather than creating our own for the benefit of future generations. One would find a long list of queries that are still prowling the national scene when asked why Mohammad Bin Qasim was sent to Sindh to reopen debates on the independence of Pakistan to the fate of numerous judgments and inquiry reports. We take immense pride in Islamic history and its revered heroes. The question is: how many such heroes, has the nation produced since independence? Pure, home-grown heroes…!!!
Is Pakistan a poor country? The answer is no. Look around and see if you come across anyone without a cell-phone. Somehow, food is available for everyone as there is no emerging food crisis. Secondly, the dreadful macroeconomic figures do not seem to correspond with those invisible but estimated figures of the informal economy. If society truly reflected the reported macroeconomic situation, you would already have experienced wide-scale protests, civil war, looting and the gathering of millions in protest, and that too by their own volition...!! Bottom line? Evaluate the official figures projected by the government or the State Bank but try assessing the real-world verisimilitudes yourself.
That does not mean the people of Pakistan are living in paradise. The answer is somewhere in between. A few indicators might suggest the kind of societal environment we are breathing in. Travel from Islamabad to Lahore at any time of the day. Let me know if you survived the traffic particularly before reaching Rawat without cursing the idea of traveling by road. Contact any lawyer on any legal issue and you will soon lose confidence in the entire legal system of the country. Go to any hospital or clinic or visit any doctor or dentist and you will be mentally and financially exhausted while going through various unnecessary tests and that too, much before your ailment is diagnosed. Try getting a plot in any of the housing societies or start building a modest house for the family and you will become well acquainted with the nuances of deceit and mental torture. Visit any government school and ask the teachers a couple of questions on the subjects they teach. In response, see how they tell you stories about the meager salaries they get and how difficult it is to make both ends meet.
Attend a poetry-recitation session and see how generously the host-poet receives profound appreciation for a rendition of poetry which might not even be composed by him. Have you noticed
the mushrooming of beggars all over Pakistan? The new begging techniques could con rich and poor equally. Last but not least, try lodging an FIR at any police station without any outside help. Anecdotally, one must look for either a powerful sifarish or be ready to pay handsomely for any job in Pakistan, particularly in the public sector. This way, you could get a pilot’s job without ever traveling by air. It is surprising to see medical doctors practicing with fake degrees. Even more surprising is the fact that patients actually recuperate after following the hurriedly scribbled prescriptions by such quacks. This is Pakistan…!!! The land of the pure…!!!
You must be wondering about the point I am making after stating the obvious…!! Here it is. The point is very simple. Elections will never be the panacea to reverse the process or change anything on the ground nor mutate the mindset of both the rulers and the ruled. A total societal overhaul is needed if Pakistan wishes to take off or at least set the ball rolling.
Frankly, to put the country back on track, you need a Jinnah, a Mao Zedong, a Mahathir, a Lee Kuan Yew, a Nelson Mandela and a Mother Teresa to work together as a team for a considerable period of time. Or, simply put, what Pakistan needs right now is a powerful but honest Scrum Master, who should facilitate an agile development team to manage, communicate, self-organize and make quick changes in accordance with laid down principles. The goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. The foremost objective of the Scrum Master should be to ensure only one thing i.e. accountability. Incidentally, someone in Pakistan apparently tried to hold the culprits accountable. He failed on three accounts. One that he had to bring all stakeholders on board before jumping the gun. Two, that he needed an agile team and three, that he himself was ‘accountable’ too.
Who should the Scrum Master be, I leave it to your better judgment.