Daily Times

The new government is in, and the 30 days to come will determine the course of our future. No matter who wins and forms the government the situation on hand is most challenging. Most of the political analysts are skeptical about changes happening over a short period of time but change in its true essence should happen or start happening as soon as the oath is taken.

Coming to the five quick wins in first 100 days:

First, start bringing back hundreds of billions of dollars of Pakistan tax payers money stashed away by the corrupt politicians, bureaucrats etc. as cash in Swiss banks and other safe havens or in any other form like property, etc.

There are senior bureaucrats who had earlier taken forward this matter in previous governments, but the issue saw no conclusion due to political interference, and possibly their own self-interests. The needed homework is,however,already done. What’s needed is action, and the incoming government can deliver it.

Second, enact immediate abolishment of all discretionary quotas and powers that any pillar of the Government may have acquired over the last 71 years.

Third, put an end to VIP protocols — under no pretense, security or otherwise, should this be allowed.If political parties were able to continue their election campaigns despite the terrorism, then there is no need for anyone to take the cover of security protocol. Especially when common citizens are equally vulnerable.

Fourth, corruption in simplistic terms is use of public assets/funds for personal use.To address this menace, drastically slash all unnecessary government non-development expenditures — there are hundreds of such needed actions, a few of them, to start with, includes a ban on all government perks eg VIP protocol, vehicles, residences, entertainment, discretionary/slush funds, extraordinary post-retirement benefits, etc.Pakistan can no more afford to feed all these white elephants;especially,given the current state of the economy and governance, and their contribution to the whole mess we are in today. It is time to take collective responsibility and move on.

With the new government coming into power, my sincere and humble plea to its economic team would be to first ensure the documentation of the economy at the transaction level and then go for any serious economic reforms

Finally, we need to start immediately documenting the economy at the transaction level — I am sure there would be many alternatives to taking the economy out of its current tailspin. The payments I make mostly never get documented. This is very strange as in many underdeveloped countries where there are no high-tech IT systems still they would not transact a single penny without documenting it with the government revenue system.

With the new government coming into power, my sincere and humble plea to its economic team would be to first ensure the documentation of the economy at the transaction level and then go for any serious economic reforms. Pakistan Paindabad.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Published in Daily Times, July 26^th 2018.