Daily Times

The logic of democracy and general elections in the country is to create an enabling culture to strengthen state’s institutions and to fix problems and issues inherited by the new political set-up that comes to power. When the performance is not visible, and the focus continues on talk of actions and inaction of the previous rulers the question arises as to who will ease the jitters and the unease.

The perception that the new economic team has been installed at the behest of the International Monetary Fund or those controlling foreign lenders has negatively impacted the credibility of the new government. With the frequent decline in the value of Pakistan’s currency against US dollar, the country’s debt and liabilities have gone up by $10.6 billion in the first nine months of the ongoing fiscal year. The report of an IMF bailout package resulted in panic. It should have brought some stability in the country’s economy. The economy is choked. Some analysts attribute this to the absence of an active informal economy, mainly due to the accountability drive.

To some, it has been ‘love’s labour lost’; a negative reflection on the ability and capacity of the government. The system seems to be dysfunctional; nobody knows what is happening, and what for. Doing business has become far too expensive. Ordinary people are unable to meet the simple needs of their families.

Growing frustrations make people react to developments in a negative way. Some extreme cases of poverty and deprivation are showing dangerous consequences, leading to people committing suicide; crime rate is also seen likely to escalate. The objectives and mission of the current government need clarifying. The communication strategy of the government has to be realistic and problem-oriented, considering that most people are worried and find themselves helpless. Prime Minister Imran Khan has to come out of his opposition days. Feeling empathetic, he should introduce policies to bring relief and comfort to the people. Quarters that helped the PTI into power must be wondering what is happening and why.

The price of petrol was increased by nine rupees before the open IMF deal, but it is said that it was part of the covert deal. The increase will have a cumulative effect on prices, and people will come under further economic pressure. The common citizen has been burdened with massive price hike in all commonly used items across the country. Another inflation bomb brought 12 per cent increase in the price of petrol and 17 per cent raise in diesel. Petrol now costs Rs 108 per litre. Diesel costs Rs 122.32 per litre. It is not the end of the story. Pakistan is yet to deal with the new budget (2019-20). It is feared that the post-budget situation is going to be dreadful for the common citizen.

Collective wisdom of the government and the opposition political parties should be utilised to control the economic meltdown and limit its consequences

The government’s exchange rate policy has failed. The manufacturig sector is in trouble, the stock market is crumbling, the agriculture sector is in a critical condition requiring intensive care, and masses are strained on a daily basis. Businessmen strongly oppose a further hike in gas tariff. Instead of improving performance of gas companies and introducing reforms in their operations to reduce their losses, the government is passing on the burden of their inefficiency to the people. The same can be said about the cost of electricity. It is for the departments concerned to reduce transmission losses and to stop theft of electricity. Why should the losses be recovered from law abiding users by adding the lost revenue on electricity bills? Consumers are not supposed to be punished for mismanagement and corruption in these departments

When there were no tweets and no tweeters, a US dollar was almost equal to a rupee. “We are under a technical economic attack.” A US dollar is now worth more than Rs 150.00 plus. Market exchange is different from the inter-bank rate. “At a time when Pakistan should have been making independent and sovereign choices, it is forced into compromises with implications for future generations.” Decision-makers have to think of alternative strategies. Expert knowledge and vision is essential to secure plans with concrete advantages.

Despite the negativity of the economy and the politics, we should not give up hope. A resort to agitation at this stage will be a recipe for disaster. Now is the time to handle the economic crisis like a national emergency. Collective wisdom of the government and the opposition political parties should be harnessed to control the economic meltdown and its consequences. Politicians need to move away from revenge and hurling threats at one another.

It is the time to think in terms of national interests and strategy and policies for a way forward. All parliamentarians should rise above their personal political interests for the greater national cause. They should give up their agitation plans, considering that saving the sinking economy needs to the top priority. If parliamentarians on both sides of the divide do not act now in the national interest, they would create an impression that they are not true representatives of the people and only represent selfish and vested interests. The people have already lost hope in the government and the actors on the other side of the divide.

Imran Khan needs to look beyond the PTI. As prime minister, he is expected to lead from the front. He has to act with an open mind and objectivity, his role in the past left behind, far behind. Pakistan has great capacity and potential for a way forward in all walks of life, civil and military. But there are certain areas where we have needlessly over-reacted and wasted time as a precious national resource; the proclivity for discussing corruption in Pakistan on an international stage is harmful and counter-productive. The issue of corruption has wasted a lot of time of our courts and other institutions without any gain. Considering there has been more pain than gain in the exercise, a perception has emerged that it was all hate and revenge politics. The need of the times is to hold back petty jealousies and work for the larger interest of the country. All our institutions are rich in human resources.

Why should Pakistan not benefit from the valuable rich experience of our talented men and women?

Following the experience of public and private sectors of the economy of other countries, Pakistan can reinvent itself to rebuild our state-owned enterprises, making them efficient and economical . When the attitude of politicians, the decision makers, is to privatise rather than improve the performance of public enterprises, such as the Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Steel Mills and the Water and Power Developmental Authority, the country and its people will continue to suffer.

Those who promote negative thinking are not doing any service to the people. They will be accountable to the people. Remember that productivity and morale are positively interrelated. Higher the morale, higher the productivity. Higher productivity is motivation for still higher productivity. This phenomenon is known as ‘achievement motivation’, a favourite of good planners and smart managers. Experience of private sector can be easily adopted and adapted by the public sector.

There is need to promote democratic norms and an understanding that the current crisis can be fixed and controlled best with collective wisdom of the government and the opposition political parties. The opposition has to show patience and extend cooperation to resolve national issues. The government is expected to keep the public informed of all initiatives that could address national causes.

We need internal as well as external wisdom for cooperation to resolve conflicts and difficult issues and problems. We need to cultivate tasteful behaviours and rethinking for a way forward. In his address at the plenary session of the Shanghi Cooperation summit held recently, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi linked Pakistan’s future with shared Pan-Asia prosperity, and called for an institutional framework to meet common challenges, mainly terrorism, poverty and economy. He said, “Enduring peace and prosperity in South Asia will remain elusive without good faith diplomacy and result-oriented dialogue.”

Qureshi said, “Today I met Sushma Ji, she has a complaint that we sometimes talk in a bitter manner. She brought sweets today so we could speak sweetly.” Qureshi made it clear to her that Pakistan wants all matters to be resolved though dialogue. “If India takes one step forward, Pakistan will take two steps forward. Even today we are ready for talks,” as PM Imran Khan had said in his very first speech.

Let’s hope that the Sushma-Qureshi meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, opens the way to Pakistan-India dialogue to reduce tensions and pave the way to resolve all issues between the two neighbours who have much to share in the interest of peace and prosperity.

The writer is former Director, National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) Government of Pakistan