“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat”. (Theodore Roosevelt) The above quote really define people like PM Imran and his honesty, commitment, intent, sincerity, tenacity, passion, leadership charisma, rock star status etc. Shaukat Khanum and Namal would not have been possible without him. Likewise, PTI! His unwavering, 23-year struggle against corruption is an outstanding example of what one man’s tireless efforts can achieve! However, his and PTI’s biggest challenge was and is to pre-empt corruption, rebuild state institutions and ensure sustainable good governance which requires competent leaders of integrity be appointed to the right roles. Either he ups his game and accepts that his tried and trusted leadership style of 22 years in political opposition does not work in government because this realization is critical for him to change so he can look at alternative models to help him We routinely hire cooks, drivers, office boys, tea boys, cleaners, mechanics, plumbers, because of their skills but in governance and political power we appoint a whole circus of monkeys. From Imran we expected differently! Yet after two years the quality of his team is no different, perhaps worse than his predecessors and he has repeatedly failed in appointing the right people to the right roles with regular confusion and disarray becoming hallmarks of his administration. And in fairness to him, despite the Olympian expectations he had built up prior to being elected. No one expected a miraculous economic turnaround in 2 years. No one expected Pakistan to become a first world country in 2 year or even 3 or 10 No one expects a reformed law and order and judicial system in 2 years. No one expects superb health care & education systems in Punjab, KP and Baluchistan in 2 years. But we did expect one thing from Imran and his administration. The one thing he fire and brimstoned for 22 years. Merit and Competence. We expected him, wherever possible to appoint competent people of integrity on merit, in an open and transparent manner. And in this he has failed miserably! And it this which diminishes ones hope in his ability to reform Pakistan, despite his honesty, passion, sincerity and ability to motivate. And his weakness for flattery. His flatterers and fawners, worm into key roles, while the much better ones sit on the side-lines, twiddling their thumbs, refusing to flatter. Outstanding legislators from his own party like Najeeb Haroon, ShibliFaraz, Andaleeb Abbas, sit out while people like, Buzdar, Mahmood FawadCh, Vawda, Swati, Firdous, Gandapur rule the roost! And cronies or crony’s cronies also worm their way into key government positions who would never have passed a rigorous, transparent, merit-based appointment process. But where he somehow appoints or is made to appoint the right person to the right role like Shabbar Zaidi, Chairman, FBR, we see traction. UnfortunatelyShabbar is no longer in the role. Only the PM is responsible for this array of incompetence and sycophancy which surround him. There’s a huge disconnect in what Imran says and does. The dictionary defines it as “hypocrisy”. Questionable decisions, ongoing crony appointments, sea of incompetence, ignorance, inexperience & arrogance, surrounded by an ocean of sycophancy. This defines King Khan’s Camelot! So what now. Either he ups his game and accepts that his tried and trusted leadership style of 22 years in political opposition does not work in government because this realization is critical for him to change so he can look at alternative models to help him. One effective framework is adopted by the US President’s office. The US President has an appointed Council of Advisors, who are not members of the Cabinet but subject matter experts who objective opinions and advice, untainted by political considerations. He also has a very powerful Chief of Staff so he can do the job better. Imran also needs a Council of Advisors, who offer objective advice and stress test his decisions and a competent Chief of Staff who amongst many other things ensures con men and snake oil salespersons are kept at bay Pakistan does not have the luxury of a” Prime Minister in training” and cruel as it may sound, his incompetence, ignorance, inexperience, arrogance, and the sycophants surrounding him are serious threats. Pakistan is not a personal fiefdom to oblige cronies and toadies or satisfy one’s ego or manifest one’s inexperience, ignorance and incompetence! Imran must not fail, for the sake of Pakistan. He must accept his shortcomings and surround himself with competent people and perhaps let a more competent person run government while he motivates from a pedestal. Perhaps he should become President, where he continues to motivate the nation, rally support through his immense charisma, and leave the day to day management to a more competent and honest person. And there are plenty in his party. Haider Mehdi is a Geo political commentator / blogger on National and International affairs. Formerly a media anchor, corporate leader, management consultant, start up entrepreneur and military officer, he tweets @HaiderKonsult and blogs on shrmehdi.com