Daily Times

Best time to call all bureaucrats and related ministries on red carpets with red letters. The arrival of Covid19 did not break any systems, as systems were already broken; now as a mirror for us to face the truth, equipped with ‘do or die’ protocols; harshly teaching us in real time our national leadership response, execution speed and challenging our classifications and definitions of what we recognize as economic success. In our response, Coronavirus needs a hard kick, not a gentle slap. As Western economies harshly stripped naked in their own broken down structures, still the largest and most valuable assets are the hidden and untapped talents of citizens, their capabilities, skills and entrepreneurialism to uplift and turn around the calamity. It’s about time for Red Letters on performance and Red Carpets to test talents.

Magical Remedies: Creating “Digital Pakistan” is the most economical and timely strategy achievable in 365 days; if not possible, declare war on digitization or fire the teams, the fact digitization technologies are over a decade old and with unlimited options and expertise available ‘national mobilization’ is now far more critical over department by department digital progression. Coronavirus is giving us at most a year to turn around our economies or just go bankrupt.

Pakistan has very unique combinations, perhaps more visible to outsiders, trapped in an old time zone, all it needs national mobilization and use Coronavirus crisis as jumping grounds

Digital divide is basically mental divide, notions on refusal to change now crushed by Coronavirus, only digital economies with survive global chaos. To quadruple Pakistan’s national productivity performance and exportability, all trade groups, Associations, Chambers of Commerce must come under an ’emergency umbrella’ on digital platform to become ‘alive in living colors and interconnectivity’ showcasing and promoting hidden talents on the nation on global stage. This is “simple non-rocket-science-street-level- economic-development-thinking” minus PhDs in economics and titles with all tools freely available since last decade, almost free only deployment hungry and execution starved. Best time to call all bureaucrats and related ministries on red carpets with red letters.

Well done Prime Minister Imran Khan

Although, at least in the West the futurism is workless, but it’s definitely NOT trade-less, a new thinking must emerge. Pakistan has very unique combinations, perhaps more visible to outsiders, trapped in an old time zone, all it needs national mobilization and use Coronavirus crisis as jumping grounds. Currently in Pakistan, there is no shortage of vision, talented people, missing are national scale deployments, mobilization of entrepreneurialism, and something that needs more execution over new funding; Silicone Valley elevation created decades ago on layers of fresh, new, and pure inexperienced entrepreneurial high risk projects mobilizing a digital culture and ecommerce, that created a revolution of ecommerce but not the other way around. First learn national mobilization as the results and outcome will shape turnarounds.

During last decade, National Mobilization of Entrepreneurialism Protocols repeatedly tabled to Chambers of Commerce and various Ministries on innovative performance declared too advanced; but not any longer, the meltdown of economies and armies of jobless waving inappropriate degrees now making mobilization of entrepreneurialism and boosting SME economy top issue of national economic survival strategy. After a decade, time to shake down tree and apply ‘lead follow or get out of the way’ models.

Study fast, fail fast, learn fast, catch up a lost decade, become expert and acquire mastery.

Look at mirror seeking truth daily, open mind as a global warrior,

Rest is easy

The writer is Chairman, Expothon Worldwide, creator of Octara-Debates www.expothon.com