Daily Times

Looking at the activity in public spaces in general, and markets in particular, sadly the people have ignored the instructions regarding preventive measures. The public is non-serious about COVID-19. They are neither practicing social distancing nor following standard operating procedures (SOPs). The government knew that complete lockdown would affect ordinary people adversely, hence it was decided to ease the lockdown. The people were supposed to be responsible for their own health and avoid possible future lockdown. Each neglected SOP, each interaction that is not essential, threatens to spread the virus in an entire group of people. There are numerous cases where one individual has been reported to have infected dozens of people in other spaces and environment. With our population numbers, the infection rate stands to be much higher. It is a dangerous situation, the people have to understand for themselves and for the sake of the country. It reflects negatively on our attitudes and behaviors. We are in a situation where we need to support efforts for revival of the economy as well as continued fighting against the virus to cut it from the roots.

We need healthy people and high performance to support national economy. We need to look at things from a different perspective. We need high performance mindset. What is a performance mindset? We do expect to see high performance mindset when we observe activity of politicians, leaders in various fields of life, public functionaries, civil servants, specialists, technocrats and all those involved in planning and implementation, and evaluating the impact/ direction of the performance of different functionaries and the level or groups that they belong to. Changing one’s attitude at work is a huge step to a way forward.

It is the government’s duty to see to it that our own communities are free of pollution in our air and water, and that we come across as standing with the responsible nations in combating the existential threat of climate change

What are the qualities, attributes, and skills that you want in you high performance mindsets? A sample of a mindset list could include: concentration, control of emotions, creativity, resilience, optimistic outlook, positive attitude, fun, goals, vision, plan, discipline, confidence, focus, solution-oriented approach, flexibility and action-oriented approach.

If there is a silver lining in this horrible time of pandemic and the looming economic collapse that the country faces, it is the beginning of a new dawn on the majority to rethink the basic structure and functions of our values system and the system of governance. Incompetence and incapacity cannot be accepted. Greed, political opportunism and conflict of interest are not in national or public interest. Most of all, our priority as a nation should be what other countries have done and followed in tikes of crisis and great depressions. All that effort has proved worldwide, that developing a society needs economic and social development; and that the economic rights must be considered human rights. This is true today, and it was true some twenty years ago, when Americans, under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, were struggling to get out of the Great Depression.

Many other countries were then engaged in improving their economic status and level of living of the people. Developmental plans that were initiated at the end of World War II had the same objective, empowering countries economically, and helping in reconstruction and re-building, especially in Europe and elsewhere. The objectives of the United States Agricultural and Industrial Development Program were similar. A special feature of US AID programs, were community development and local government system of governance.

The objectives of PTI government should be to satisfy basic needs of the people, extreme poverty is the number one problem standing before this government. Adequate facilities in health, education, housing, agriculture and small industries could provide self-sufficiency, satisfaction, and jobs to the people. Skills development and technological development are essential base for a meaningful personnel administration and management development systems. Instead of dolling out some small amount of money to the people under Ehsas Program, it is needed to cultivate “ehsas,” a realization that you feel for someone, a kind of “empathy,” that requires well thought of programs to help people to help themselves, not charity.

The country has to undertake industrialization and construction projects which become a source for jobs for highly skilled people and also in other categories with miscellaneous skills and aptitude as well as knowledge. All economic development should be knowledge based.

Undertaking projects of such a massive scale, such as Diamer-Bhasha Dam is a great news for Pakistan. This is a wonderful development and the federal government ought to be congratulated for it. This initiative will serve to stimulate the economy. The dam is also strategically important because of India’s unwarranted belligerence under the Hindu-supremacist Modi government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement saying that “blood and water cannot flow together” leaves no doubt about his government’s nefarious designs. In such a scenario, it is all the more critical for Pakistan to increase its water capacity, meet energy demands and create economic momentum to keep the country ready and strong to fight off any challenge thrown its way.

It is the government’s duty to see to it that our own communities are free of pollution in our air and water, and that we come across as standing with the responsible nations in combating the existential threat of climate change. It is time for us to think ahead and showcase how the Coronavirus Pandemic has made us wiser and going forward, what can we do differently to change our fortunes, post COVID-19. Nothing is impossible. We have to stay determined to succeed and accomplish. We need high performance mindsets.

The Federal government is clear on what it has to do in days to come. Lockdown will be lifted gradually to prevent a total economic collapse. All stakeholders are responsible for creating a cooperative and conducive environment. Remember, the Coronavirus is still a grave threat, its spread is on the increase. We need to open businesses for the sake of economy. Money is needed to pay to employees and all costs of doing Business. After a long period of lockdown, lack of financing may end up in closures. That will be a sad ending in addition to huge debt burden.

The writer is former Director National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) Government of Pakistan, a political analyst, a public policy expert, and a published author. His book post 9/11 Pakistan was published in the United States. His book Existential Question for Pakistan was recently launched and highly recommended as a must read for everyone