The Need for Good governance for Pakistan

PART 1

There is an emerging conversation on relooking at the current parliamentary system of governance  and replace it with a directly elected chief executive at the center and the provinces, not through an electoral college, and have the federal and provincial cabinet members appointed from the populace and not from the upper or lower houses. 

I am very partial to this system for several reasons.  One, as alcoholics anonymous defines insanity, expecting different results from the same approach, behaviors and actions, is defined as insanity.

Our duarchy Westminster parliamentary model has consistently failed to deliver and to expect it to somehow by a miracle deliver different results, is well ….insane.  The only reason the British did not do away with it, was to retain the institution of monarchy, a nostalgic adherence to tradition, and also because it symbolized the unity of the commonwealth and the federating nations of Scotland, Wales and Ireland.  Nothing else. No profound governance rationale

The second main reason and perhaps the most important one is that our system has been consistently hijacked and held hostage by the urban and rural feudal/tribal , and using its hold over a terribly poor and exploited poverty stricken rural mass and fascist tactics in the urban, have established a stranglehold on party politics and political governance and creating this monster of DYNASTIC POLITICS.  Why should this be BILAWAL’s Pakistan?  And because of their ineptitude, corruption, self serving vested interest,  we have these recurring  interregnums by the military, who because of  their simple mindedness, stupidity, complete lack of understanding of political governance and supreme arrogance,  make the system even weaker.  So this merry go round continues as we are again seeing the early signs of a recurring nightmare today.

Our biggest issue is good governance which the current system has failed and will continue to fail to deliver, because of the strangle hold the current lot of feudals/tribals/sardars/urban mafia dons/ have on the system.  Our only salvation lies in keeping them away from governance, through directly elected Federal and Provincial Head of Governments, choosing their cabinets from a pool of technocrats, as is done in the USA and some other countries and not the upper and lower houses, who are specialists in their fields and also politically subscribe and support the political agenda of the head of government.  The legislatures to be restricted to legislation and law making, as in the USA, as well as vet and approve all cabinet and key constitutional posts. This is the only way we can get some semblance of better governance and hopefully with time as better and better people come into position of cabinet responsibility and not embarrassments and corrupt people like Rehman Malik or a Raja Ashraf, the country has a fighting chance.  We saw a brief glimmer of the power of this system in the very early days of the Musharraf dictatorship, before he showed his true hypocritical colors, complete incompetence, lack of integrity and patriotism.  More on him at another date.  

Another major change is to have many more smaller provinces to bring governance closer to the people.  Starting from the North, we clearly have a case for at least 4 to 5 provinces in the Frontier; Waziri; Peshawar; Khyber; Haripur; Pakhtun; similarly Punjab perhaps another 6; Potohar, Central, Eastern, Western, Southern, Lahore; Sind another 3 to 4; Karachi; Upper Sind, Lower Sind and Baluchistan clearly three; Baloch; Hazara; Pakhtoon.  These are just thoughts for consideration as I am not a geo-political analyst

On a lighter note If the ISI has to manipulate elections let them get 5 honest and highly competent chief executives elected at the federal and provincial levels!!!!

PART 2 -

So therefore given the stranglehold on our politics and governance of the Rural / Urban Tribal / Feudal Elite, the “catholic style Mullah” and the Military, in my opinion, the only way out of this cul de sac or merry go round is to look at an alternative system which provides a more probable possibility of getting better people in positions of authority and in charge of governance and hence a better less corrupt more transparent administration to solve the needs of the people

I think to action this we need the following steps.

1.       The initiation of a serious national debate on the issue – starting now and completion by June 2010

2.       The formation of a National Government of Emergency to develop the new constitution parameters, primarily around the direct election of the federal and provincial chief executives and their authority to nominate non elected people to cabinet and other key positions and the creation of the additional 16 or 17 provinces – July 2010 – December 2010

3.       A national referendum on the changed constitutions by the populace and not the legislatures – January 2011

4.       The direct election of the  Federal and Provincial heads of government and the upper and lower houses – June / July 2011

Hope this helps as this is still emerging thinking and one can debate and discuss the pros and cons.  The key issue is that if we want better governance in Pakistan, then we have to change the current gridlocked system.  The option suggessted is one of many.  Perhaps there are others.

 I often hear peopls say “if we could just educate Pakistani’s” the problem will be solved.  Unfortunately without the right leadership, nothing ever changes. Nothing. The most important first step is to get the honest, competent, patriots in positions of leadership to create the right context and framework of society’s behaviour. 

A simple example of context and framework driving human behaviour is that of the lahore –islamabad Motorway; for 3 ½ hours every person on that road, wheter they are most socialy enlightened and educated or the most so called illeratre and socially inept, behave like model citizens of a first world enlightenend country or like a truly enlightenend Muslim / human being, courteous, responsible, obeying the rules.  And as they cross the barrier out of the Motorway, each reverts to their “other behaviour”  no seatbelt, breaking as many traffic rules as possible. Why? The answer is the context and framework.  The Motorway context; rewards and punsihes certain types of behaviours; overspeed you get a fine, wear a seatbelt  and you don’t. The police are better paid, better trained, better educated, better uniformed, better equipped etec and also get an incentive as a percentage of fines issued. 

The world and history is replete with examples of society collectively behaving in response to the context in which they live.  We do not make Q;s in Pakistam, but even the villager from the most remote parts of the country finds out very quickly that he or she cannot jump a q in Dubai or London etc.  The mountain waziri taxi driver in Dubai, wears a trouser and shirt a tie, a seatbelt, stops at  zebra crossing to allow a pedestrian to cross, never over speeds, never overtakes (mostly) from the wrong side, etc etc.  Why ?Why? Why? Because Individual and Collective behaviour is driven by context and nothing else.  Set the right context and people will behave. 

I am a student of behavioral change and all the research and evidence points to one thing and one thing only; any human social unit from the family to a the largest social group, will change and conform its behaviour very very quickly, irrespective of their background, culture, religon, history, social class,  if the context, rules and frameworks  in which they live changes.  As simple as that. 

And the Most powerful driver of context and rule change is the Leader at the top, whether its an organisation or a Country.  Hence the plea to have a system which allows the right people to reach positions of Leadership in Pakistan, to establish the right context of an accountable,  corruption free, transparent, responsible, people centric society.  And I do not know of a better system then the one being discussed in this paper.

Kind Regards

Haider Mehdi

The author can be reached at: haider.mehdi@gmail.com