PM pressed again to focus on reforms, accountability

ISLAMABAD: Following the outcome of the Judicial Commission report, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been advised yet again by some of his cabinet members to focus on the government’s self-accountability to improve governance and pursue the direly needed agenda of institutional reforms.
Sources said that in a high-level meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the PM House following the release of the JC report, the prime minister was advised that instead of becoming arrogant it is high time for the government to review its own performance and focus on the shortcomings for better governance and service delivery.
Interestingly, the same was said and resolved as well after the culmination of tensions and pressures of the anti-government 2014 sit-ins, but practically the government neither did any accountability of its ministers nor moved an inch to pursue the reform agenda promised by the ruling PML-N in its election manifesto.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his two years tenure has so far focused on mega projects only. However, no attention has been paid during these two years in implementing the much needed reform agenda for institution building, improving governance, providing speedy justice, de-politicising the police and civil bureaucracy, setting up a reliable and neutral accountability system, overhauling the tax apparatus to tax the rich and spend on the poor, empower parliament and revamp the criminal justice system etc.
Almost all the reform-related promises of the PML-N as reflected in its manifesto remained unimplemented during the last two years.
The only reform introduced by the otherwise reform-shy Nawaz Sharif government during its two years tenure—the Citizen Feedback Monitoring Programme (CFMP)—remains unimplemented despite the lapse of almost eight months because of the want of merely Rs1 billion.
The government that has spent Rs45 billion on the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro, could not spare just Rs1 billion for a project which could significantly improve service delivery for the common man in the federal government departments and agencies.
Though Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been demanding depoliticisation of the police and civil bureaucracy in Sindh for the improvement of the law and order situation in Karachi, no concrete step has been taken by the federal government to do the same at the Centre and in the federal bureaucracy.
During these two years, there has been no time for the prime minister to focus on accountability. Though the corruption index saw a decline and there has been no major financial scam against the Nawaz Sharif government during these two years, the regime opted to turn a blind eye to the loot and plunder of the past to avoid political destabilisation.
There has been no accountability of the cabinet ministers. Despite his initial commitment, the prime minister did not dismiss even a single minister during the last 24 months on account of bad performance or major failures. In the second half of the 2014, the government announced to start the accountability of its cabinet ministers but soon after it got cold feet on the issue.
There is a growing frustration even within the cabinet over the government’s failure to pursue the direly needed reform agenda and sack the non-performing ministers.