Confusion galore

Till two days back, Dr Farrukh Saleem was seen as the government’s spokesperson on economic and energy issues. That changed rather abruptly after a TV talk show appearance by Dr Saleem, in which he came across as critical of the PTI’s handling of the economy. While it may be unexpected for a member of the government to fault the party he serves, the incident would have quickly blown over had the government not made matters rather strangely complicated by denying that Dr Saleem was ever officially appointed as a spokesperson. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry – the very man who had announced Dr Saleem’s appointment back in October – tweeted that the government had intended to appoint Dr Saleem as a spokesperson but that the appointment was never made official because the PM Office had banned any new hirings. Dr Saleem, however, says that he has been attending meetings at the PM Office till as recently as December 24. His media appearances too have all prominently mentioned him as a spokesperson on the economy. Which is why one is forced to ask why it took so many months for the government to clarify that he was not in fact a government spokesperson.

There are two possible explanations for the way the government has handled this affair. First, it could be that the government is going about its business haphazardly. This seems to have become a trend. The general impression is that the current government’s way of governance is rather chaotic, with one side seemingly never quite privy to what the other is up to. The second possibility is that this particular confusion is the natural outcome of divisions within or factionalism, which could explain why Dr Saleem seems to have been unceremoniously left fending for himself. It would also explain how policy seems to be made on the fly with different sides within the government routinely contradicting each other. The government now needs to give us a coherent explanation of how this mess transpired. More importantly, it should learn to accept criticism and advice from its well-wishers. The government’s economic policy, to the extent one can be ascertained, has come in for broad criticism. Instead of lashing out or tweeting about appointments, perhaps some more focus on the serious challenges confronting us would go a long way in ensuring people’s trust and sense of security.