Who failed govt?

ISLAMABAD: Asad Umar’s removal from the federal cabinet is actually the admission of failure of first eight months of the government.

Resignation of Asad, once considered as the most competent member of the cabinet and a possible trump card for the government, is not an ordinary event but a huge upset for the government as well as the ruling party.

No matter who replaces the outgoing finance minister, nothing will change unless the very conduct of thegovernment changes. No economic policy could work unless there is political stability in the country. However, the dilemma of the government during the last eight months has been that it did not miss any opportunity to fuel politics of confrontation.

Elections help bring durability and give confidence to business and economy. After coming into power, the government contributed daily not only to keep country’s politics volatile but also portrayed such a gloomy picture of economy that worsened the business environment.

In an environment where an investor is not sure what will unfold in the days to come, why would he invest? These situations are far more repulsive for new investors, including the foreign, and for the same reason despite government’s goodwill among the overseas Pakistanis and the appeals for donations for dam construction, expectations to receive billions of dollars from them remained a far cry.

While the new government was expected to focus on its performance to achieve the goals set by the PTI in its manifesto, the cabinet kept singing the chorus of ‘Chor, Daku’ (thief, dacoit) for the opposition parties and their top leadership. Interestingly both the PML-N and PPP had offered every possible cooperation to the government soon after it took over. However, the government did not let political stability to come.

Regrettably, the bashing campaign against the opposition continued, and on top of it, what the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been doing actually contributed towards government’s failings.

The government is excited by NAB’s pro-active but dubious crackdown against opposition leaders and thus is not reforming the Bureau which time has become a major source of harassment for both the bureaucracy and the business community.

It is already highlighted that there is no greater threat to the government than the conduct of NAB. The government needs to realise that the NAB is hurting it in different ways some of which the regime itself realises, but it still does nothing.

Not only NAB’s actions against member of the bureaucracy have made the civil servants indecisive and inactive, but also it has opened alleged corruption files against almost every important businessperson, including those who are widely reputed, or even some of those decorated with state awards by the government on March 23. In an environment where local businesspersons are being followed by NAB and are under constant threat of facing jail for years, how could anyone be interested in doing business in Pakistan?

Though the NAB claims to be an independent and apolitical institution that does indulge in victimisation at government’s behest, the outgoing finance minister, in a TV interview a day before his resignation, stressed the need for curtailing NAB’s powers to bar it from going after private businesspersons.

Asad wanted an amendment in the NAB law that is not a priority of the government. Its obsession to get every opposition leader behind the bars does not let it focus on structural reforms including revamping of the NAB.

In an environment where bureaucracy is shy at work, businesspersons feel insecure and rising political temperatures are heading towards political instability, the government cannot deliver. If Asad failed to produce the desired results, his replacement also cannot succeed however sincere the government may be in addressing the challenges particularly those relating to the economy and governance.

The government needs active bureaucracy, confident businesspersons and a supportive parliament for success. The rulers have lost eight months in useless politics of confrontation and cannot afford new experiences in the coming months and years of their tenure because it would hurt Pakistan.

It is high time the government revisited its policies and priorities instead of firing others in order to focus on building institution, reforms, governance and performance. Reforming the institutions like NAB, FBR and FIA, and letting them go after the corrupt, tax evaders and money launderers without any political interference is the key to success.