From rhetoric to reality

The writer works as a development practitioner for a local consultancy.

Two years into the installation of a new government and promises of a pristine Pakistan, what has arisen instead is not much short of a dystopian nightmare. The heady days of July 2018 appear to be from a very long time ago now.

Back then, even though only partial results had been announced, a beaming Imran Khan was being broadcasted on all the news channels. As he vacantly surveyed the vast expanses of his estate, no doubt consumed by the materialisation of his dream, Khan must have felt on top of the world once more. In his mind, this must have been March 1992 all over again; the culmination of another long-unfulfilled dream.

One would have imagined that for someone who had apparently spent 22 years prepping for the job, headed a party which had the experience of managing a volatile province for five of those years, and repeatedly claimed to have the soundest policies and best people to implement them (recall his ‘right man for the right job’ refrain) would have provided some reassurance to the populace by charting out some of those policies and personnel.

Instead, we were witness to a haphazard cabinet formation, sheer cluelessness and vacillation on how to steer the economy, and a volte face on almost every policy statement uttered. From dramatic and sweeping statements on choosing death rather than the IMF’s assistance, to holding his own team accountable before anyone else, the back-tracking and U-turns have been rather frequent and embarrassing.

For many voters, his much-vaunted clamour on tackling corruption was the primary reason to see him in power. Today, far from eradicating corruption, perceptions about its increase abound. Khan’s opposition to dynastic politics proved to be as selective as his revulsion towards corrupt politicians; as long as these dynasties and the corrupt are under the PTI umbrella, they’re all kosher.

Contrary to the ‘fresh and clean’ politicians he had guaranteed throughout his political journey, the class of 2018 was a collection of some of the most uninspiring remnants from previous administrations. Given how this government was conceived, it was not surprising to find cabinet members from the despotic General Musharraf regime bestowed with the lion’s share of portfolios.

From suspected fake-degree holders and those who sat for, and miraculously passed, multiple exams within hours to loan defaulters, this government promoted all – except meritocratic appointments.

Going through their history of party-hopping would leave one dazed. Not Khan though; he would proudly declare that the growing herd of turncoats represented conscientious politicians who had repented for their sinful association with corrupt dynastic parties.

Thus were the makings of a compromised government, which could hardly be expected to rise above mediocrity. However, it was the scale and rapidity of the downturn in the economy that shocked even its most ardent supporters.

Even before Covid-19 struck our shores, the PTI government’s virus of incompetence had pervaded all sectors of the economy.

In its first year in office, the country’s fiscal deficit broke past records and revenue collection was the lowest in nearly a decade. All major indicators on both the revenue and expenditure sides showed stark deterioration. Instead of sound economic policies, what left us dumbfounded were inanities such as the auction of luxury cars and buffaloes, and populist gimmicks about breaking down the walls of governor houses, until we were reduced to offering prayers for the discovery of oil and gas reserves in order to turn things around.

The slide continued in its second year, as a government that boasted its financial honesty would herald an era of exponential growth in tax collection, actually earned the ignominy of overseeing a decline in tax-to-GDP ratio to 9.5 percent for fiscal year 2020. For comparison, it stood at 11.1 percent before this government came into power.

Tax reforms, including overhauling of the FBR, were cited as Khan’s number one priority. So were health, education and a dozen other issues, but let’s not get bogged down by semantics. Idealistic supporters were also led to believe that simply having an honest person at the top would revolutionise governance. In the real world, this government has changed five FBR chairpersons and numerous chief secretaries, IG police, health secretaries and education secretaries among others. Hardly the hallmark of inspirational and decisive leadership.

This frequent chopping and changing not only reflects muddled thinking but also a severe lack of planning. Not a single university or hospital has been initiated by a party that championed social development. Perhaps one of the most shameful failures has been the return of polio to this country. From just 7 cases in 2017, the figure shot up to 147 in 2019. There have already been over 50 reported cases in 2020. The hype created around the bizarre idea of turning the PM House into an education centre, like many other half-baked ideas, also appears to have hit a snag.

Despite being strongly supported by powerful elites, and faced with a friendly judiciary and weak opposition, the government continues to hurdle from one mess to another. A lot of that has to do with its gratuitous arrogance. In complete disregard of parliamentary norms, it refuses to have a civilised discourse with the opposition.

Under this government, parliament has been reduced to a schoolground, with treasury members more inclined towards slandering and mud-slinging the opposition than seeking solutions to myriad problems. In its hubris, it claims that it can never hold a productive dialogue with allegedly corrupt individuals. That’s pretty rich coming from a party whose leader has no qualms about calling OBL a marty.

Accountability has turned into a witch-hunt, as any opposition member who dares to criticise the government is rounded up by NAB on baseless charges. The media too, has faced the government’s wrath. The ludicrous allegations against Mir Shakil ur Rehman are just the tip of the iceberg. All this while multiple cases of financial improbity by government officials go unnoticed and unaccounted for.

Despite performing poorly, ministers only have their portfolios shuffled but never lose their jobs. There was a time when Khan used to thunder on national television about countries being successful because they hold their leaders accountable. He would frequently cite examples of ministers being removed when even a single train accident would take place. There have been over a dozen since his government has been in power. I would not hold my breath in expectation of Sheikh Rasheed ever being held accountable for anything.

After much damage and detriment, a number of those who were sympathetic to Khan’s cause and supported his rise to power have been left to rue their decision. While his base will continue to make convoluted excuses for every faux pas and defend the shambolic performance of his government, one hopes the rest have finally realised that governance is not as easy as running a cricket team. And that demagoguery, faux morality and impulsivity are never the foundations of good leadership.

Twitter: @ShahrukhNR