International Consultant Donald Marzullo has observed that many Pakistani institutions appear politically constrained and lack the procedural apparatus to speed necessary decisions, execute programmes and evaluate changing requirements.
Marzullo was in Islamabad to lead a team of US and Pakistani trade experts, who have been engaged by the Commerce Ministry to develop a plan for restructuring the Foreign Trade Institute of Pakistan (FTIP) for training Pakistan's commercial officers on current issues, affecting Pakistan trade such as World Trade Organisation (WTO), Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and regional trade agreements (SAFTs).
He has 15 years' practical experience inspiring innovative initiatives, facilitating dialogue, improving communications and fostering programmes that support local community objects and is recognised for his thoughtful leadership on topics of internal, external, employee and organisational communications and on issues related to the biological sciences.
Marzullo was instrumental in developing the national continuity of operations and government programme for the United States Department of Homeland Security, Office for Domestic Preparedness to provide direct technical assistance at the state, country and municipal levels of government for appropriate response and recovery from all hazards, including terrorist attacks.
Donald Marzullo talked to Business Recorder in Islamabad. The following are excerpts of the interview:
Q: You have been visiting Pakistan regularly for the past several years? What is your assessment of Pakistani institution? How can they improve?
A: Pakistan enjoys a well-developed bureaucracy that seems on the surface to be in close alignment with the needs of the people. Its officers are both well educated and knowledgeable of many prevailing programmatic strategies and tactics. However, many Pakistani institutions appear politically constrained and lack the procedural apparatus to speed necessary decisions, execute programmes and evaluate changing requirements.
While ultimately programme effectiveness is part of the value equation, in the new world of increasing globalisation "speed counts" nearly as much. On this basis, the executive branch of the Pakistani government should consider loosening the reins of the bureaucracy to enable its institutions to carry out their missions with both speed and effectiveness. This approach would have at least three significant benefits.
First, programmes and results would occur much faster than in the current environment with effects moving downstream to people. Second, an efficient and empowered bureaucracy would help quell discontent and perceptions among the middle and lower classes that Pakistan's officials are "on-the-take."
Third, high process velocity increases quality, as speed requires fewer process defects. So increasing the speed of decisions and actions could result in both faster absorption and improved quality.
In short, well-designed policies and programmes are of little to value if they never reach the intended people in need. A bureaucracy that executes at high velocity will speed results and improve quality.
Q: What do you see are the major constraints to Pakistan's development and growth?
A: Nearly all developing countries face several major constraints. These constraints continue to be tied to executing and reaching the lowest levels of society, the uneducated and poorly trained people, who find it difficult to participate and enjoy the fruits of wider development and growth.
Inevitably, the success of development and growth in Pakistan will be measured by its effectiveness to raise people out of the deepest pockets of poverty. This is a tremendous challenge even for the most well functioning institutions. While it's not well understood, poverty eradication continues to pose a real and significant problem for even the more affluent countries.
In the United States, pockets of extreme poverty remain relatively untouched by generations of prosperity, particularly among native Americans where access to capital, good health care, and geographical isolation remain illusive.
Access to meaningful and quality of education at the local levels continues to be a major constraint for unleashing the potential of Pakistan. There is, perhaps, no greater loss than the potential locked inside the minds of the uneducated. In this age of growing globalisation, jobs migrate to low-cost high skilled labourers; this trend is likely to continue.
To compete effectively with its neighbours, Pakistan must educate and train its people aggressively to compete. Both China and India are now producing nearly 700,000 PhDs graduates each year respectively. To put these figures in perspective, the United States only graduated roughly 77,000 PhDs graduates last year or 1/10th as many.
Q: What do you see are the key elements of the biotechnology trade for country's like Pakistan.
A: Since the early explosion of the biotechnology industry in the early 1980's, three key elements continue to dominate the discussion, investment, ethics and the protection of intellectual property rights.
In the United States biotechnology companies have access to large amounts of early stage capital. Despite these capital advantages, many biotechnology companies in the US failed to make the leap to profitability on their own as the capital requirements to commercialise their products were simply too great.
As a consequence, many of the early biotechnology companies were bought by large Pharmaceutical companies with the "deep pockets" necessary to take products to market.
To counter the large capital requirements for biotechnology, commercialisation will require a strong public-private partnership in Pakistan. Working through such a partnership has already been proven in other countries like the US's funding of the Human Genome Project through the US National Institutes of Health.
The application of biotechnology, particularly in the context of human genetic engineering, remains an ethical consideration for the whole world. The international discussion and debate over what limits should be applied to human genetic engineering continue to remain in focus.
Pakistan will have to reconcile the potential benefits of applied biotechnology against its impact on industries, the quality of life, and philosophical boundaries.
The protection of intellectual property is essential for protecting the outcomes of biotechnology investment. Pakistan will need to develop a clear legislative framework for creating intellectual property rights and be willing to act aggressively to enforce those rights. This is just one reason why the government of Pakistan should move quickly to strengthen the Pakistan Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (Pipro).
Q: How can Pakistan prepare itself for maximum gains?
A: Thomas Jefferson once said: "Education is the keystone of the arch of democracy." Nearly two hundred years later these words are still applicable, but perhaps even more vital.
Comments
Comments are closed.