Good governance

It pains me to write about the sad state of affairs in our country, especially knowing the fact that we have great potential to excel.
But unfortunately, having worked closely on issues relating to good governance and having interacted with Governors, CMs, ministers, top government bureaucrats and army generals since 1996, I have failed to understand as to why these enlightened gentlemen are so out of touch with ground realities and the essence of good governance.
In Pakistan, the citizens have never been able to hold their leaders and governments accountable. And because of a weak judicial system, it has always been the army that steps in to "save the nation" and then justifies its intervention through the usual "doctrine of necessity" and the whole charade starts again.
Due to the lack of accountability and our "self above all" and "one law for you and one law for me" syndrome of our leaders, we have failed to mobilise and motivate the citizens towards good citizenship and respect for the rule of law, both an essential part of democracy.
And though much has been written about the above issues, it seems that those at the helm of affairs, who can change the system and put matters right, are unable to do so. Both, National and Provincial Assemblies are ineffective and non-functional, with daily desk thumping and walk outs on non issues, while important legislations lie gathering dust.
Unfortunately, our graduate and enlightened NA and PA members are not really interested or care about strengthening democracy or in improving the quality of life of the 165 million citizens of Pakistan through the system of good governance.
Whereas, despite the high inflation rate, the minimum salary of workers was raised by only Rs 500, from Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000. The present economic growth is encouraging, but we cannot measure success and progress through under and over passes, jet fountains, tall buildings, increase in cell phone subscribers, the number of cars on the roads or the rising stock exchange index.
To gauge true progress, one has to gauge the performance of the L&O agencies, public service departments and the quality of life of ordinary citizens and both portray a grim picture. Life of an average citizen is miserable due to lack of good governance, high inflation and the gap between the rich and poor is on the rise.
The public departments are in a mess, bribery has become institutionalised and when it comes to justice, the cries of the poor fall on deaf ears and the only law that is enforced is 'might is right'. As such, civil consciousness and good citizenship is eroding and the sense of insecurity is rising. Without strong public institutions and a strong, independent judiciary, a nation cannot sustain development.
Every day we read of fake degrees from dubious universities and gross misconduct committed by our government institutions, leaders, politicians and pillars of business and society and instead of being condemned and chastised, they are feted and praised, by both, government and society.
To put Pakistan on the road to success, we need to strengthen the integrity and moral values of society and those in government. Qualities like honesty, hard work, respect for the law and pursuit of excellence in personal conduct are far more rewarding than the pursuit of fame and fortune through corruption and ill-gotten wealth.
If we can improve the quality of values of the individual, then improvement of state and society will follow as a matter of course. If our schools and universities were to produce men and women who are also equipped with qualities of sound character, morals and social virtues and do not measure success by bulging bank balances, then we might succeed in curing the ills of our state and society.
This is not an easy task, as it will require fundamental changes in ourselves, our values and in what we believe in. Even our graduated leaders and legislators lack these basic virtues. So the million-dollar question is, how do we accomplish this?
As such, I feel frustrated and angry and hope I will be forgiven for feeling disappointed with our present government's performance. And in the meantime I will continue to write about what I think is right, even at the risk of being labelled a misfit.