Bracing against the hailstorm as you step out of the hairdresser is an apt analogy for those poised to form the government. There are humongous problems all around, problems they knew and had promised to solve. Unlike Dar, who in the short-lived 2008 coalition government ran out of breath fulminating against the outgoing government, they don't have the luxury of moaning the sorry state they have inherited. They will have to get on with the business of governing, not blaming, day one.
We hope they have done their homework. They had plenty of prep time and no excuse now not to hit the road running. If their public posturing on the campaign trail did not go into sufficient details, we will ascribe it to 'political caution': you talk of gains and not costs; promises but not what it will take.
Take the water crisis as an example. It will be well beyond the tenure of the new government before the first earth-moving machine gets to the dam site. What is immediate is getting water pricing right. Ostensibly, they didn't talk about it to avoid the risk of losing votes. But that's the first crucial step they would need to take if they are serious about this existential threat. Are they ready? Rubber is about to meet the road.
The victors have advice pouring out of their ears. At the risk of stating the obvious, our two bits to the new government would be to put an able team together, first and foremost. Hopefully, ministerial positions have all been catered to. It is the higher echelons of civil service that our suggestion is aimed at.
Even though reality is quite to the contrary - Secretaries may not exactly be ministerial stooges but do serve at the pleasure of Ministers - Rules of Business put Secretaries almost at par with Ministers. If the Secretary, for instance, disagrees with the Minister he has the right to take the case to the Prime Minister. He is the one who controls the officers of the Ministry and distributes work among them. He is the Principal Accounting Officer.
The British Civil Service prides itself in being ready for whichever party gets voted in. They try to have a very good idea of what the incoming government has promised the people and have implementation plans ready for the incoming Ministers - different sets for each party, not quite knowing who the people will choose.
The Pakistan Civil Service has different priorities. Task number one is to survive. They would rather cultivate people close to the 'electable' than pore over their plans and priorities. The incoming government, then, has to either grope in the dark or defer to the wisdom of the mandarins even if it means rustication of campaign promises.
Choosing loyalty over competence is the charge regularly levied against elected governments. It has a ring of truth, even when one is willing to concede that you choose the devil you know. How does the new government demonstrate complete objectivity and go about 'discovering' merit amongst candidates, knowing that those who reached the highest levels of civil service did not always take the less travelled road of merit?
Those who have made it to the top of civil service begin to think of themselves as the metaphorical Swiss Army knife, capable of fixing a multitude of problems, gravitating from Ministries as diverse as Religious Affairs, Climate Change, and Interior. Amritdhara may work for gullible cure-seekers but not the challenges of modern day governance.
Leadership, Integrity, communication skills, knowledge of how the government functions are necessary attributes at the Secretary level, but how do we decide whether to put this leader at the helm of Petroleum or Interior Division? All Ministries are complex affairs and there is no place for dilettantes, no matter how gifted.
As the new resident of PM House looks out of the window, beyond the gorgeous landscape, a sea littered with flotsam of wrecked institutions is sure to hit him in the face. And the sight of no detritus will be more sobering than the floating limbs of the civil service. How to resuscitate the atrophied sinews of government will be, or should be, uppermost in the new PM's mind.
The new government will do well to be guided by India's Appointments Committee of the Cabinet - or even go further. Let the senior appointments be made on merit - and seen to be made on merit. To choose the best person for each top position the committee should interview a panel of officers (who have the requisite background), encouraging them to share an identification of the issues related to that position and their approach to addressing them. Once chosen, give them SMART goals, and space.
But you cannot even begin to find the right man for the job until you know what the job entails. Beyond the campaign promises that have something for everyone have the victors gone into the nitty-gritty of each Ministry? What would they expect of the Secretaries? What goals would they assign to them? Who will lead who - the chosen representatives or the Secretaries?
What will be their instructions to the Finance Secretary, for instance? The economic ship is clearly listing and time is running out faster than our official reserves. Are there any non-IMF options? If not, is the negotiating strategy in place? How would reforms be sequenced to manage a soft landing? How would the inevitable fiscal retrenchment be paced? Death foretold of the promised welfare state?
In the run up to the elections, each party promised strengthening of institutions. Thus, there is a kind of political compact to improve institutions so they can deliver better and justly. The victors now need to walk their talk - and the walk begins with having a competent senior civil service. They will have to choose wisely, and let the chosen feel secure before holding them accountable. There is no shame in politicians surrounding themselves with people taller than themselves. Standing on their shoulders they will see far.
Victors have promised the moon. Managing expectations will be a challenge. It will be a short honeymoon.
The victors' job is to lead. When they can't lead 'mandate creep' of the unelected follows. If that happens the victors will have only themselves to blame.
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