Syed
Saadat in his article "Misplaced priorities" in Daily Dawn has succinctly portrayed the Shahbaz Sharif
Governance Model. It is based on the rule of personal likes and dislikes, be it in
policies, people or priorities. Most of the priorities are based the principle
that Work should not only be done, but seen to have been done especially in the
eyes of the voter. Even a person of average intellect can understand why Punjab,
despite its big budget could not achieve a reasonable level of development. Short
term, quick actions for public consumption that mostly peter out in the longer
run are taken to project the image of a go-getter. The application of self-righteousness
and self-aggrandizement have played havoc with the working of the government
giving rise to a culture of abdication of responsibilities and to save one’s
own skin at the cost of good governance. Bureaucrats
who are in good books are given opportunities much beyond their capacity and
seniority and protected even when exposed. Honest and upright officials
loathe to work in the province and blue-eyed and yes men rule the roast.
Mr.
Shahbaz Sharif is not known to like reading much, but in the interest of people
of Punjab specifically and Pakistan generally I would request him to read the
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to at least get his
priorities right.
Tasneem Hameed
