Misplaced Priorities

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