Bureaucracy has a very crucial role in the governance itself because we cannot de-link the state from the governance process. An efficient bureaucracy is imperative to advance good governance. The primary function of bureaucracy is the execution and enforcement of the laws made by the legislature and policies decided by the political executive. Besides this the other important functions are: carrying out administration, offering policy advice, articulating interests, and maintaining political stability. To run the administration of a country nicely, a band of capable officers—efficient, prompt, just and sympathetic—belonging to different disciplines of civil services are required. In Pakistan, bureaucracy has always been an elite service. The bureaucrats are rich, highly privileged and in many ways more powerful than most politicians in the country. Most of the bureaucrats are de facto party sympathizers, and are guided by unofficial political affiliations rather than the indifference their jobs require, causing a conflict of interest.
After 66 years of Pakistan’s Independence, it is more than obvious that we have not done a good job at managing our affairs. Pakistan is badly adrift and is on the verge of becoming a failed or rogue state. Our bureaucracy is always willing to accept under-the-table payments and companies are tempted to pay to overcome bureaucratic inertia and gain government favors. Not all people are corrupt; obviously few are here to help the people, who are often side lined. Red-tapism is one of biggest problems for investment. Local and foreign investors perceive Pakistan’s bureaucrats negatively as they do. Most of the time, bureaucrats run the show and they cause lot of hindrance in the clearance of projects. Due to this attitude investment-to-GDP ratio today stands at just 11.5% as compared to 22.5% during 2007-8. The result is abject failure, exemplified by the embarrassingly small economic growth, deepening poverty, high levels of crime, poor performance in education, a decrepit justice system, and inadequate infrastructure as well as social and physical decay. The bureaucrats are rarely held accountable for wrong decisions and it is extremely difficult to challenge them when there are disagreements. Saving our country requires strong leadership and an urgent overhaul of the public bureaucracy, which has failed at its job to effectively manage the country’s business and deliver first-rate services. The public sector needs an infusion of real talent.
The problem with bureaucracy in the context of Pakistan is that it has become politicized. This undermines the cornerstone of bureaucratic process i.e. instead of being swayed by any political party; they should function independently wholly focusing on creating public value. If we want any kind of reforms within the bureaucracy, the whole idea of adding public value and creating public reforms needs to be re-inculcated in the cycle of bureaucracy. And this value has been lost over the years.
Bureaucrats have become masters of obfuscation. Things cannot continue as they are; certainly not in these exceptional times. There is dire need of immediate downsizing of the bureaucracy to reduce the government payroll, and also improve efficiency of public agencies. Many bureaucracies can be eliminated entirely. Others can have their workforces cut by as much as 50 percent without materially affecting output. If this happens, the few good people remaining can perform functions more efficiently at far less cost. Public-service employment arrangements, inherited from less complex economic times, make it difficult to import talent into the bureaucracy or to remove employees, except for the most egregious misbehavior. Given Pakistan’s crisis, we must declare a period of public emergency, allowing for an impartial assessment of the people now employed and the jobs they perform. The bottom line is that public-sector reform must not merely be an accounting exercise for dealing with immediate fiscal problems. It is part of a revolution. The best talent, regardless of political antecedent, must be employed to do the job. Citizen-centric, friendly, efficient and transparent administration should be the focus of newly elected government who could ensure that the programs, policies, and processes are completed promptly and data are accessible to the people through websites, mass education and press interaction.
Pakistanis are recognized as an exceptional and talented people. But for the nearly 66 years, our economy has been stagnant and the majority of our people live in poverty. Today, our country is adrift and confused. The state of affairs in the country is characterized by rampant corruption at all levels leading to a breakdown in the rule of law and lack of accountability all around. One can say that there is a complete collapse of governance in the country. This failure is primarily the result of public bureaucracy that has failed to perform, is managerially incompetent, and lacking in accountability. There is no transparency in the functioning of the bureaucracy. Nobody knows who is responsible for what. This has provided the ideal climate for corruption allowing the politicians and the bureaucrats to form an unholy nexus detrimental to the people and their development. This failure of public-sector management tells in, among other things, our low quality of education, high crime rate, a justice system in which most people have lost trust, a corrupt police force, little or no economic growth and, ultimately, Pakistan’s underdevelopment. Pakistanis are fed up. They want and deserve better. The environment is ripe for change.
Something drastic needs to be done soon; else the country will become an ungovernable anarchy. Concomitant with the restructuring of the public sector, PML (N) Government, in consultation with the private enterprise and civil society, must establish policy priorities for creating the environment conducive to social stability, economic growth and job creation. The people expect that Secretaries and other senior public servants, in accordance with their job functions, must implement the plans. If they are incapable, they should go. The incoming PML (N) Government should cut red tape; trim its bureaucracy, in order to get Foreign Direct Investment. The politicians must do their own job of establishing policy and holding public service managers accountable for theirs. This revolution will, of course, face tough challenges, including many that require political consensus. Some of these include legislative changes to further modernize the economy, fight corruption and improve security and justice. If our nation is to be rescued from its long and worsening economic and social crises, that will have to change.