Strict administration vs governance

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Mansoor Ahmad
STRICT administration is no substitute for good governance that is based on transparent rules and regulations as even a dedicated administer with good intentions is liable to commit mistakes that might prove counter productive.

Punjab is passing through testing times as its dedicated chief minister is trying to improve things through strict administration without much regards for rules. He first tried to improve health services by creating terror among medics through regular raids. Things improved while he was active but not so now. He was trying to improve things through manual monitoring while the aim could be achieved through technological monitoring. The timely presence of the professors could be assured through electronic registers that mark attendance through thumb impression both at the time of coming and leaving the office. Electronic monitors in outdoor and wards could have reduced exploitation of patients.

The chief minister is trying to boost industry in the province. Yet he has appointed three groups of directors at Sundar the best industrial estate of the province. Some directors are from the first board that was replaced by Pervaiz Ehali while its chairman is from the group that played pivotal role in the ouster of the newly inducted directors. The chairman and the chief operating officer of Sundar are at loggerheads. The new directors might side with chairman against the chief operating officer but otherwise they would not see eye to eye with the chairman.

The chief minister reappointed Mansoor Arfeen as the head of Pakistan Agricultural Marketing Company (PAMCO) despite the fact that he failed to deliver in his earlier term. He realized his mistake and the PAMCO chief was asked to resign few months later.

The bureaucracy makes changes in service rules on its whims to favour those that have influence. The chief minister talks about the independence of judiciary. He, however, has failed to provide justice to 10 inspectors who were promoted as DSPs by non-PCO courts in November 2007. These inspectors were denied promotion on the ground that they have not performed field duty for one year as investigation officer and two years as SHO. The Lahore High Court upheld the stance of the inspectors that they themselves could not get these assignments unless ordered by high up. The promotion of DSPs remained suspended in Punjab for over three years. Now again when the promotion committee is set to meet, the same condition has again been imposed. Four of the inspectors have retired in the meantime while the rest are looking for justice. It is a well known fact that the coveted post of SHO goes to influential and compliant policemen while honest and straight forward officers are denied this posting. Now the honest policemen are being punished for their honesty and that too against law. The encroachment drive in Lahore is on and the results are lopsided because no department has been made accountable if encroachments reappear. In the absence of proper rules and regulations, encroachers reappear in every locality that has been cleaned through bull dozers. Even brute state force can not deliver if the proper rules for each civic service are formulated and strictly practiced.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=161470