For some mysterious reason, the political pundits have become unreasonably impatient with the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and they want the changes promised by this party\'s leader to come into effect before sundown.
Imran Khan, probably, is the only leader in this country during the last fifty years who is not just willing but impatient to put in practice his rhetoric of empowering the common man and woman in the villages and towns throughout the country. His belief in the wisdom of the voter is unshakable and he genuinely believes that only empowering common Pakistanis can bring the needed positive change in the country.
To empower the ordinary citizen, the PTI government has brought the law of right to information. This law is the most modern law not just in this country or in Asia but the rest of the world as well. However, it will take some time for the people to use it for their benefit.
It will take the ordinary man and women some experience to understand that now instead of begging for information from government officials, they can demand it; and if their demand is not met, they can report it to a commission formed for the specific purpose of taking action against officials who resist imparting information to the members of public.
As the ordinary people get used to this new empowerment of getting the information they demand, it will immensely increase transparency in government matters such as financial matters, award of big contracts, allocations and utilization of funds. The law on the right to information of the common individuals will also bring a sense of responsibility among the politicians in government and high officials, for they will know that in many instances it will not be possible to veil their shabby deals and unmerited appointments or delays in providing necessary services to the public.
The PTI government has, also, almost completed the blueprints of an elected local body system which will take the concentration of power away from the provincial political set up and the officialdom in the sectariat and devolve it to the lowest levels of villages and towns. Funds and decisions of appointments of teachers, medical staff for primary schools and small hospitals will be given to the members of the local government. The elected members of local bodies will be able to decide on building local roads, streets, installing street lights, constructing and maintaining sewerage and potable water system, local parks.
Teachers will be careful to be present on their jobs and how and what they teach to the children.
To stay on their jobs, they will depend on the pleasure of the parents of these children instead of indifferent inspectors or deputy directors who rarely come for inspection and even if they visit schools, they are in hurry to leave. So will be the case with regards to local hospitals whose affairs will be managed by the locally elected councils: the staff there too will serve as long as the local population is pleased with their services. There will be no need for countless visits of the local activists to the provincial health directorate for begging the high officials there to change the medical staff which either is mostly absent, rude even when present and rarely concerned with the pain of patients. The locals will be able to fire such incompetent or apathetic staff.
Most of all, if the local government system is sincerely implemented it will change the thana culture. The police will not be able to bypass the local representatives and act illegally. Such complaints as corruption, taking or keeping people in illegal custody will be impossible to hide and as such not feasible for the police to practice, at least, not abrasively.
The PTI government is also working on an accountability bill which will establish an independent and powerful department to monitor and probe powerful politicians and influential bureaucrats in government. Even the chief minister of the province will be answerable to the said accountability commission.
The PTI leader Imran Khan most probably, and rightly so, believes that many modern democracies have been able to improve the
livesof their citizens by empowering the people to hold their politicians and government officials responsible for their actions and also giving the people autonomy regarding their local matters.
The critics while agreeing with PTI\'s goals, however, don\'t realise that this government is trying and has taken practical steps to bring fundamental changes in the way of governance. It wants to transform the many despots like the secretaries, the many deputy, additional, assistant secretaries and section officers in the provincial secretariat and officials of the directorates of revenue, education, health departments into becoming true civil servants and provide services to the people.
The PTI government in KP because of the particular situation in the province needs more time and encouragement as it puts measure for these fundamental changes instead of being unduly criticised for unavoidable delay.
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/42072/
Imran Khan, probably, is the only leader in this country during the last fifty years who is not just willing but impatient to put in practice his rhetoric of empowering the common man and woman in the villages and towns throughout the country. His belief in the wisdom of the voter is unshakable and he genuinely believes that only empowering common Pakistanis can bring the needed positive change in the country.
To empower the ordinary citizen, the PTI government has brought the law of right to information. This law is the most modern law not just in this country or in Asia but the rest of the world as well. However, it will take some time for the people to use it for their benefit.
It will take the ordinary man and women some experience to understand that now instead of begging for information from government officials, they can demand it; and if their demand is not met, they can report it to a commission formed for the specific purpose of taking action against officials who resist imparting information to the members of public.
As the ordinary people get used to this new empowerment of getting the information they demand, it will immensely increase transparency in government matters such as financial matters, award of big contracts, allocations and utilization of funds. The law on the right to information of the common individuals will also bring a sense of responsibility among the politicians in government and high officials, for they will know that in many instances it will not be possible to veil their shabby deals and unmerited appointments or delays in providing necessary services to the public.
The PTI government has, also, almost completed the blueprints of an elected local body system which will take the concentration of power away from the provincial political set up and the officialdom in the sectariat and devolve it to the lowest levels of villages and towns. Funds and decisions of appointments of teachers, medical staff for primary schools and small hospitals will be given to the members of the local government. The elected members of local bodies will be able to decide on building local roads, streets, installing street lights, constructing and maintaining sewerage and potable water system, local parks.
Teachers will be careful to be present on their jobs and how and what they teach to the children.
To stay on their jobs, they will depend on the pleasure of the parents of these children instead of indifferent inspectors or deputy directors who rarely come for inspection and even if they visit schools, they are in hurry to leave. So will be the case with regards to local hospitals whose affairs will be managed by the locally elected councils: the staff there too will serve as long as the local population is pleased with their services. There will be no need for countless visits of the local activists to the provincial health directorate for begging the high officials there to change the medical staff which either is mostly absent, rude even when present and rarely concerned with the pain of patients. The locals will be able to fire such incompetent or apathetic staff.
Most of all, if the local government system is sincerely implemented it will change the thana culture. The police will not be able to bypass the local representatives and act illegally. Such complaints as corruption, taking or keeping people in illegal custody will be impossible to hide and as such not feasible for the police to practice, at least, not abrasively.
The PTI government is also working on an accountability bill which will establish an independent and powerful department to monitor and probe powerful politicians and influential bureaucrats in government. Even the chief minister of the province will be answerable to the said accountability commission.
The PTI leader Imran Khan most probably, and rightly so, believes that many modern democracies have been able to improve the
livesof their citizens by empowering the people to hold their politicians and government officials responsible for their actions and also giving the people autonomy regarding their local matters.
The critics while agreeing with PTI\'s goals, however, don\'t realise that this government is trying and has taken practical steps to bring fundamental changes in the way of governance. It wants to transform the many despots like the secretaries, the many deputy, additional, assistant secretaries and section officers in the provincial secretariat and officials of the directorates of revenue, education, health departments into becoming true civil servants and provide services to the people.
The PTI government in KP because of the particular situation in the province needs more time and encouragement as it puts measure for these fundamental changes instead of being unduly criticised for unavoidable delay.
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/42072/