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Good governance
Outline
I) Introduction
II) Characteristics of good governance
III) Causes of absence of good governance in pakistan
A) Crises since creation of country
B) Clash among institutions
C) Absence of independent judiciary
D) Frequent military interventions
E) Selfish political leaders
IV) Effects of absence of good governance
A. Absence of accountability
B. Corruption
C. Injustice
D. Poor law and order situation
E. Stunted economic growth
F. Food crises
G. Energy crises
H. Tax evasion
V) Suggestions
VI) conclusion

Kofi annan, former secretary general UN said,

“ good governance is perhaps single most important factor which can eradicate poverty and promote development”

Good governance is to manage the resources of a country in a manner which is impartial and transparent. It has the ability to lift any nation from the depths to the zenith of civilization. Among the comity of the nations, a country is respected and revered only if it has a sound governance system. Clash of institutions, crises of federation, weakness of judiciary and last but not the least moral corruption of politicians has not allowed good governance from developing roots in pakistan. The of lack of which has spawned myriad of problems, absence of justice, breaches in law and order, stunted economic development and adverse social effects. It is imperative for the government to identify the crises in governance and enact proper steps for its rectification.

Governance is defined as the manner in which social, economic resources of a country are managed. It is the process of decision making by the government and the implementation or non-implementation of the decisions in the public affairs, management of resources and overall good governance therefore may be defined as the proper management of resources in a manner that is fair, equitable and judicious.

Good governance ensures equal participation of both sexes, male and females in matters of national interest. This participation may be direct or indirect through representatives. This entailes the right of free expression and association on one hand and participation of organized civil society on the other. This right of participation is granted to all the sections of the society including the minorities to prevent any injustice. in a country where good governance reigns, transparency prevails at all levels. Individuals have an easy access to information which affects them. All the institutions operating are effective and efficient and strive to ensure speedy service to the stakeholders. Consequently, the chances of clash of institution are diminished. In countries where there is good governance, no one is above law. Everyone and anyone is accountable for his wrongdoings. This minimizes the chances of violation of law. A satisfied, prosperous and peaceful society prevails. As a consequence, political institutions operate reasonably and writ of the state is strengthened. As mentioned by a great philosopher,

“ we are accountable not only for what we do, but also for what we don’t do”

Pakistan was born with a hole in heart. it inherited myriad of problems. these included division of assets, refugee problem, administrative issues, water crises etc. to top it all, the untimely death of quaid-e-azam mohammad ali Jinnah, only a year after independence aggravated the already dismal situation. The founder of the country was himself aware that his fellowmen were lacking political sagacity and leadership skills and called them to be “bad coins of my pocket”. no leader in the past six decades has been able to fill into his shoes. this created political vacuum and allowed poor governance to flourish.

A prerequisite of good governance is the absence of clash among instituitions. Unlikely, Pakistan is going through a critical period where the conflict of interest between institutions disrupts social harmony. This has spawned a number of other troubles.

Crises of federation has hampered the development of good governance. There is a lack of integration and cooperation between the federating units and the centre. Often, provinces blame the centre for unfair distribution of resources. Not only provinces, but even districts also complain of unjust treatment in the division of resources. The demand of new provinces was an outgrowth of this issue.

Absence of independent judiciary has prevented good governance from prevailing in the country. judiciary is an important pillar of a state and its sole responsibility is to administer timely justice. However, in Pakistan, historically judiciary has been a puppet in the hands of the rulers. In rare occasions, when it refused to yield, it was deposed. Such a situation does not allow governance to operate sensibly.

Frequent military interventions have hampered democracy from developing roots in the country. Martial law was imposed four times and covered more than half of the lifespan of the country. Army with the reputation of being a savior or messiah intervened to set things right. Alas, they left making situation even worse.

Political leaders are much to be blamed for with respect to the absence of good governance. These leaders have not been sincere to the democratic norms and have only pursued their vested interests in the garb of politics. The failure of political leaders has been the root cause of the dismal situation of governance.

Lack of good governance has led to the absence of accountability. Influential people think they can get away with anything and do not hesitate a moment in indulging in heinous crimes. This high-handedness has created a general notion that people are not accountable to anyone, least of all law enforcement agencies.
As ishrat hussain rightly said,

“you can run away from responsibility but you cannot run away from the results of running away from the responsibility”

Absence of accountability has caused corruption to become widespread. The issue has risen to an extent where all individuals from high ranking officials to clerical officers are entangled in the web of corruption. Everyone demands his palm to be greased even for a minor task such as carrying a file from a room to another or even from a desk to another. Pakistan stands 34th in the list of most corrupt countries according to international sources. Transaction costs have escalated. Consequently, public investments have declined and more developmental projects have not been laid.

As a result of rampant corruption, even funds allocated for education, new developmental projects, health sector are diverted from their rightful place into the pockets of the elite. The literacy rate of Pakistan is even less than 50%, indicating that a majority of the citizens cannot read or write. Such individuals are a weigh down upon the economy as they cannot contribute to the GDP in a meaningful manner. These illiterate individuals bear more children leading to overpopulation and adding a burden to already debilitating economy.

Owing to the poor governance, judiciary has failed to dispense timely justice. This has added to the powerlessness of the poor. Justice delayed is justice denied. This notion has often caused general citizens to take law in their own hands to settle a score. As a result, law and order cannot be maintained.

Frequent breaches in law are common. People violate law due to the weakness of governance. Researches conducted have shown that the ratio of violence against women has increased in the past couple of years. Many such incidents go unreported, due to lack of trust on law enforcement agencies. Similar acid throwing, bride burning incidents, too have increased. Thefts, burglaries have also become manifold due to the absence of good governance.

Economic development of a country is interrelated with the law and order situation. The precarious law and order situation has deterred foreign investors. The already fragile economy is on the brink of bankruptcy. All the sources of revenue generation, agriculture, industry, tourism, etc have suffered due to the prevailing law and order instability. Swat was once a popular tourist destination and also directed the attention of foreign investors to Pakistan. Alas, in recent times the hotel industry of swat has suffered losses in million owing to the terrorist activities.

Poor economic development of the country coupled with extravagant spending of the government has turned the situation from bad to worse. All the successive governments, military or civilians have attempted to make bigger and bigger administrative units by spending millions and even billions. All this was done in an attempt to assuage political parties and to extend their tenure.

Pakistan is an agricultural country, with 65% of the population depending on the sector directly or indirectly. Despite the fact, Pakistan is experiencing food crises of the worst kind. This owes to the poor governance of the government, which has failed to enact proper steps to avert the situation. even a basic necessity, such as grain seems to be beyond the reach of a poor citizen. Not only food crises, but even the imminent water crises are also a result of poor policies of the ruling governments. According to the senior minister of Pakistan the water crises of Pakistan are of serious nature and can turn the country into a desert.

Poor governance is the root cause of the menace of energy crises. The economy of Pakistan is agro-based, so its energy consumption is already little compared to developed countries. Still, the absence of proper policies by the government has worsened the situation.

Absence of good governance has also affected the taxation system of the country. Direct taxes are much more than the indirect taxes. Additional taxes are imposed on poor citizens while the rich go scot-free. Tax evasion is a common phenomenon. The standard of living is deteriorating in Pakistan due to the heavy burden of taxation.

Ishrat hussain, the former governor of state bank wrote a book “seven pillars of good governance”. In his book he mentioned that the crises of governance can be overcome if one accepts the presence of corruption in the society and attempts to minimize it. He also suggested that instead of inaugurating new institutions and organizations with pomp and show, efforts must be taken to revitalize existing instituitions. Moreover, efforts must be undertaken for bringing perpetrators to book. the practice should be done on regular basis, to discourage others from following the likewise.

Certain measures should be enacted to ensure good governance
• Balance between the institutions, most notably, executive, judiciary, legislature and media
Should be ensured
• Efforts should be undertaken to prevent any province from stepping over the rights of another.
• Organizations and institutions should operate independently and not bow down to the pressure of the influential class
• Government must enact steps considering the consensus of opinion
• At the same time, rights of the minorities and vulnerable section of the society should not be violated
• The ruling class should be sincere to the welfare of general public.
• Taxation system should be revised and tax evasion hindered at all cost.
• Law enforcement agencies should be given incentives to enhance their efficiency
• Bureaucrats, ministers and high ranking officials should cut their coat according to the cloth i.e manage their resources judiciously.
• Political system of the country should be strengthened and it should not offer any chance to the military men to intervene.
• Resources of the country should be distributed amongst the provinces in view of their population and their contributions.

Good governance is very important for the development of any society along the modern democratic norms. The absence of good governance has the ability to drag any country into the mire of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, and economic crises. Developed countries have identified good governance as the key for economic and social prosperity and have stressed upon it. unlikely for Pakistan, the tug-of war between civil and military governments, the superficiality of politicians and the on and off complaints of provinces have diverted attention from the core issue of governance. However, all is not gone. All that is needed is sincerity of politicians, commitment of officials , patience and tolerance from the citizens.