Why corruption is not a problem

[HASEEB ANSARI]

Why corruption is not a problem
By Hussain Nadim

As much as people would like to think or believe, corruption is really not the reason why Pakistan is collapsing. In fact, historically speaking, corruption has played a trivial role in the rise and fall of nations. If corruption were a significant issue, China, with its extraordinary corruption within the Communist Party of China (CPC), wouldn’t be booming. And the US, which has legalised corruption in the form of ‘lobbying’ wouldn’t still be the superpower that it is. The US has acted smartly by not only accepting corruption as the way of business, but by regulating and taxing it. Any organisation or corporation in the US can spend millions of dollars on lobby firms in Washington, DC to ensure that the policies formulated are favourable to their goals. This is why anti-gun laws, despite several cases of homicides, still stand blocked in the Congress.

What then is the real reason why Pakistan is collapsing? The answer is buried in how different ministries and government organisations function. Having worked in government, I have noticed that beneath the layer of corruption, it is ‘inaction’ and ‘mismanagement’ which is the real driver to Pakistan’s downward spiral.

A successful bureaucrat is one who does absolutely nothing, and is skillful in dodging work and responsibility. Taking initiatives and making decisions means adding the burden of ownership and responsibility for which there is very little motivation. Unlike the corporate sector, good performance does not entitle a bonus, and has no impact on promotion in the public sector. However, bad performance means a black star on the annual confidentiality report. Inaction, on the other hand, works best for those who want to progress as career bureaucrats. Hence, some of the most successful grade 22 bureaucrats are those who dodge work, religiously follow the ‘look busy do nothing’ policy, and most importantly, are able to work their way out with the ruling political party — after all, the promotions, especially those beyond grade 20, are by and large tied to political connections than merit per se.

Ministers, on the other hand, contrary to the common perception, do not have overwhelming powers. While they can push for certain goals and policies, their power is limited, and at times, they also feel helpless at the hands of the complex system of bureaucracy, both in the government and in their own political party. For instance, if a grade 18 officer decides to sabotage a project, even the ministers find themselves with little authority to reverse that. The prevailing notion among the bureaucrats is that ministers are only posted temporarily and have little time on their hands to push too much on the agenda, especially when they are heavily involved in dealing with issues in their own constituencies. Hence, bureaucrats have the ability to linger on projects and reforms through red tape, waiting for the minister to either get frustrated and back off, or shift the project to someone else who can take the responsibility. The real power in any ministry is in the hands of mid-level bureaucrats who prescribe to the general rule of ‘inaction’ as a way to success. The result is that there is no activity. Another significant factor that is causing a complete collapse of government is tasking the wrong people to do the wrong job in the wrong department. In the IT section of one of the ministries, for instance, there are four times more people with Islamiat and Pakistan Studies degrees than the relevant IT backgrounds. Just by placing the people according to their skill set in the right department can bring about a rapid change in how the government operates.

Then there is a serious issue of capacity. At the government level, to my horror, the concept of using basic research tools like Google and Yahoo is completely absent. While even students at the primary level are proficient with the internet and email, the Government of Pakistan is still using archaic methods of ‘files’ to communicate. Moreover, most ministries don’t even have Wifi access. While, there is a lot of hue and cry on eliminating corruption in Pakistan, with some political parties having promised to end this menace overnight, very few people actually understand the context of corruption in the country. For the majority, corruption is the only element hindering Pakistan’s economic progress. In reality, development and economic progress eventually eliminate corruption, not the other way around. If anything needs to be resolved it’s the mismanagement and work ethics in the government sector.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2014.