Pakistan's Need for Reform: A Roadmap for Change
One of the things we have been taught by the Pakistani people during the last year as , and I have attended multiple seminars under the Reimagining Pakistan platform is that our people are most unsatisfied with our governance and demand a new social contract. In the new social contract they want:
1) Low inflation so that a person who has met his commitment to society, has studied well and works hard, should be able to make a decent living.
2) Best opportunities should not be limited to the top 1% or even the top 10%. We need a fair society where every Pakistani, irrespective of his or her parents’ income, ethnicity, religion, sect or gender, should be able to achieve to the best of her or his talents and efforts.
3) We need a fair system where hard work pays, where taxation is fair and where a sales manager or a teacher or an engineer should not be paying more in taxes than a property tycoon or the very rich.
4) Empowered and well-financed local governments need to take responsibility for quality education and health care for the poorest to provide a level playing field.
5) Governments, provincial and federal, need to reduce their size and expenses and create an environment where all our people, men and women, can get good-paying private sector jobs and start their own businesses.
6) Governments should keep their affairs (deficits, circular debt, SOE losses, etc) under control so that their outlandish deficits and repeated mistakes don’t continuously hurt hard-working Pakistanis trying to make a living.
7) Privatise. So that electricity and gas prices can be made cheaper and industry doesn’t have to close due to energy shortage.
8) We need fundamental legal reforms so citizens can get timely justice. Our economy can only grow when courts work efficiently.
9) Let private business be the engine of growth and exports be the path of growth.
10) We need to control the population explosion.
11) We will never develop if we discriminate or suppress half of our population. We must endeavour to bring our sisters, the women of Pakistan, ahead in every field.
12) Pakistan will never be worthy of an Islamic Republic if religious minorities aren’t safe in Pakistan.
13) No reform will be effective or useful unless we undertake the most basic reform: devolve government to the people themselves by empowering local government. All parties have failed in this. But this is the single most important reform we need.
It's important to understand that despite the fact that these changes are fantastic and are intended to address a number of critical issues in Pakistan, numerous challenges still stand in the way of their implementation and effectiveness. Together with a clearly defined plan of action, the public and the government must work together to achieve these goals.
One crucial aspect that needs serious consideration is the realities of reducing inflation and making sure that a fair tax structure is in place. These are complex economic issues that call for thoughtful policy development and execution. Simple aspirations might not be sufficient to achieve these goals.
In order to prevent monopolies and make sure that more people benefit from privatization, the drive for it should be addressed properly. There must be a balance between the interests of the general people and the function of the business sector. Although giving local governments more authority is necessary, earlier attempts at decentralization have encountered issues with funding, capacity development, and political interference. It is crucial that these problems are fixed if this move is to succeed.
It is also wonderful to advocate for gender equality and women's participation in all areas, but it is vital to eliminate the engrained societal and cultural hurdles that prevent women from advancing. It's likely that altering laws alone won't be sufficient to bring about the desired change. Even when the rights of religious minorities are emphasized, the preservation of religious minorities necessitates not just legislative reforms but also a shift in public views and a commitment to diversity. In conclusion, these suggested changes offer a vision for a better Pakistan, but for them to be successfully implemented, they will need to overcome a number of obstacles, be thoroughly thought out, and have broad social support.
