Khawaja Wajih Ud Din
Action on misdeeds is the need of time. Sir Barnett cocks had said that a committee is” a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled”. Many unfortunate incidents, like the recent one in Murree, in the past reflect the psyche in this country.
It has been a normal practice ever since that there is a committee formed to submit a report. The report even if seeing daylight is never acted upon. It’s a common experience that in all such meetings of the committees, departments indulge in finger-pointing to shift the blame. In the end, it’s always a futile exercise resulting in a nullity. As a result, the system has become a mockery in the eyes of the public. The people have lost hope in the organs of government in general and civil administration in particular. Consequently, progress in the country is hampered.
Let there be no mistake. The inhabitants of this nation are potentially brilliant. It’s a common observation that wherever we serve around the globe we perform the best. The dilemma is the non-following of merit in every sphere of life by us. Anyone selected by avoiding merit is never faithful to the system of the country. His allegiance is always with the person who got him that position. This impractical approach has landed our beloved country in the present catastrophe.
Another key factor is the lack of proper human resources in this nation. The system does not reward brilliance and hard work. The fact of the matter is that we discourage people who want to work hard for the betterment of the system until they come to terms. As a result, people opt for greener pastures. In the last five decades, Pakistan has suffered the most from brain drain. On a recent visit abroad, I met a few Pakistanis’ who were doing well in a foreign country. They wanted to come and serve their motherland. One of them twice tried to settle down here. But the factors like lack of truthfulness, merit, and the bigoted atmosphere in this society forced the family to shift again to the adopted country in search of excellence.
We need to create an atmosphere for encouraging honesty, integrity, and morality. It is only possible when we start encouraging merit-based systems. It is believed that merit is the strongest tool to fight corruption and inefficiency etc. It is a personal experience that if you pitch persons recruited on merit with the people hired on other consideration; merit wins all hands up in a fair competition.
Without prejudice to the above but in addition, thereto, it is the need of the hour to encourage fairness and excellence in the society. Our Holy teachings stress inter-alia, on these commandments. It is painfully true that the daily routine life of the developed world is based on the commandments which we are supposed to follow. The developed world realized them to be a step to success and the results are there to see.
The social fabric in the country is also collapsing. Close observation of social media bears testimony to this fact. Peaceful co-existence amongst families is now rarely observed. Respect for moral and ethical norms is nonexistent.
To counter the bitter truth, we need to change the priorities set for the future. It would be proper that the government comes up with a vision document like the recent security policy entailing goals on the social front intended to be achieved in the next 20 years. A strong awareness campaign would be advisable concentrating on our values, ethics, conduct, morality including eastern customs and traditions. The ill effects and influx of western influence can be effectively countered through this methodology.
Adoption of good practices is never a bad idea. The key factor is always whether it suits our psyche and the ground realities here. Hence the imposition of the imported model has to pass that test, and only then it can bear fruit. Be as it may, the basic problem in Pakistan is execution, and lack of practicalism. Instead of framing new laws left right and center, methodology for implementation is the need of the hour.
There is a saying that there is the right man for the right job. This concept needs inculcation in the hearts and minds of people who matter in this country. Man has been evolving since the beginning of time. Let us step forward now as the only constant factor in life is change. Whereas those who do not adapt to the changing environment perish.
