White elephant
PIA IS running on fumes, both literally and figuratively. The debt-ridden national carrier was forced to cancel 14 domestic flights and delay four others for hours on Monday after Pakistan State Oil refused to provide it with any more fuel until it settled its past dues. Passengers and planes had to be grounded as the airline’s management scrambled to figure out how to squeeze PSO for more concessions despite already running a multibillion-rupee overdraft with the state oil marketing giant. However, PSO, which itself is facing a major liquidity crisis as receivables crossed a record Rs755bn the same day, seems to be running thin on patience: PIA’s negotiations with the entity are said to have continued till late in the night. As such, the situation no longer seems conducive for PIA to continue operating as it has for years, and it appears that the airline is finally starting to crash and burn amidst general hesitancy from top decision-makers regarding its fate.
The writing has been on the wall for a while now: as Pakistan sinks under the weight of its burgeoning debt, it cannot continue to maintain failing entities like PIA without incurring massive opportunity costs. The airline is terribly run, grossly overstaffed and has been consistently ranked among the worst airlines both internationally and domestically. It has already burnt countless billions in pursuit of ‘revitalisation’ plans that have turned out to be wild goose chases. Instead of shovelling billions more into it each month from taxpayers’ money, it is time to put it out of its misery and privatise it. Its thousands of employees, most of whom have a job only because our government is willing to spend public funds recklessly for their upkeep, will agitate and protest, but the government needs to stand firm on the privatisation option. We cannot continue wasting the nation’s precious resources on white elephants while ordinary people are struggling to eat.
Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2023
Out of school
WE are at the precipice of an education catastrophe. With a reported 28m children out of school, the nation faces a daunting task. But beyond the alarming statistics lies a deeper problem: a generation at risk. A letter from the centre urging provincial ministers to formulate a uniform national strategy to address the issue is a welcome step. We can only hope it will lead to a substantial action plan. The onus of effective implementation lies with provincial governments given the education sector’s devolved nature. While several initiatives were rolled out in the past to send these children to school, the outcomes were subpar, indicating the need for a deeper dive into the problem. Poverty and lack of awareness are at its root, experts say. Lower-income families simply cannot afford to send their children to school when they are labouring — quite literally — to keep their families afloat. Even if the state manages to enrol them, they drop out for the same reason. Children forced into such situations are deprived of their basic right to an education and remain trapped in a cycle of poverty. Therefore, simply enrolling these children is not the solution. Ensuring they stay enrolled, receive quality education and don’t go back to labour is the real challenge. To this end, the government must introduce financial incentives for families below the poverty line to send their children to school. In tandem, labour laws must be strengthened so children below a certain age do not work. And for older working children, schools must consider flexible timings.
The argument over whether the figure stands at 28m or 22.8m is moot. Even one child out of school is one child too many. The focus, instead, should turn to how serious the state’s commitment is. With Pakistan allocating a mere 1.7pc of its GDP to education, the budgetary priority afforded to the sector is evident. For any tangible change, it is recommended that this be increased to at least 4pc. Resources alone, however, are not the panacea. Efficient utilisation, transparent governance and modern, child-friendly curricula are equally vital. To invest in education is to invest in the future. Every child out of school today is an opportunity lost for progress tomorrow. Let the number, be it 28m or 22.8m, serve as a wake-up call. The nation’s future rests on how it responds.
Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2023
The gravy train
GOVERNMENT employment in Pakistan is a ticket to the good life, where work is optional, but pay and perks are guaranteed. But as the nation battles a debilitating financial crisis, it is fair to ask if such a model is sustainable for a country that requires a bailout every few years.
A recent study by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics sheds light on the bloated size of our bureaucracy and questions the output of our army of civil servants.
According to the report, titled Lifetime Cost of Public Servants, there are over 1.3m federal government employees, while the total cost of employee salaries and pensions, including military wages, comes to a staggering Rs8tr.
The PIDE report suggests the judiciary enjoys the highest perks, while officers of the Pakistan Administrative Services also receive significant non-monetary benefits. In fact, as the study notes, if perks and allowances are monetised, “the myth of low salaries in the public sector” would be broken.
Considering this huge expenditure, it is only natural to ask what positive impact this legion of bureaucrats has had on the country and its development.
Apart from some notable exceptions, the average Pakistani will tell you that run-ins with the state — whether at the thana, katcheri, or another administrative department — are rarely pleasant.
Perhaps this is because the bureaucracy, a product of the Raj, still operates according to colonial mores, where the rulers are supposed to lord it over the natives.
Certainly, the luxury vehicles, sprawling mansions and lavish lifestyles of many government employees support such assertions. While all civil servants are not parasites, and indeed many do work hard to get the job done, far too many do too little, yet fully enjoy the perks of power.
Perhaps the root of the problem lies in a state that has been turned into an employment exchange, where politicians can reward loyalists with jobs.
To change this scenario, it must be asked if the state is putting the taxpayers’ money to good use. Without reforming our top-heavy bureaucracy, and independently evaluating performance, things will not change. Merit and efficiency should be the core values that drive our bureaucracy, not political links and self-enrichment.
Politicians and elements within the bureaucracy have thwarted numerous attempts at reform, and unless the civil service is brought in line with 21st-century best practices, the state will continue to pour trillions of rupees into a black hole.
As the PIDE report notes, the government’s “job is to create new opportunities and not offering jobs”.
Only the best, brightest and most honest men and women need to be hired and retained, with regular monitoring of their performance, while the colonial-style perks and privileges for state employees, especially at the higher tiers, must be discontinued.
Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2023