Prime Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday called upon the country's civil bureaucracy to play effective role in implementing government policies and ensuring good governance.
"Despite having the best and most competent officers to run our ministries, divisions and key institutions, we have yet to make headway in effective implementation which is a key element of good governance," the Prime Minister said while addressing Federal Secretaries at an Iftar dinner hosted by Secretaries Committee here.
He said, "My personal observation has been that there is a yawning gap between formulating policies and their implementation. We must, under no circumstances, allow this to continue." He called for a paradigm shift in managing institutions and programmes. "You will have to go out yourself to see the implementation on ground and ensure that all bottlenecks and impediments are removed." Gilani said there is a dire need to institute a mechanism of monitoring and evaluation, which is a grey area.
He expressed optimism that bureaucracy will be able to come up with an effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism, which will point out the gaps in performance and help in devising future strategies. "We must shun the business as usual approach and adopt a forward looking progressive approach if our nation is to be taken forward in the current era replete with challenges, both internal and external," he observed.
He said he is for informed and participatory decision-making, which benefits from the wisdom and intellect of his team. "This entails that you must fully apply your mind and give candid as well as honest opinion in all matters in line with the prevailing policies. Let me reiterate here that we will continue to stand by you and support you in the due discharge of your duties."
He said his government will never stand in the way of exercise of authority by anyone of you which is driven by national interest and is in accordance with the law. "I am personally seeing to it that all elevations in the civil service are made only and only on merit. This government has not on a single occasion differed with the recommendations made by the FPSC or the Central Selection Board."
He said his interactions with bureaucracy are of immense importance as it provide an opportunity to understand each other's views on a wide range of subjects that affect life of the common man and the well being of nation. The leadership in the civil bureaucracy holds key to improving the lot of the common man and changing the destiny of this nation. He added that no matter how revolutionary the policies of the government are, it is the effective management and strong implementation that makes the difference on the ground.
He underscored the need for the civil service to work in complete harmony with the political leadership of the country so that the benefits of people-friendly policies could reach masses. He said the government will focus on meeting major challenges of energy, inflation and unemployment during remaining part of its tenure. "I would like you to come forward as we forge ahead in seeking viable and durable solutions to these problems," he added.
Prime Minister Gilani said the government has been in office for over three and a half years and it has endeavoured to take the country out of the shadows of a dictatorial dispensation of the past and bring about sweeping political reform. "I must say there are areas where we still have a substantial ground to cover," he added. He said the government has made concerted efforts to restore dignity and return authority to the parliament as the supreme law-making forum; a role denied in the past.
"This entailed that all key issues be discussed on the floor of the House and extensively debated before reaching a decision. I made it a point that the Prime Minister attends each session of the Parliament and is answerable to the House," he added. Gilani said amendments made in the Constitution to clip the wings of the parliament were done away with and for the first time in history, the President himself returned his powers to the parliament. He said another major stride forward was a breakaway from the politics of victimisation and political vendetta and today there are no politically motivated cases instituted against anyone, no political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
The NFC award and the 18th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution, which restored the 1973 Constitution in its true spirit, giving political rights to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, reforms in the FCR, giving the people of FATA the rights denied to them since the creation of Pakistan, are but a few more examples of sweeping political reforms, introduced by the Government, he added.
"We set about our task of rebuilding institutions and strengthening the democratic fabric of our society. Major achievements have been made towards women empowerment with introduction of law to empower and protect women at places of work." The Prime Minister said aim of law is to grant women dignity in line with the dictates of Islam and in accordance with the vision of the Founder of Pakistan. "The first woman speaker, the first woman governor, the first woman ombudsperson and the first woman Foreign Minister, all symbolise our commitment to elevating the status and stature of our women." Benazir Income Support Programme has restored the dignity of needy, destitute and desperate womenfolk through provision of support for basic subsistence and economic empowerment, he added.
The Prime Minister said, "Although we have made significant strides, however, I must say with utmost honesty that we still have a long way to go in providing good governance to our people." "This is where role of bureaucracy is of vital importance. Without good governance, the fruits of development, progress and reforms, would never reach the masses." Despite the dangerous circumstances, he said the government will continue to take all political forces along in grappling with diverse challenges of the times.
The government set examples in going the extra mile in reaching out to all segments of society and institutions in the larger interest of the nation, he added. "We have deep respect and admiration for all state institutions and pillars of the state without which the existence of a vibrant democratic polity is not possible."
The Prime Minister said the country is confronted with grave challenges of militancy and extremism. "The forces of violence and intolerance are unleashing the worst form of terror and atrocities. These elements have defamed our religion and in fact promoted anti-Islamic values that our great religion had always fought against."
He said bureaucracy has a major role to play in holding together the national fabric in present testing times. "Governments may come and go but you will have to continue playing your role in ensuring that there is unity in diversity and the sovereignty of the state of Pakistan remains unharmed," he said and added, "my ultimate message to you today is that let us all be answerable and subservient to the people who are the final arbiters."
He said Quaid-e-Azam founded Pakistan on the edifice of hope and equality. The Prime Minister concluded the speech while quoting Quaid-e-Azam who in his address to the nation on October 24, 1947 said, "my message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilise all our resources in a systematic and organised way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation."
Later, in an interactive session, the officers were assured by the Prime Minister of completing their tenure for ensuring implementation of government's policies. The PM said he will also take briefings from the ministries to review their performance, and added if there are some impediments, those will be removed.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.