Analyses
Good Governance: A Simulated Reality
By Dr. Nasrullah Khan, Comsats, 10/6/20
Jun 11, 2020 - 12:57:01 PM

Corporate networks, debt traps, business, health and media mafias.

The concept of "governance" is as old as the human history. New prefixes like good or bad governance have evolved gradually over time. According to United Nations definition, " Governance means the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented”. Donors and financial institutions now look at quality of the governance before deciding their aids and loans.

A good governance is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is responsive to the present and future needs of society [UN 2020].

Leaders having extreme views may hijack political parties to promote their racial, radical, hatred, reforms, revolutionary or expansionism agendas. They win elections under democratic systems but soon are exposed by their irrational and extreme actions, especially when they have bad or good wills without skills. Trump came with racial mindset, Modi with Hindutva agenda and Imran with change slogan. Trump, Modi and Imran have been exposed as racist, extremist and benefactor by their actions.

Imran Khan has badly failed on many fronts yet opponents swear his honesty. He has will to bring reforms but has no skill how to do it. Philosophers spend lot of time on understanding people, the real job is how to change people. People are addicted to facilities, comforts and easy life. They vote for revolutionary leaders, but do not sacrifice to materialize the change. Voters believe any leader with so-so will, but market tested skills is better for economy.

Democracy is the best political system but capitalists have hijacked it. Corruption started in Pakistan in 1980s when industrialists, capitalists and traders flooded the parliament. They distributed sugar, flour, diesel and LPG licenses among themselves and started cartelization in market that ended up in inflation. Bureaucrats distributed plots among themselves and property dealers fixed 10% annual rise in rents that led the country to stagflation.

A good government is expected to provide health, education and employment facilities on merit. District management, judiciary and police are expected to protect public life, honor and property. Public knows we have huge local and foreign debts (90% of GDP) so they do not demand social security.

Political pundits and analysts started claiming in last decade the health and education are not basic human rights. Business mafias do not consider even fresh air and clean water to be basic human rights. Though these are basic human rights, the people have stopped complaining health and education facilities. However, a good government can stop bribery and corruption in police and judiciary.

Fake degree holders are sitting in executive positions and real degree holders walking on feet in streets. PPP Government appointed three persons as ministers of law, religion and education who had fake degrees. Poor people with fake degrees are sent into jail, but rich asked to step down from their posts. Police and judiciary are responsible for 90% chaos in Pakistan.

Police can force the swarm of motor cycles flooding middle and right lanes on highways. It cost nothing rather earns lot of revenue by challans. Traffic has stained our social outlook taking several lives. Courts can be forced to decide cases before victims die.

Politicians raise salaries of lower grade employees with hope to buy their votes. Government raised salaries of police and military during terrorism, and salary of doctors during Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers have priority so nobody bothers professors in penury. Professors are offered TTS for slightly better salaries (10-40% of Supreme Court Judges) without any pension facilities.

In the wake of coronavirus drugs manufacturers increased lifesaving drugs prices and private hospitals started overcharging ventilator facilities. Private hospitals charge RS. 30,000 to RS. 50,000 per day for normal and Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 100,000 per day for critical patients. Doctors give Actemra injection to patient on ventilator that used to cost a few thousands ($491) before Covid-19, which now costs Rs. 300,000 ($1700) in black market. It is humble request to make the death easier and cheaper [Muzamal 2020]. The Covid-19 is going to peak at end of July 2020 so NDMA arranging 1000 oxygenated beds.

Oil prices have fallen down to rock bottom worldwide. Prime Minister of Pakistan decreased petrol prices and petrol mafias closed their pumps. Actual petrol prices are RS.74 per litter but private pump mafias have been reported selling at RS.200 to Rs.500 per litter in black market. Sugar, health and education mafias have managed to place their own people in regulatory bodies, where they concoct rules and regulations for their business expansion.

Teachers, lecturers and professors produce professionals to run government machinery without any pension, health and housing facilities. Life of a teacher in Pakistan is like a horse who is left to die after his useful life. I have heard many executives calling professors “horses” who win ranks, stars and awards for them. They prefer techs over farmers who feed a herd of 220 million folks. Workers and farmers are the most vulnerable segments of society.

Workers and farmers dig earth to create wealth. Miners extract minerals, workers mold materials into products and farmers use rakes, ploughs and harrows to harvest food and fruit crops. They provide fresh foods, fruits, milk, meats and products to all of us but elites never give them their rights.

To seek justice is so expensive the poor victims cannot afford it. Rich elites commit black and white collar crimes and pay to police, lawyers and judges to buy the justice in developing countries. If any reference is filed on assets beyond means against any judge the rest of judiciary tries to protect him.

Constitution provides shelter to wealth of rich and honor of elites but not the hunger of poor in developing democratic countries. Privatization has limited access of poor to health and education facilities. Free market has skyrocketed prices of common goods everywhere.

A good governance facilitates public access to health, education and employment facilities. Police and judiciary plays vital role to maintain law and order. Incumbents operate civil structure, intelligence agencies and militaries keep eyes on local and foreign interferences.

District management keeps eyes on prices, inflation and quality of goods. Traders play critical role in the supply chain networks as they mediate goods between manufacturers and customers. When suppliers start creating shortages and incumbents start ignoring them public life becomes hell. Free market, private business and corruption crush public like sugarcane.

We have abundant sugar, wheat and petrol yet traders and business mafias have hijacked 220 million people with artificial inflation. Political parties protect these gangsters as they give them voters during elections. Democratic system is the best if voters are well qualified and independents. When voters depend on capitalist leaders then democracy dies.

Steel mill has been accumulating circular debts since last four decades. PML leaders had experience to make 27 factories from one steel mill, yet they failed to operate it. PPP government failed to privatize it to get rid of rising steel mill debts. PTI government has started downsizing it as the mill has 1000 workers’ capacity where PML, PPP and MQM had recruited 10,000 workers.

Merchants flock to the mining and exploration camps after gold, coal, oil and gas are discovered and they all leave the barrens, when the mineral lodes and hydrocarbon strata are petered out. Marine and amphibian species evolve in lakes and die or escape when water dries out. Democratic hypothesis to give subsidies and incentives with hope they will invest in new technologies is a mirage.

A business has no interest in creating jobs. Capitalist inspire engineers to develop automatic, intelligent and smart devices to reduce number of employees. Capitalists never acquire capital to spend, they acquire to accumulate. Employees are mere rungs of ladder for capitalists as voters for politicians. Giving incentives and subsidies to elites with a hope to invest on new factories is like giving money to a gangster with hope he will do the right things with it [John 2011].

Democracy is best political system, but capitalist democracy is not good for the poor. Capitalist democracy is beautiful, nevertheless developing countries cannot afford her cosmetics. Capitalist democracy is like snake’s fangs which pain lesser in going inside than outside. Corruption, commissions, bribery, sleaze, lust and interests are its ultimate goals. China and Russia are the two successful countries who have beat America and Europe on economic and weapons frontiers.

National Accountability Court arrested dozens of criminals but courts granted them bails and military used to arrest terrorists on risk of life and judges used to release them. Corrupt judges and police officers fear from terrorists and criminals, and punish poor people. All corrupt mafias are backed by politicians as they give them votes as well as means to launder money.

Sugar and floor scandals reports show there was no shortage of sugar and wheat but mills mafia charged billions of rupees from docile consumers. Oil prices have plummeted worldwide and reduction of prices petrol pumps mafias have created artificial shortage. Traders raise prices during crises and keep it there after abundance of supplies. Transporters raise fares during hike in oil prices and keep it there even if the petrol becomes several orders cheaper.

Rich elites either contest elections or fund political parties to tailor rules and laws to facilitate their own gains. They plunder Pakistan and shift looted money to their offshore companies. Assets beyond means is a common issue with all business, political and bureaucrats in Pakistan. Judges, journalists and generals have power to expose them but they take lion’s share to keep silent.

Justice system and liberty to speak are the biggest frauds in all developing countries, especially Pakistan. In the presence of current police, judiciary and politics people have no future. The biggest culprits are the people who tolerate cruelty and corruption, but do not protest. Media, traders and judiciary has hijacked this country. Judges listen elites bail cases in days and postpone poor people cases for years.

We have to live and die here. We know the evils and how to correct them. Government hires dual national oversees executives, with poor credentials than local competitors, who catch the fish and run away when pointed out in media by agencies. These dual national executives send more money from Pakistan to their families in other countries than oversees workers send back to Pakistan.

Our overseas remittances depend on our Pakistani national workers, not dual national Pakistanis who operate hondi and hawala systems to facilitate money laundering. I know zillions of dual nationals who sold their homes, plots, properties and lands to settle oversees. More than 50% retired executives take pension from here and send it to their own oversees families.

Too big to fail incorporate networks force rulers to charge taxes from hand to mouth docile people and hide their own assets in offshore companies. British government provides refuge to money launderers, ransom killers and drug networks. All corrupts runaway to UK when pointed out in home countries. The British Empire plundered the planet and British Democracy looting through elites.

White people smuggled black African slaves into Europe then shifted many of them to across Atlantic when they conquered America. African Americans have constitutional rights yet black people are their deepest wound. A police officer killed a black African American, George Floyd, by choking his throat with knee on road. Many die like this but media highlighted this case.

However, it is beauty of American values that zillions of black and white people joined the protest against American racial policies. Angry protestors scribed “Black Life Matters” on White House. Racism barbarity of Hindu & Muslim and Black & White exists in East and West. Latest news show the protests have spread in America as well as Europe and Africa. Can America now compete China in Africa?

Civil and military rules have been coming at decadal oscillations in Pakistan. Military rulers start local governments and civil rulers end local governments to please their supporters in district management. They have shifted resources to provinces under 18^th amendment to continue corruption in their provincial governments of fail to make government at federal level. Political parties are bricks of democratic structure as local governments in national structure. Local governments nurture political nursery as high schools produce seed for universities. Provincial governments have taken powers from federal government but did not transfer powers to local governments for their vested interests.

Inherited leadership in political parties have damaged democracy in Pakistan. Zulfqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Zardari and Belawel Bhutto is descending dynasty of PPP. Nawaz Sharif, Shebaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shehbaz is the descending dynasty of PML (N). MQM could compete PPP in Sindh but failed due to target killing, racial discrimination, abduction and ransom business. PPP, PML and Army have been ruling since last seven decades. Emergence of Imran Khan is a sign of change in Pakistan.

Inherited leaders, capitalists, industrialist, business, feudal and elite mafia are one and the same thing. They own sugar, flour, poultry, steel, health, education and media channels. Since coming of business and industrialists in politics the prices of goods are skyrocketing in Pakistan. The loot local people and transfer corruption money to UK as British Empire used to plunder planet and accumulate goods in UK. British government provides refuge to corrupt mafias to support chaos in developing countries.

Islam has practiced democracy but right of vote is limited to educated people who know what is good and bad for country. Trump used racists in America and Modi used extremists in India to get the power. PPP and PML use media, traders, corrupt civil servants, illiterates and business communities to get power. PTI has closed funds for media and trader mafias that is why they all cry.

History shows democratically elected leaders have used oppression, harassment and corruption to strengthen their power. Hitler said Arians are superior race, Mussolini claimed himself to be Italy and Bush tried to use power to launch new world order. NATO (USA, UK and EU) is morphing into UIUI (USA, India, UK and Israel) to control China, Russia, Europe and Peninsula Arabia under a new murky world order. U or I and I or U is a new global threat to planet. Presence of extremist leaders in USA and India is biggest danger for planet as nuclear and biological wars go beyond borders and continents.

United States of America has failed to control riots against embedded racism. African Americans served for centuries but could not end black and white divide how black Indians with red spot on face can become their sweet hearts. They want to use Hindu extremists against China as sacrificial lamb to achieve their own vested interests. America is noting Indian brutalities in Kashmir, Indus Water Treaty violations against Pakistan and human rights violations in seven sister states. America ignored Indian terrorist networks activities in Karachi and Baluchistan using her presence in Afghanistan.

UK killed millions in India to occupy India and left zillions to die with plague. They replaced gold coins with steel coins and shifted all the gold grains to UK. On large temporal and spatial scales our future is mirror image of our past, the rest are mere details. British vassals in India and Pakistan are acting as honey and milk canals for their economy. All property, political, corrupt and drug mafias do money laundering to place their black money in UK. British government provides refuge to global gangsters as their economy is based on corruption money in foreign countries.

References

UN, What is Good Governance?, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/good-governance.pdf, accessed 8 June 2020.

Muzamal S, Corona: Loot and plunder in private hospitals, Daily Express News, 9 June 2020. Pp. 6.

John K, The Triumph of Capitalism: Jobless Nations, Global Research, 8 September 2011. https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-triumph-of-capitalism-jobless-nations/26639