Role of the government and business

Letter March 09, 2014
I think most people would agree that government’s job is to make some serious effort to solve people’s problems.

KARACHI: Speaking at the Pakistan Auto Show at the Expo Centre in Lahore recently, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the government has ‘no business being in business’. Frankly speaking, the way the government is running the country, most people would say that it has no business even being in government. The prime minister went on to say: “The government can only assist businessmen by removing hurdles that place them at a disadvantage over competitors,” and we jolly well know what strenuous efforts he is making in that direction and how much he is succeeding in his endeavours.

Admitted, January 2, 1972 was the worst day in the history of Pakistan’s economy when 32 industries were nationalised. However, the wholesale privatisation suggested by the current government would be an even greater disaster. As for the prime minister’s claim that government can “only assist businessmen by removing hurdles that place them at a disadvantage”, well, the biggest one in our country is the near-complete absence of law and order which has forced many businessmen to relocate to other countries.

And on this all-important issue, which affects every single Pakistani, and not just businessmen, his speed and seriousness are hardly praiseworthy. Even on this most urgent issue, which has been with us for over a decade, he perhaps started thinking only after the swearing-in ceremony and moving at a snail’s pace, has taken nearly eight months to come up with a policy. I think most people would agree that the government’s job is to make, at least, some serious effort to solve people’s problems.

SRH Hashmi

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2014.

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