Stay strong: CM Murad urges bureaucrats to let go of NAB fear

Raids and investigations have created a wave of insecurities among officers who have stopped working

KARACHI: Given the frequent raids and investigations, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday urged bureaucrats to let go of fear and start serving people without any hesitation or stress.  "I realise that this situation has caused a dent in service delivery as senior officials are gripped with fear of being arrested. Many have stopped working and prefer to remain without posting or on the sidelines.  Please come and face the situation," he said, while addressing the graduation ceremony of the 26th Mid-Career Management Course (MCMC) at National Institute of Management (NIM), Karachi on Tuesday.

In an oblique reference to National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Shah said, "it has created a wave of fear and insecurity among the officers who have stopped working and this has created a serious issue."

Shah said that the bureaucracy of the country was highly qualified, efficient and properly trained, but their salary structure and perks were considerably lower compared to people in other sectors. "Bureaucracy is the backbone of this country and they have to play their due role for the development of this country and its people," he said. Appreciating NIM for offering excellent training programmes for capacity building, Shah urged its management to design courses to help inculcate confidence among the officers.

Shah, objecting to the slogan `say no to corruption,' said "it implies that we all, as a society and as a nation, are corrupt". He added, "We have governance issues and with the establishment of good governance corruption would automatically dwindle down".

Speaking about the 18th Amendment, Shah said that it was a great achievement on the part of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government that introduced the amendment with the collective wisdom of all the parliamentary forces and ensured its approval from the parliament. "That was the time of reforms. The formula of 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) Award was changed and for the first time in history it paid the province abundantly," he added.

"It was the 18th Amendment under which Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) was established for the collection of Sales Tax on services. The federal government used to give around Rs6 to Rs7 billion against Sales Tax on services to Sindh and last payment made was Rs14 billion," Shah said. He added that SRB, in its first year, had helped the provincial government collect Rs27b and now it generates more than Rs100b. "This is the success story of the constitutional reforms the PPP government introduced under 18th Amendment," he said and added that he was surprised that people were considering scrapping it.

Shah urged the federal government to hand over the collection of Sales Tax on goods to the provinces to collect on behalf of the federal government. He believed that considering Sindh and Punjab's tax collecting capabilities they could help increase the tax collection manifolds. "This would be beneficial to the national exchequer".

Talking about Thar, Shah urged the NIM administration to take the officers under training to Thar and show them the work done by the provincial government. "We have improved the overall living standard. Now, people have started living in pucca [concrete] houses. We have also improved road infrastructure and employment opportunities have been created at Thar coal. There has been a rise in tourism and in a short time we have improved the Mithi district hospital," he said. He added that the serious issue of mother and child health still persisted, they had started nutrition programmes to address the matter and that they were also developing a scientific method to help them maintain the health of the mother and the child.

While speaking about the law and order situation in the province, the CM said that when PPP government came into power in 2008, people could not travel freely on highways and Karachi was dangerous. "With our political will and with the support of the people of Karachi, our government launched targeted operation and today the day to day life, businesses, educational and cultural activities were all thriving," he said.

He congratulated the graduates and expressed hope that they would serve the people of Pakistan to the best of their abilities.

Media talk

Talking to the media, the CM said that the federal government was not giving due share of funds to Sindh. "This year they have given us Rs12b less than the agreed amount," he lamented.

Shah said that the FIA has unearthed Rs10b fake account from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and added, "I am sure the federal government will take strict action there as well".

In response to a question, the CM said that the speech of the Prime Minister of Pakistan in China was the same one that he used to deliver on the container, the one he had made in the National Assembly and the one he gave in address to the nation.

Answering a question regarding Fawad Chaudhry's statement, Shah said that in his meetings with him, Chaudhry never spoke in such a manner. 'I don't know why he issued such threatening statements," he said. Commenting on Chaudhry's shifting allegiances, he said that Chaudhary was previously with Musharraf, then with PPP and now stands with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and added that later, he may land somewhere else. "I never take his statements seriously," he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2018.