Austerity on overdrive
On the face of it, the move does not appear to be without benefits
“Will austerity be the death of us?” is a question weighing down on more than a few Pakistanis’ minds right now. It should, perhaps, weigh a bit more heavily on the minds of our present leadership. Take the recent announcement by the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Institutional Reforms and Austerity. Briefing a Senate panel on Thursday, he revealed that the government plans to wind up eight departments to reorganise the federal bureaucracy. His admittance that the plan has already been approved by the cabinet came days after Fawad Chaudhry’s statement hinting at the closure of as many as 400 government departments went viral on social media.
On the face of it, the move does not appear to be without benefits. It is common knowledge, after all, that our government machinery is notoriously bloated. There is also Dr Isharat Hussain’s insistence that no one serving in the departments that will be closed will lose their jobs — although one wonders if that will not defeat the point of the reorganisational measure. What is concerning, however, is that there seems to be a concerted effort to close off many avenues popularly seen as lucrative for the mass majority of Pakistanis. Background chatter with concerned officials has revealed that a plan to introduce pre-screening for the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam is being discussed at the moment. Meanwhile, everyone is aware of the controversy surrounding the National Licensing Exam for aspiring medical practitioners who have already cleared their MBBS degrees.
As the government intentionally or unintentionally restricts some paths to prosperity for many citizens, it has failed to articulate a coherent vision on how it will create new jobs to cater to an ever-increasing workforce. Already, its single-minded pursuit of austerity has had a knock-on effect on private-sector employment. While some may be inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt, our leaders should be aware that they may be playing with fire. One needs to look no further than recent history to see many a regime brought down by mass unemployment.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2019.
On the face of it, the move does not appear to be without benefits. It is common knowledge, after all, that our government machinery is notoriously bloated. There is also Dr Isharat Hussain’s insistence that no one serving in the departments that will be closed will lose their jobs — although one wonders if that will not defeat the point of the reorganisational measure. What is concerning, however, is that there seems to be a concerted effort to close off many avenues popularly seen as lucrative for the mass majority of Pakistanis. Background chatter with concerned officials has revealed that a plan to introduce pre-screening for the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam is being discussed at the moment. Meanwhile, everyone is aware of the controversy surrounding the National Licensing Exam for aspiring medical practitioners who have already cleared their MBBS degrees.
As the government intentionally or unintentionally restricts some paths to prosperity for many citizens, it has failed to articulate a coherent vision on how it will create new jobs to cater to an ever-increasing workforce. Already, its single-minded pursuit of austerity has had a knock-on effect on private-sector employment. While some may be inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt, our leaders should be aware that they may be playing with fire. One needs to look no further than recent history to see many a regime brought down by mass unemployment.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2019.