Sacking political appointees

That government institutions and state-owned companies are often overstaffed is without dispute. Nor does anyone question the idea that much of the overstaffing is caused by politically-motivated hiring. However, a wholesale sacking of virtually every political appointee hired by the previous government suffers from poor optics. It reeks not of a government seeking to fix a broken system, but rather a new administration seeking to exact vengeance on its political rivals and their supporters.

We are sympathetic to the Nawaz Administration’s arguments about bloated departments and wasteful spending. But we cannot condone what appears to be thousands of government employees who will be let go simply because of the misfortune of their hiring date falling under the tenure of the Zardari Administration. Not only does the process seem heartless due to the short notice being offered, but it also betrays a clear lack of planning on the part of the government.

Even if one were to assume the worst allegations of corruption against the previous administration are true, it is simply not possible that every employee hired by them performs no useful function. A well-crafted policy would examine the merits of each hire through a set of reasonable criteria, keep on those employees who are still needed, and give ample notice and an equitable severance package to those who are not. Such a policy would lend credence to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s claim that the PML-N is simply trying to strengthen government institutions.

But beyond the blatant unfairness of the move, we are appalled by the continuation of the sledgehammer approach to governance. We admit that there is a great deal that needs to be shaken up in the economy, but such sudden jolts for their own sake serve no purpose, save, perhaps, to continue to perpetuate the view that the PML-N are a party that looks after only their own base of supporters and ignore the rest of the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2014.

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