Pakistan

Media watch: More reshuffling for finance

Media discusses possible reasons behind the government's move of changing the secretary of finance.

Ali Syed December 22, 2010

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

Financial reshuffle

In the wake of its failure to keep its international commitments, however, the move must be seen in the backdrop of the government`s deteriorating credibility with global lenders. Desperation to save the loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund appears to be the most significant driver behind the latest reshuffle in the finance team. (dawn.com)

Reshuffling of the finance team, again

This is an indication of the government’s difficulties in managing the economy. It is possible that in its preoccupation with other political matters, the government is having a hard time in focusing on economic problems. But perhaps the frequent changes in the economic team are not just whimsicality. There are deeper reasons behind it. (dailytimes.com.pk)

Highly significant changes in Finance Ministry

These range from the need to find a scapegoat for the failure to convince the stakeholders that the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) is in the country's interests to extolling past performance of Masud in the Finance Ministry, especially in the context of his saying 'no' to government profligacy, to the perception that the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister would be replaced by Salman Siddique (a coup she has survived again) while the new Finance Secretary would be the Special Secretary Finance Wajid Rana. (brecorder.com)

Merry-go-round

True, individuals shouldn’t matter in matters of policy but such a turnover is a little too rapid for comfort; individuals are the ones who will, after all, design the said policies. Moreover, the issue of institutional memory is one not to be taken lightly, newer officials having a flatter learning curve. To be fair, though, the learning curve is going to be steep in the case of the new finance secretary, who is assuming this charge for the third time on this government’s watch! (pakistantoday.com.pk)

COMMENTS (1)

Chris Cork | 13 years ago | Reply It's all about trying not to see the elephant in the room. The failure to push thro RGST lies more with the political machinery than it does the finance ministry, and the finance minister unless he has political sanction can recommend whatever he likes all to no avail. The elephant comes in the form of the establishment refusing to take on the feudals and the big agriculturalists who evade the tax net. Unless we create a more equitable tax system, and then enforce it, we are going to live in penury forever and a day.

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