http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\05\16\story_16-5-2010_pg3_3
Sunday, May 16, 2010 VIEW: The corruption epidemic -Andleeb Abbas A public sector enterprise that has clarity of purpose, where its reason for existence is to contribute to the country, will always find ways and means of overcoming political pressure and financial adversity Adulteration of intent is perhaps the root cause of all financial, social and intellectual bankruptcy the country is facing presently. You do not have to go through the Transparency International list to find out that the corruption carcinoma is eating away at the moral fabric of our society. It is so common and rampant that it is almost intricately woven in every thought and action most people undertake to "get things done". The real danger is not losing out on the morality of society but to lose out on the sense of loss at this fundamental loss. Writing about these things is considered unfashionable, preachy and impractical. The media keeps on splashing audacious bungling and proven misappropriation in the public sector but, unfortunately, there is no response from our morally deaf and spiritually desensitised leaders or their shameless followers. According to a report by the Auditor General's office presented to the National Assembly, the financial irregularities in various government sector departments amount to a staggering Rs 353 billion ($ 4 billion). Imagine all that can be done with this amount for a country like Pakistan. The whole development budget, after being slashed many times, is almost equal to the same sum as this bungled amount. With this amount wonders can be done in the education and health fields. This misappropriated money could retire the circular debt and get rid of the load shedding that has crippled industry in the country. Dams and infrastructure could be built without begging from others, hunger and poverty in countless homes could be reduced; such is the opportunity loss of letting the money go down the corruption drain. According to this report, the highest irregularities have been detected in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) amounting to Rs 116.341 billion. The FBR has undergone a reform programme with the help of loans from the World Bank. In order to increase tax collection, they have been massively advertising and spending on making model units for large and medium taxpayers that are supposedly increasing the professional approach needed for facilitating and enticing people to pay more tax. However, despite all these reforms at the cost of public money, hardly five percent of the population pays taxes. The premise that Pakistanis are natural evaders is denied by the fact that this very nation donates $ 70 billion as charity, making it one of the highest per capita donor nations in the world. The reported irregularities in WAPDA amount to Rs 111 billion. The so-called attempts to restructure WAPDA into various regional offices like KESC, LESCO and FESCO has, on paper, looked very good. However, these reform projects soon join the long list of other projects that the ruling government initiates without analysing its feasibility from all political and social angles. Such projects are donor agencies' darlings, enabling them to make fancy and costly plans that are bound to fail as the implementation bodies in their public offices are criminally indifferent to owning the responsibility for the results. Pakistan Steel is the crowning glory in this sector with its amazingly consistent record of defaulting on all plans of streamlining it. There are many fraud cases against it, yet it keeps going on its track of disaster with scant regard for the almost blasphemous status given to it by its new name of Pakistan Steel Mills. Thus Rs 15 billion irregularities are just peanuts in the accounts that have been suffering from colossal financial haemorrhaging. The tragic part is that any corporation that starts with the word Pakistan is now perceived as a guaranteed inept, corrupt, and beyond correction entity. PIA, which at one time was in the top 10 of global airlines, is now perceived as the exact opposite. It is number one in the world as far as the rate of employees per aircraft is concerned. Every government has added to its burden of forced recruitments, increasing the already unsustainable overheads of the organisation. The impact of thousands of people on the government payroll is devastating in more than one way. Adding to the costs is perhaps not as damaging as the impact it has on the morale of the people who are trying to make an honest living in these organisations. PIA has some of the best pilots and experienced personnel in various departments who have been trying to impart world-class services. However, when they see the organisation infiltrated with the dishonest and incompetent, it is only natural that their motivation to give their best will give in to indifference and frustration. Many of these forced recruitments are called ghost workers who are only present on payrolls and never show up in the organisations they are supposedly serving. The endless list of these organisations, which are top heavy, with bursting mid-lines and almost grounded bottoms, are suffering from massive organisational retardation that is dragging down an economy already going through the throes of agonising recessionary retrenchment. Are these organisations beyond repair? Not really. There are still some sterling examples of organisations that have, despite the corrosive public sector environment, done the nation great service. NADRA is a prime example of an organisation that has not only made an excellent contribution in registering the identity of a majority of the people of this country but is also being listed in the top 50 organisations providing this service in the world. It has already been cited as a role model organisation in many countries and is providing consulting services to these countries to streamline their processes. Another matter of pride for NADRA is that it is not subsidised by the government and is totally self-reliant, thus breaking the myth that public services cannot be run on the self-sustainable model preached by the private sector. What is lacking in all other organisations is the integrity of intent. A public sector enterprise that has clarity of purpose, where its reason for existence is to contribute to the country, will always find ways and means of overcoming political pressure and financial adversity. When men in parliament have no integrity, they implant their clones in all public offices to create a critical mass of the dishonest and the corrupt to feed their insatiable appetite for power at all costs. We as a nation have to believe that we have the power to purge this country from this top-driven epidemic of diseased leadership. History proves that the collective intent of the many in a country is always successful in overruling the intent of those who are bent on perpetuating their own malignant designs. The writer is a consultant and CEO of FranklinCovey and can be reached at [email protected]
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