Asian Window

Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s former envoy to the US and the UK, and a former editor of The News, in the Financial Times:

One year and some months in office may seem like early days in extraordinary times for the coalition government led by President Asif Zardari but there is a discernible pattern to the nature and quality of its governance.

So far the government’s performance has been uninspired and uninspiring. Even if allowance is made for the daunting and complex challenges at hand its record has been underwhelming. Its momentum has seemed to sag, and there is still no sense of direction. It has adopted a patchwork approach to addressing fundamental issues and relied on firefighting rather than evolving a thoughtful and coherent strategy.

Several features seem to have become hallmarks of the style and substance of governance of the PPP-led administration. Six key characteristics can be identified as: 1) Unstructured or informal governance; 2) Decision making confined to a cabal or narrow circle with close ties to the president; 3) Reactive mode of addressing issues; 4) Substituting platitudes for policy; 5) Using parliament as a passive body to affirm rather than debate and shape policy actions; and 6) A proclivity to focus excessively on external help to address internal issues. More:

Similar Posts:

• In India, Dow Jones meets Dharma
• Eyewitness: Pakistan
• Partnering with Pakistan
• Past graft is tainting new India
• The Islamic republic of Harvard?