The news of creating new provinces by subdividing the existing ones is circulating on the national scene. A similar plan was made in 2020, when a Saraiki province was to be created during Yousuf Raza Gilani’s stint as prime minister. Politicians from southern Punjab demanded the division of Punjab. Even a South Punjab secretariat was made functional and a list of senior bureaucrats appeared in the newspapers. The main question, however, is whether the creation of new provinces will serve the people better or the bureaucrats whose number will likely increase manifold.
The best course of action is to adhere to certain policies that some countries have followed and then progressed meteorically. Singapore is an example to follow. At one stage, it was as underdeveloped as Pakistan, but prime minister Lee Kuan Yew turned it into one of the most modern and developed nations. The salient features of Yew’s policy were promotion of higher education and medical care, professionalism in all national spheres of life, no nepotism whatsoever, and above all rule of law. His government attracted direct foreign investment because of his administrative acumen. As a result of his policies, Singapore transitioned from a developing country to a developed country. The Southeast Asian state has neither as many natural resources, mines and minerals as Pakistan has, nor agricultural facilities and vast tracts of land.
Singapore was a British colony, which gained full independence in 1965. The progress that both Singapore and Pakistan made after their independence remains poles apart. Had Pakistan been bestowed with a leader like Yew, our fate might have been different.
The serious problem Pakistan faces is not that its political leaders and bureaucrats don’t know what’s lacking in the administrative policies, but that the lopsided policies suit them. The old saying goes that no system is good or bad; it all depends on how it’s followed. What if the country is divided into twelve provinces, and even then, the provincial administrations don’t meet the expectations of the nation?
The country is bedevilled by a huge government. As the plan goes, four provinces in the country would be converted into twelve, will the bureaucracy be multiplied three times? Already, the country maintains a huge bureaucracy, and the public impression is that even if it were halved in size, the people would find no change in the administration’s functioning. Logically, a think-tank must be established to determine the size of the bureaucracy and oversee its functioning.
We follow the administrative system established during the British era. The British were the occupiers of this land; their style of management was different – based on honesty. On the other hand, our bureaucrats, so-called rulers, live in huge houses, drive expensive vehicles and maintain a distance from the public, typical of the rulers and the ruled.
Some argue in favour of more provinces due to the country’s rapidly growing population. But the counterargument suggests that we should control the population explosion in the country, as Bangladesh and other countries in the region have done and progressed. The haphazard population growth in our country is a scourge that the political leaders hesitate to address. They cannot withstand the pressure from the country’s religious sector. Let’s keep in mind that it’s the overpopulation that has prompted the need to create new provinces. It’s also believed that in an ethnically diverse country, the creation of more provinces will create fragmentation and violence between them.
Carving new provinces must be a thoroughly debated project on the public forums. Will the decision rejuvenate the ailing economy and improve the economic conditions of the people? Or will it mainly serve the bureaucracy to increase its size by extensive promotions and the people would hardly witness any change in their daily lives?
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore. He can be reached at: pinecity@gmail.com