Good Governance

Introduction
Good governance is a prerequisite for social harmony, public order, political stability, economic
prosperity and certainty about future. It delivers the fruit of progress and development evenly to all
and sundry. Good governance is required at all levels of society and state.
Essentials of good governance
Promotion of national cohesion
National integration
Institutional supremacy
Independent judiciary
Constitutional supremacy
Rule of law
Political stability
Educational opportunities
Socio-economic development
Equal distribution of resources
Welfare state with provision of social securities
Strong writ of the government on all fronts
Characteristics of Good Governance: The basic characteristics of good governance are as follow:
a. Participation
i. Participation by both men and women.
ii. Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or
representatives.
iii. Participation also means freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an
organized civil society on the other hand.

Secondly a system of checks and balances can flourish only if various

countervailing forces such as the parliament, judiciary, press and the civil
society organizations are allowed to play an independent role.
b. Rule of Law
i. Good governance requires fair legal frameworks and impartial application of law.
ii. Full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities.
iii. It also means independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible public institutions
especially, police force.
c. Transparency
i. Decisions must be taken and implemented in a manner that follows rules and regulations.
ii. Information must be freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such
decisions.
d. Responsiveness: Institutions and processes must be simple and effective enough so as to serve
all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.
e. Consensus orientation
i. To develop a consensus oriented decision making process in order to ensure as to what is in the
best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved.

ii. It also requires a long-term perspective for sustainable human development and how to achieve
the goals of such development.
f. Equity and inclusiveness
i. Ensuring that all members of society feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded
from the mainstream.
ii. This requires all groups, and especially the most vulnerable to have opportunities to maintain or
improve their well being.
g. Effectiveness and efficiency
i. Processes and institutions are expected to produce cost-effective results that meet the needs of
society. Moreover, sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment must be
taken into account during all times.
h. Accountability
i. In general organizations and institutions are accountable to those who will be affected by decisions
or actions.
ii. Governmental institutions as well as the private sector and civil society organizations must be
held accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders.
"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do,
for which we are accountable."
Moliere
Situation of governance in Pakistan
Forces of disintegration -- stronger than forces of cohesion
Weak writ of the government
Absence of independent judiciary
No rule of law
Political instability
Interprovincial conflicts
Unequal distribution of resources
Pakistan presenting a picture of extreme bad governance on all national fronts
Causes
Political causes
Parliament, a toothless tiger
Political instability due to constant military interference
Issue of provincialism on revenue, resources and demand of provincial autonomy
Administrative causes
Bureaucratic hold on all institutions
Political interference on bureaucracy
Corruption, mother of all evils
Absence of culture of accountability
Mismanagement of resources
Pakistan, a soft state because of inability of implementation of policies due to lack of consensus
Economic causes
Fragile economy - FDI shrinking on account of terrorism and political instability
Crisis of energy, food, water
Corruption from top to bottom creating burden on the government exchequer
Social causes

Poverty 40 per cent population living below the poverty line (UN reports)
Over population -16.6 crore ( Economic Survey of Pakistan 2009)
Illiteracy leading to socio-economic backwardness
Remedies
Pakistan is in dire need of truly capable leadership
Strong anti-corruption campaigns strengthening National Accountability Bureau
Strict accountability of all government servants in particular and common masses in general
Investment in socio-economic development
Allocation of seven per cent GDP for education
Three per cent for population control
Three per cent for poverty alleviation
Generation of new employment opportunities
Equal distribution of resources
Ensuring freedom of press