It seems that the government has been forced to learn the lesson that, when an issue is being hotly contested in the public sphere, it is better to err on the side of caution when making public appointments. The federal government must have counted it as a loss to the privatisation process when on Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) set aside the notification regarding the formation of the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) and ruled that unelected advisers and special assistants could not head government’s committees.
The ruling is a blow to the privatisation process, no matter how one looks at it. The CCoP had been formed for one year—after a series of events this year; the need for privatisation for several institutions became evident. Even if the government appeals this, as it likely will considering key matters regarding the country’s economy and employment are in question, this ruling will nonetheless delay and complicate the workings for the CCoP, on matters which require transparency and a smooth process.
The main issue—whether unelected advisers and special assistants can head government’s committees, is a debate which has been occurring for quite some time in parliament. What the right or wrong answer is in this regard is yet to be decided, as the government will likely appeal; however, this verdict does show that considering the wide number of parliamentary matters up for discussion, political parties need to choose their candidates to political positions carefully. There wouldn’t be much need for special assistants if parties had effectively planned out the composition of their parliamentarians before running, preferring at least some experts at the top. Had all parties done that, included the top experts in at least some parliamentary positions, there wouldn’t be this problem of bringing in an assortment of special assistants for all the important policy positions.
https://nation.com.pk/09-Dec-2020/a-blow-to-privatisation
A Blow To Privatisation: Editorial in The Nation, 09 Dec 2020
It seems that the government has been forced to learn the lesson that, when an issue is being hotly contested in the public sphere, it is better to err on the side of caution when making public appointments. The federal government must have counted it as a loss to the privatisation process when on Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) set aside the notification regarding the formation of the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) and ruled that unelected advisers and special assistants could not head government’s committees.
The ruling is a blow to the privatisation process, no matter how one looks at it. The CCoP had been formed for one year—after a series of events this year; the need for privatisation for several institutions became evident. Even if the government appeals this, as it likely will considering key matters regarding the country’s economy and employment are in question, this ruling will nonetheless delay and complicate the workings for the CCoP, on matters which require transparency and a smooth process.
The main issue—whether unelected advisers and special assistants can head government’s committees, is a debate which has been occurring for quite some time in parliament. What the right or wrong answer is in this regard is yet to be decided, as the government will likely appeal; however, this verdict does show that considering the wide number of parliamentary matters up for discussion, political parties need to choose their candidates to political positions carefully. There wouldn’t be much need for special assistants if parties had effectively planned out the composition of their parliamentarians before running, preferring at least some experts at the top. Had all parties done that, included the top experts in at least some parliamentary positions, there wouldn’t be this problem of bringing in an assortment of special assistants for all the important policy positions.
https://nation.com.pk/09-Dec-2020/a-blow-to-privatisation
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan