- But what about the PM?
Good that federal secretaries will brief the prime minister about what respective ministers have been up to over the last hundred days or so. Finally their jobs will include something more constructive than simply doing the rounds, fixing promotions, etc. And nothing better than holding ministers accountable, periodically, for their performances. The prime minister has promised quick replacements should any of his senior ministers be found wanting in their work. That is why, according to press reports, all of them have gone the extra mile to please the boss, especially by cutting costs wherever possible.
But who is going to evaluate the performance of the prime ministers? It’s not going to be Parliament anytime soon, since the House has effectively been reduced to a shouting match, with little or no chances of meaningful legislation in the immediate future. He was the one who got the 100-day debate going in the first place, after all, making a number of promises that have yet to be fulfilled. Imran Khan has often promised that he would be the most ‘accountable’ of all prime ministers. So perhaps he’ll take a few concerns in the right spirit.
The most important responsibility of the new government is, quite naturally, its immediate handling of the economy. Finance Minister Asad Umar has had to take quite a bit of flak for the ‘will we, won’t we’ regarding the IMF program. But, truth be told, it’s the prime minister who has been more indecisive about which path to take. First he was dead against the Fund, then for it, then thought friendly loans would do the job, and now once again he’s not sure. Can’t be easy handling such directions from the top when the economy hangs by a thread. Also, as long as the economy provides little elbow room to implement manifesto programs, the party should have at least turned to campaign promises that involved legislation in the House. That too, unfortunately, has been ruled out because of the PM’s personal views about the opposition. While there is merit in his arguments about corruption, integrity, etc, there’s also the fact that such paralysis leaves his core constituency without the things that he promised prior to the election. Hopefully the PM will also take stock of his own decisions and identify areas where his personal touch could have improved matters.
