The Game of Single Ministry

A friend suggested Game Theory in Pakhtun Hujra. I am still studying the theory but the topic has nothing to do with Game Theory and its application in politics and governance. I coined this title because it seemed interesting to me.

PTI secured a clear mandate in the last elections and as per its election manifesto its government was supposed to show some visible changes in the governance structure of the province. However, 90 days are about to complete and we are yet to see any visible direction for improving governance of the province.

Somewhere in this Hujra I had suggested that the people did not expect a “change” overnight. What the people will be interested in is to see what direction the PTI government takes after its exaggerated elections slogans. We know there are bureaucratic hurdles; there is problem of capacity and technical and professional expertise at all levels and there are security risks in a province torn apart by terrorism.

I would suggest to the Honorable Chairman of PTI Mr. Imran Khan to design the Game of Single Ministry in the province for developing an indigenous and pro-people model of governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The idea is to take one ministry as a model. Start a pilot project for reforming the administrative and bureaucratic mess and ensuring a transparent and accountable system of providing less costly and quality health services to the people.

I would further suggest that the Health Department may be focused keeping in view the fact that a healthy body has a healthy mind. The government should devise a plan to bring drastic changes to the whole health department. These may include appointment of very efficient people on key posts, raising the pay structure of the doctors and support staff, introducing medical ethics and relevant laws for implementation, regulating the sale of drugs, ensuring the quality of hospitals, supporting health units as per global standards and restructuring emergency health services in each district. Special health cards for the poor, health insurance for the government and other employees and payment based health services for the rich may also be introduced. 

Rather than focusing on all ministries, the government may focus on this single ministry. The project document may be designed for one year by expert project designers who are well-versed in the health related problems of the areas. Media and NGOs should be taken on board. A multi-tiered monitoring and evaluating system shall also be designed by ensuring participatory management and decision making process. A special committee of the Provincial Assembly shall directly oversee the performance of health ministry. Modern technology and E-governance tool should be used for saving time and resources. 

It is hypothesized that the Game of Single Ministry if honestly implemented will have several outcomes. Immediately, it will provide the much needed relief to the people. It will help developing a model of governance to be replicated in other ministries. In fact, other ministries will automatically try to redress themselves. The pilot project will win the trust of the people and people will start participating in the good initiatives of the government. It will also invite healthy criticism from the opposition and may possibly help in a pro-people political competition in the province. 

by Muhammad Arif