Horses for Courses

OPINION
Horses for Courses
	Publisher and Managing Editor IKRAM SEHGAL an article for THE NATION on Jan 15, 2000 which we are re-producing with thanks
Pakistanis savoured a special delight in the cricket team winning both their fixtures in the first round of the Carlton-United one-day World Series in Brisbane, Australia. That it happened on Eid (and the day immediately after) made the holidays that much sweeter, that the victories came against the rampaging World Champions Australia and arch-rival India, the latter a virtual impossibility contrived by Saqlain Mushtaq and Waqar Yunus on the last ball, made it much more enjoyable. Memories of Miandad's last ball six at Sharjah came floating back. To round off a good beginning to the year, the century and the millennium (give or take a year), the much-awaited rains finally came to Pakistan (in place of the severe drought that threatened our already fragile and reeling economy), in time to ensure a possible bumper wheat crop. On cue, the Karachi Stock Exchange Index went up 70-80 points in one heady day (12 Jan 2000), the next day their computers went bust. In the general euphoria of nothing-succeeds-like-success, we ignored the obvious failings of our beloved cricket team, namely the constant failure of our front-line batsmen in a record six back-to-back one-day matches. To put it bluntly, Pakistan's batting problems stem partly from Aamer Sohail's non-inclusion (1) mainly because of his attitude problem (2) a mutual aversion with Wasim Akram and (3) the Selection Committee putting personal egos, likes and dislikes ahead of the national interest. Aamer Sohail has also to put the national interest (and his own career) ahead of his over-developed ego, in the national interest some accommodation and compromise must be made in the knowledge that prima donnas all over tend to behave in like fashion. Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did well convincing the ICC Chairman to have the outrageous decision to suspend Shoaib Akhtar put in abeyance, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia has now to ensure merit in selection, that only the best in Pakistan walk into any international cricket field. The tremendous pressure on Saeed Anwar to not only score every time he dons his pads but to hold down one end, has had disastrous results. If anyone expects Ijaz, given his sorry scores over of the last 2 years, to perform more than once every 10 matches or even more, he (or she) is really optimistic. To quote Humayun Gauhar in a recent article, a person who bought a Rolls Royce discovered after a mile or so that the Rolls had no engine. On return to the Showroom he asked the salesman how the Rolls had managed to go a mile without an engine, he was told, 'on pure reputation, sir, on pure reputation'. Unfortunately, reputation will only take you so far, beyond one needs capability, not simply good wishes and hoping against hope. The sincerity of intent of the present military rule notwithstanding, one only wishes they would have stayed a mile or so away from legal complications in which they have gradually been entangled by the past masters of legal manipulation, the only way such legal eagles make themselves indispensable. They should be politely shown where all indispensable people ultimately land up. Given that the selection of horses for courses, e.g. Lt Gen Moinuddin Haider as Federal Minister Interior, Shaukat Aziz for Finance, etc has been outstanding, in some crucial cases the choice has been for relative mediocrity, a measure to take the easy route by avoiding healthy internal debate. Brilliant people are usually difficult to manage, that is what leadership is all about. Selections for many posts need to be taken soon. As a keen student of what Richard Nixon has been preaching and practicing e.g. never debate a point to death, take a decision quickly, the Chief Executive (CE) has curbed his natural instinct for being decisive in favour of being deliberate. He is on a fine line here, the national interest very much requires that he abandon the normal confines of a 'fortress philosophy' to boldly reach out for the best and the brightest in each discipline. Despite the careful filtration process adopted, some hard-core mentors of corruption have permeated themselves into senior management positions on the basis of a false reputation of achievement. Con men live on creating favourable perceptions for themselves, they will remain con men throughout their lives, rank opportunists having no faith except to their own pockets. Luckily their penetration has been confined to only a handful. Looking for someone to command the cavalry on his right wing, Napoleon glumly interviewed a lot of honest, courageous, brilliant, innovative, dashing, etc generals before asking plaintively for a general who was 'lucky'. Destiny has been kind to Gen Pervez Musharraf, never more so than on Oct 12, 1999. The CE helped matters along by the choice of able and loyal subordinates as his first order of business in the Army, read 'POWER PLAY' The NATION, Oct 17, 1998, who came up trumps when it really counted. He could have been more judicious in the selection of his National Security Council (NSC), the Federal Cabinet and the Provincial set-ups. Honest men (and women) of integrity for the most part, are they of the competence and brilliance this country needs to get us out of the morass that half a century of corruption and inefficiency have brought us to? The CE is on the crest of a wave of prayers and good feelings for him to succeed for the sake of the country, this honeymoon allows him to make bolder choices from a large canvas of talent. The common man presently feels far relieved in the absence of the stress and strain of divisive politics and opportunistic economics that he has been suffering for over the whole of Pakistan's independence, never more so than in the last 12 years of so-called democratic rule. However, he continues to be burdened by an economic equation that drives him deeper in debt every day, despite the distant trumpet of an economic revival. The same obstructionist bureaucrats sit near the controls of our economic destiny, 'see no change, hear no change and speak no change'. Bureaucrats will filibuster on extraneous reasons every time they feel their hold on power is threatened, taking issue with every small nuance, calmly trying to wreck the reforms process, secure in the knowledge that at most they will be sidelined as 'Officer on Special Duty' (OSD) for a short time. The CE must press into service Ministers who will rule the bureaucrats of their fiefdoms instead of being ruled by them, otherwise the whole process will stall despite the best of intentions. It would not be the first time the sincere motives of military rule would have been thus frustrated, 'WHY DO MARTIAL LAWS FAIL', The NATION June 29, 1995. One may differ with Gen Pervez Musharraf on a number of counts, we are all agreed on one crucial issue, he has to succeed for the sake of Pakistan, one cannot pray otherwise. We must continue to will him to succeed in the face of impossible odds in the same nail-biting way we all did for Saqlain and Waqar Yunus on two consecutive days, their determination to win very clearly etched on their faces. They may well repeat their dogged performance in the next match but how many times will we be so lucky? If our top batsmen do not start getting to the pitch of the ball, the opposing teams will keep on enjoying the slip fielding practice we are giving them. Unless we break the shackles of routine, of remaining content with life as usual, we might as well be dead. We stopped India in its tracks in their attempt to malign us on the Indian Airlines hijack issue only because our electronic media for a change reacted professionally. One can still afford to leave Aamer Sohail out of the cricket team and depend upon Divine Providence to bail us out but can the rulers of a nation whose very existence as an independent and sovereign entity is threatened afford to discard the likes of Aamer Sohails from contributing to the country's well being and future in a period of extreme crisis? This talent has to be recognized, to be brought in from the cold. Remember, the Rolls Royce may well travel a mile without an engine on the basis of reputation alone, for good governance of a nation we require men (and women) of substance and brilliance who will go the distance.