Pakistan has been bombarded by wars and political unease for years, but the country has made headlines around the world recently for its first ever transition from one democratic regime to another. In the wake of the elections, Alex Thier, former Assistant to the Administrator for Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and now the agency’s Assistant to the Administrator for Policy, Planning, and Learning, discussing governance opportunities and challenges for the incoming Pakistani administration, made three critical points about Pakistan and its future.
Pakistan remains dramatically short of reaching its potential.
Pakistan has improved in leaps and bounds over the past few years; however, there are still some areas that stand out it dramatic need of improvement if they are to become a global player.
Energy tops the list. Rolling blackouts are a daily experience for even the largest Pakistani citizens, and the cost of the energy that they do receive is excessively expensive—so much that many Pakistani refuse to pay for the energy they use. Pakistan needs to eliminate blackouts, and reduce the cost of energy if they are to move forward. Thier explained, “Pakistan can produce every megawatt that it needs today for its energy system, and yet you have load shedding all over the country. Why is that? The fuel mix is far too expensive for the prices that Pakistani consumers are willing to pay for the relevant service that they get.”
Thier further explained that the rolling blackouts occur due to the methods of distribution of energy that are out of date, and poorly maintained. Pakistan must improve energy distribution methods, reduce the cost of energy, and invest in long term solutions such as hydro and solar power. “It can be done, but it takes some guts, and it takes a little bit of technical support.”
The biggest improvements that will come in Pakistan will come from Pakistani-driven and own changes in governance.
Pakistan recently held elections which resulted in its first-ever transition from one democratic regime to another. This is something that the world should be ecstatic about! “This mechanism of democratic accountability, if it stays on track in Pakistan, is going to get to the heart of the challenges that we are talking about here,” Thier stated. “The issue is ultimately the disconnection of the understanding of those problems, and the political will necessary to make hard decisions to solve those problems.” If this new government is willing to work on and take accountability for the issues that arise, then Pakistan will advance.
External assistance can help, but only if it leverages the second point. The country has to fundamentally leverage reforms that are deeply imbedded in Pakistan and frankly can only be made by Pakistanis.
Aid and relief agencies, such as USAID, are amazing and wonderful programs, but they often times fall short. The aid that they disperse tends to be short term and in the long run, ineffective. In relation to Pakistan, Thier explained, “These are problems that you cannot buy your way out of with external assistance. In fact I would make an even stronger argument that trying to do so actually gets you farther in the hole.” When asked by the Diplomatic Courier how aid agencies could provide more meaningful and long term help, he suggested, “What we really need to be focused on fundamentally is sustainability, we are not there to fix near term problems”. He further explained that aid agencies need to supply more than just resources, like knowledge, training, ideas, etc.
In conclusion, Thier explained that it all comes down to proper governance: the government has to take responsibility for, and be willing to tackle, these fundamental problems. As Thier stated, “There is no end of challenges for this next government in Pakistan, but I am hopeful that the lessons that we have learned in USAID and other donors together with this strengthened process of democratic accountability in Pakistan, it is going to allow us to focus much more effectively on leveraging positive change in Pakistan.”
Photo by Olaf Kellerhoff (cc).
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Governance Challenges in Pakistan
June 10, 2013
Pakistan has been bombarded by wars and political unease for years, but the country has made headlines around the world recently for its first ever transition from one democratic regime to another. In the wake of the elections, Alex Thier, former Assistant to the Administrator for Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and now the agency’s Assistant to the Administrator for Policy, Planning, and Learning, discussing governance opportunities and challenges for the incoming Pakistani administration, made three critical points about Pakistan and its future.
Pakistan remains dramatically short of reaching its potential.
Pakistan has improved in leaps and bounds over the past few years; however, there are still some areas that stand out it dramatic need of improvement if they are to become a global player.
Energy tops the list. Rolling blackouts are a daily experience for even the largest Pakistani citizens, and the cost of the energy that they do receive is excessively expensive—so much that many Pakistani refuse to pay for the energy they use. Pakistan needs to eliminate blackouts, and reduce the cost of energy if they are to move forward. Thier explained, “Pakistan can produce every megawatt that it needs today for its energy system, and yet you have load shedding all over the country. Why is that? The fuel mix is far too expensive for the prices that Pakistani consumers are willing to pay for the relevant service that they get.”
Thier further explained that the rolling blackouts occur due to the methods of distribution of energy that are out of date, and poorly maintained. Pakistan must improve energy distribution methods, reduce the cost of energy, and invest in long term solutions such as hydro and solar power. “It can be done, but it takes some guts, and it takes a little bit of technical support.”
The biggest improvements that will come in Pakistan will come from Pakistani-driven and own changes in governance.
Pakistan recently held elections which resulted in its first-ever transition from one democratic regime to another. This is something that the world should be ecstatic about! “This mechanism of democratic accountability, if it stays on track in Pakistan, is going to get to the heart of the challenges that we are talking about here,” Thier stated. “The issue is ultimately the disconnection of the understanding of those problems, and the political will necessary to make hard decisions to solve those problems.” If this new government is willing to work on and take accountability for the issues that arise, then Pakistan will advance.
External assistance can help, but only if it leverages the second point. The country has to fundamentally leverage reforms that are deeply imbedded in Pakistan and frankly can only be made by Pakistanis.
Aid and relief agencies, such as USAID, are amazing and wonderful programs, but they often times fall short. The aid that they disperse tends to be short term and in the long run, ineffective. In relation to Pakistan, Thier explained, “These are problems that you cannot buy your way out of with external assistance. In fact I would make an even stronger argument that trying to do so actually gets you farther in the hole.” When asked by the Diplomatic Courier how aid agencies could provide more meaningful and long term help, he suggested, “What we really need to be focused on fundamentally is sustainability, we are not there to fix near term problems”. He further explained that aid agencies need to supply more than just resources, like knowledge, training, ideas, etc.
In conclusion, Thier explained that it all comes down to proper governance: the government has to take responsibility for, and be willing to tackle, these fundamental problems. As Thier stated, “There is no end of challenges for this next government in Pakistan, but I am hopeful that the lessons that we have learned in USAID and other donors together with this strengthened process of democratic accountability in Pakistan, it is going to allow us to focus much more effectively on leveraging positive change in Pakistan.”
Photo by Olaf Kellerhoff (cc).
