I want to send a congratulatory message to PakistanPrime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for planning to reduce the number of his ministers, Mr Right said. A smaller Pakistani cabinet might disappoint
coalition partners but will certainly help to
slow down presses printing paper money
in the country.“This shows a change of heart on the part of our leaders who earlier believed in thinking big: big cabinet, big money, big scams. I am afraid the quest for ‘rightsizing’ will affect the efficiency of the ministers,” I said. “I don’t think so,” Mr Right disagreed. “A smaller cabinet will be able to manage things diligently. At least, the prime minister will be able to recognise his ministers by face and a cabinet meeting will look like a cabinet meeting not a public meeting.” “But ‘rightsizing’ is not the right answer to our problems always,” I pointed out. “Few people think that the country has become better managed after its ‘rightsizing’ in 1971.” “But the cabinet’s case is different,” Mr Right continued. “It’s like having wives according to your pocket. You can have four, if you can afford otherwise be happy with one.” I laughed.
“Do you really think ministers are like wives?”“Sure they are. They are spendthrift, demanding and quarrelsome,” Mr Right remarked. “It means the prime minister is going to divorce some of his ‘wives’ to have a more compact and practical political family?” “The idea of ‘rightsizing’ is aimed at disbanding unproductive ministries and merging smaller departments,” Mr Right explained. “There are ministries which have no work and there are ministers who have no ministries.” “I think there is only one ministry which has some work while others have only ministers,” I said.
“Which one is that?” Mr Right asked.
“It is called the Ministry of Works,” I said.
“I think that the new cabinet must also include the Ministry of Creating Work to keep the ministers without work occupied,” Mr Right suggested. “There is no need to have more than one home ministry in the country,” I said. “The government should choose one out of two home affairs champions Rehman Malik at the federal, and Zulfiqar Mirza at the provincial level, for the post on the basis of their ability to create more confusion through their statements,” I said. “The prime minister should also create a ministry to look after financial scams and scandals and all the ministers should be given its charge by rotation,” Mr Right said. “A Ministry of Coalition Quest will be appropriate to keep coalition partners happy and satisfied,” he said.
“I am afraid these proposals will not be accepted now because the PML-N has persuaded the government to implement a 10-point reform agenda that includes ‘rightsizing’ of the cabinet as well,” I pointed out. “Many people think that ‘rightsizing’ should be considered for the reform agenda too,” Mr Right said. “The PML-Q has reduced its reform agenda to five points.” “The MQM stands for a three-point agenda calling for the end of corruption, reduction of prices and tax on agriculture,” I said. “Imran Khan’s Tehrik-e-Insaf does not believe in any agenda and wants action to reform society and politics,” Mr Right said. “Maulana Fazalur Rehman of JUI, however, thinks both society and politics need to be reformed because the prime minister had sacked two ministers of his party.”“President Zardari’s PPP knows that the nation has many expectations. But at present its one-point agenda is to complete the five-year term,” I said. “For it, the party is ready to join hands with all friends and foes without any hesitation.” “That’s the beauty of democracy as they say,” Mr Right commented. “A party can always try to complete its unfinished work in the next term, if it wins the election – Kahleejnews
