CATHARSIS AS PUBLIC EXCHANGE IN NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMNET
rehmanaseef@yahooo.com
A famous phrase “Man proposes, God disposes” is actually translation of Latin phrase “Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit”. Alternatively, a similar but much earlier usage appears of another phrase in the literature which can be loosely translated, “God brings many matters to surprising ends”. I am always amazed to explore the ends of alike matters with some different ends. Above-mentioned phrases tells us that whatever sinews man applies to achieve his goals by exercising his will power, efforts and intellectual potentialities, there is a limit to his abilities and there is some supernatural power – God – to determine the outcomes and to finalize the end of things or matters. We all are bound to struggle and strive hard to achieve our goals and to run after our dreams. But as far as the outcome is concerned, we have no control on it to an extent. Further, it is worth adding that the most important thing while setting our goals is our intention and our underground objectives. Likewise, I have a firm and very strong belief to serve the humanity, nation and motherland in any manner. And I do believe that every educated and sensible person of the globe has the same feelings and passions to serve humanity.
As a nation and as a person both, we must set a lofty objective and can strive hard to
achieve it by putting forth all our efforts and other possibilities. But there is a limit to
man’s abilities. There is a supernatural power that determines the shape of things and
that power shapes the end of our objective too. Man can only propose to achieve
something and toil himself towards the achievement. It would not be out of context if I
add here that achievements and outcomes are directly related and well connected to
our intentions. Of course the ancient Greek critic – Heraclites – says, “Man is the
architect of his destiny”.
In current national scenario, we as a nation and as members of society, direly need a
catharsis that should be carried out in order to proceed further and to attain guidance for
future which emanates by our inner soul. It raises many questions in mind, being the
part of our cognitive conscious intellectual activity such as thinking, reasoning, or
decision making. The linkage of Catharsis with New Public Management especially in
the country like Pakistan will rejuvenate the deliverance environment specially that of
Public Sector. It would not be out of the context to visualize that it will also detox the
mindset of international observers who point out the biased policy making of mindless
practitioners known as “Jack of all trades and master of none”.
What we need at this level is to redesign our polices and system without upgrading the
previous system as it has a strong influential relationship with the remnant of post-
colonial rule, which enjoyed incomparable powers and privileges, having no specific
and direct responsibility and accountability. According to a report of UNO experts on
Asian Democracies “the elitist culture of bureaucracy by itself is divisive producing
distorted values with wrong kind of expertise having no relevance to the living
knowledge of society’s needs and possibilities …. some governments are trying to top-
down the processes of ‘development’ that seek to serve the masses through
bureaucracies and the vested interests, the very agents from whom masses could be
liberated. The result is a continued degeneration of Asian personality starving, semi-
starving, dehumanization of millions who have lost their self-respect and sense of their
own potential. Many reports of various Commissions and Committees on Administrative
Reforms during the last sixty years have been submitted to different Governments. This
includes Cornelius Report (Pay & Services Report 1620), and also during Z.A Bhutto’s
period, in which similar observations were made. In a seminar, an expert of very high
credibility had remarked: “either you save Pakistan by getting rid of the generalist
administrators as policy makers, or you save ACs, DCs, Commissioners and their class
as policy makers”. As far as the concept of New Public Management is concerned, it
had already been tested and prevailed in developed countries like UK, USA, Australia
and many other European Countries as well.
Let us hope that government would avoid repeating unnecessary and outdated
experimentations, and better sense would prevail in accordance with developed
countries worldwide who are enjoying the fruit of the new paradigm.
