Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
1

No seriously!!

I have often wondered about this - Why should a Federal Minister or an MNA be less qualified than a top bureaucrat?

While a few of our politicians are smart and well-educated people, we know the vast majority are not. This is just how it is in politics not just in Pakistan but around the world incl. the US and UK. Do a simple graduation >>> join a party >>> be good at public speaking (in desi politics replace it with boot-licking skills) >>> and you are a party leader!! One could argue that a top US bureaucrat or Supreme Court Judge or someone like Mike Mullen had to undergo a much more rigorous training than an average US politician incl. Obama

Most federal secretaries (I am talking ofcourse about the ones who have risen through the ranks on merit, without any sifarish) have done a bachelors, masters or Ph.D in engineering or an MBA before sitting the CSS **Exam **(Central Superior Services of Pakistan) and we all know how difficult and tough the exam is with **a pass rate of less than 10%!! **And only the very best students among them then get offered foreign or civil service (CSP)

**Should n’t all would-be politicians be similarly required to sit some sort of exam along the lines of CSS after graduating **(that even does not apply in the case of many of our politicians!!) testing them in the following subjects

  • foreign policy/ international relations
  • Health and education administration
  • Energy administration
  • Economics
  • Law
  • Good Governance & Leadership
    etc.

Looking at the calibre of the vast majority of our politicians the pass rate would probably be less than 1% :smiley:

Some of us like to poke fun at FA-pass generals (agreed some of them are duffers) but the reality is quite different. While it is true that you join Kakul etc. after passing FA or FSC (A Levels), you then do various courses during your training and by the time you graduate your qualification is atleast equivalent to a BA

And in the army you don’t get promoted above the rank of Brigadier unless you have graduated from National Defence College, Islamabad (formerly Rawal Pindi) or Command and Staff College Quetta. Both COAS Gen. Kayani and CJCSC Gen. Khalid Shameem Wynne have a masters in war studies (*military ka banda aakhir apni field mein hee masters kare ga na, right!!)

I know some bureaucrats are also duffers (esp. the ones who have risen to the top job as a result of sifarish) but it must be both very difficult and demoralising for a smart bureaucrat ((someone like Shahryar Khan, ex-foreign secretary and PCB Chairman)) to have to take orders from complete nincompoops like Dasti, Raja Riaz, Aapa Firdous, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour etc. (just because they are elected representatives!!)

2

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

Education does not make one a wiser person. Having said that, let me re-post one of thread that I started a long ago

Literacy rate of Pakistan (2008)
Total: 56.2
Male: 68.2
Female: 43.6
Primary: 87.3%
Secondary: 44%
Post Secondary: 4.7%

Is it fair to disqualify 95% of the population to ever take part in general elections? Is this democracy?

3

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

Find the responsile for illitracy
The power whichis ruling Pakistan as a mafia since 58 .

4

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

But we need to have some kind of standard for people aspiring to become parliamentarians and education (atleast graduation + some formal CSS-style exam) is desirable IMO

5

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

But we do have standards. Get the majority of votes and you are one.

6

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

Your question is wrong. You should ask why CAOS and DG ISI should be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

7

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

But then we get incompetents like Dasti and Aapa Firdous (the list is endless) in our assemblies

8

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

Technically Federal (Defence) secretary is the boss of both

9

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

How many PhDs working in Indian parliament, British Parliament, Canadian Parliament, German Parliament, French Parliament, US parliament. Please respond. Or I should ask how many PhD's ministers, premiers, governors etc are working in these governments managing the top most institutions of the world?

Aapa Firdos to apnahi khoon hay ya kahin bahir se import kya howa hay?

10

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

kaghizon par.

11

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

Bcoz a representative of the people who pay salaries of these beaurocrats should see if their interests are being served.

12

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

I can understand their should be a level of education which should be up to graduate level. That is how it works in the UK. It works fine.

Also anyone with Masters or higher are more likely to be technocrats. Those people are probably more interested in research in their respective fields.

The problem in Pakistan is the many have fake degrees. Now, that is what should be clamped down. Also MP's should go on courses as most other workers in private institutions. Education is life long it never finishes.

13

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

You did not read my OP carefully. I am** not** singling out Pakistan. This applies everywhere but esp so in Pakistan because of the low literacy ratio in our society. Even in countries like UK and US the cream of students do not go into politics but take up professional subjects like medicine, engineering, investment banking and law

14

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

In western countries, no illiterate get into assembly as general standard of education is such that those who get elected, regardless of they have formal education or not, have defined capabilities. They may have excelled in vocational or other fields and are not mentally incapable or retards.

In Pakistan, rather in most third world countries, it cost millions of dollars to contest election, and in most cases it is candidate who bear the cost. In these countries ‘no educational qualification’ does not mean ‘no opportunity or education was unaffordable’ but it means candidate is mentally incapable or retard.

Such mentally incapables or retards get into Assemblies because they belong to rich and influential families. There purpose in assembly to do nepotism, corruption, help close ones do corruption, victimise those they do not like, and use influence to break laws in the country. There other purpose is to vote few educated (Andhoon may Kana raja) candidates into power who belong to rich and influential families like them.

It is these rich and influential thugs and their supporters do propaganda that since majority of Pakistan is illiterate, barring illiterate from assembly would bar majority of illiterates, when fact is that majority of genuinely illiterate Pakistanis are theoretically barred from getting elected anyhow, as they are too poor, exploited and deprived to contest election. So, when such law is imposed in third world countries, it is not to bar genuinely illiterates but mentally incapables and retards.

As long as Pakistan would be country of slaves and would stay under the occupation of rich and influential thugs, mentally incapables and retards would keep getting elected in Assemblies, and any law to bar them would get opposed and eventually repealed by these thugs.

15

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

Isn’t that a bit like saying … Is it fair to deny 95% the right to enter medical school, civil service, engineering university etc.? **Yes it is **because they were academically not good enough to become doctors or engineers or whatever and same rule should apply to anyone wishing to enter politics or aspiring to hold public office.

Ofcourse no one is saying that illiterate people should not allowed to vote but we as a nation cannot have illiterates and incompetents becoming the future law-makers of our country on the basis of votes alone? They must meet certain standards before they are even eligible to stand as a candidate in an election.

16

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

^^^
You are right. There should be certain qualification to become law maker (Assembly members), just like there has to be qualification for a person to become Judge, Professor, Lawyer, or medical doctor. Even a driver needs to pass test before getting allowed to drive.

*This is unfair and unfortunate for a country that majority of law makers in that country cannot even read or understand the laws they would vote for so that such laws becomes laws of the country. *

17

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

^ so true

18

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

You are right that education cannot make a person wiser. But education can make a person able to read, write, understand, grasp and analyse information. Before making any law, a law maker should be able to read, write and understand nitty-gritty of laws.

Further, law makers should read, know, understand, grasp and analyse details of the country they represent, should be able to read, understand and analyse information and situation of country’s economy, should be able to read, know, grasp, understand and analyse how different government system works, should be able to know and understand different cultures and values prevailing in the country (not only their own). They should be able to know, understand and analyse requirements and needs of the people living in the country … etc, etc, etc … They should be able to read, know, grasp, understand and analyse world situation, etc … and for all this, they need good education, good vocabulary, developed and open mind, and power of understanding, analysing and grasping information.

19

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

Law makers should have some education, some skills and intelligence level basics… unfortunately in our area of continent the basic level of being ministers is greed/cheat/beat-others to make money out of any possible illegal means

The question is good, so why not mix two requirements… how about a qualifying exam (not necessarily ‘written’) once one is ‘elected’?

20

Re: Why should a Federal Minister be less qualified than a Federal Secretary?

I personally think that there should not be any education restriction to contest MNA/MPA election but there should be education requirements to become Minister (minimum of bachelors degree)