CM or PM?

A PM is about policy. A CM is about projects. A policy is “a course or principle of action adopted or proposed” by a PM. A project “is a series of tasks that need to be completed to reach a specific outcome.” The PM is the policymaker. A “policymaker is someone who creates ideas and plans, especially those carried out by a government.” The CM is a project manager. A project manager is a “professional who organizes, plans, and executes projects while working within restraints like budgets and schedules.”

Populism will not work. Reforms will. Populism is a “political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.” Populism never works. What we need is structural reforms. Structural reforms are “measures that change the fabric of an economy, the institutional and regulatory framework in which businesses and people operate. They are designed to ensure the economy is fit and better able to realize its growth potential in a balanced way.”

The CM spends. The PM mobilizes resources. CMs get 57 percent of all federal revenues under the National Finance Commission Award – without moving a finger. The PM must mobilise resources for debt servicing Rs3 trillion; defence Rs1.4 trillion; running of the civil government Rs500 billion; pensions Rs500 billion; subsidies Rs700 billion and grants Rs1 trillion.

The CM can be a one-man show. The PM is about team-work. A one-man show is a “situation dominated by or reliant on one person.” Teamwork is the “process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal.”

The CM is about projects. The PM is about the economy: inflation, unemployment, industrial production, exports, imports, current account and GDP. The CM is about projects. The PM is about foreign relations especially with the United States, China and Saudi Arabia. The CM is about projects. The PM is about cross-border terrorism. The CM is about projects. The PM is responsible for loadshedding, shortage of petroleum products and life-saving drugs. The CM is about projects. The PM is responsible for SBP reserves. The CM is about projects. The PM is also responsible for the IMF, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Yes, the CM is also about law and order. But the PM must tackle the Rs5 trillion budget deficit, the $20 billion current account deficit, the Rs54 trillion national debt and the $130 billion external debt. Yes, the CM is also about performance. But, the PM must manage the rupee-dollar parity (looks like the PM’s honeymoon with the dollar is over).

The CM can claim ‘budget surpluses’ because billions just get credited to provincial accounts under the National Finance Commission Award. The PM always has to face a ‘budget deficit’ because there’s not much left after disbursing to the provinces and the defense allocation.

The path from CM to PM is a learning curve dependent on four variables: attention, memory, processing rate and sequencing. Attention is the “ability to focus on information and tasks, and ignore distractions”. Memory is the “ability to retain and recall information”. Processing rate is the “speed at which a person is able to accurately process incoming information”. Sequencing is “placing the detail of the information in its accustomed order”. Wait and watch. Time has a ‘wonderful way of showing us what really matters.’

The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. He tweets @saleemfarrukh and can be reached at: farrukh15@hotmail.com