Institutional reform in the federal government requires a gutting of the bureaucracy, the elimination of thousands of jobs, and strong political will The story goes that during an inspection of the army’s artillery regiment, an officer noticed five men manning a single gun. Curious as to what role each man fulfilled, the officer inquired as to what process they fired. The first man said his job was to load the gun with ammunition.
The second said he was the one that set the trajectory of the fire. The third one explained he was to pull the gun into place. The fourth said he had his finger on the trigger at all times, prepared to pull the moment his Captain gave the order.
The fifth said he was there to hold the reins of the horse because it would get skittish when the gun would fire. The only problem was the conversation was taking place long after horses had stopped pulling artillery guns. There was no horse there for the fifth man to hold.
The story, whether true or not, has been mythologised as an example of the inefficiencies of big government. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, famously said that government was not the solution, it was the problem. In Regan’s mind, the American government was too big, it spent too much money, and was far too involved in the lives of its citizens.
One wonders whether or not prime minister Shehbaz Sharif felt a hint of Regan in himself last week. For one, the good parliamentarian from NA-132 Kasur has a penchant fo.
