By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Romina Khurshid Alam on Thursday said the Chinse people centric governance model was a powerful model leading to poverty alleviation, technological advancement and development led by the people.
She was addressing the Dialogue for People-centric Governance System: A Case Study of China seminar hosted by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization, Research and Development (AIERD) here at the IRS.
PM’s aide Romina Khurshid said that Pak-China friendship demanded both the nations to learn from mutual experiences for common good and human development integrated with environmental and nature conservation for a sustainable future.
“China’s example of integrating strong governance with public participation is a learning experience. It’s a powerful model leading to poverty alleviation, technological advancement and development,” she said.
She underlined that China had upheld women rights and empowerment in every facet of its life from business to industry and social life to politics, but it never adopted condescending a attitude towards other nations in that regard.
The PM’s aide underlined that in China every sector has women participation and were enjoying many successful positions. She lauded the Chinese government’s paradigm of policy ensuring health, agriculture and other critical sectors widely promoted and flourishing with positive future outlooks.
She informed that Pakistan was also making strides for people centric and climate friendly development through National Climate Change Policy, Adaptation Plan, whereas Green Pakistan Programme, and Recharge Pakistan projects were focussed on forest conservation, community development and floodwater management through multiple approaches involving community.
“We are focussing our environmental policies through people centric approach based on green employment and development,” Romina Khurshid Alam said.
On the occasion, CEO AIERD, Shakeel Ahmed Ramay moderated the dialogue whereas President IRS, Ambassador, Jauhar Saleem welcomed the speakers and participants to join the dialogue to learn different perspectives of Chinese development and advancements overtime.
Former Pakistani envoy to China, Ambassador Moin ul Haque said the true essence of people centric governance is the public good as it was about serving not ruling the masses.
The Chinese development model based on the ideals of Confucius that emphasised on leadership and values of leadership of benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, and loyalty, he added.
“No country has developed at such big scale in short span of time like China. Chinese invested in technology for health, medicine, pollution control, nature preservation with the vision to serve people of China. It brought 800 million people out of poverty and China’s poverty alleviation study is a case study to learn for improving social security and poverty alleviation strategies for Pakistan,” he said.
Former Inspector General of Police, Dr Syed Kaleem Imam highlighted the people centric governance measures taken by Pakistan. He said the people centric governance prioritizes the welfare, and betterment of masses through improved and efficient service delivery.
“E-governance initiatives like online NADRA and taxation facilities reduced bureaucratic red tape, whereas Citizen’s Portal, right to information laws, community policing models like Police Khidmat Markaz, Police Reforms are the significant steps towards people centric governance,” he said.
However, uneven implementation of laws, limited awareness, digital divide, and weak local governments were the major gaps in ensuring people centric governance, whereas digital infrastructure development and public participation in policy making was important to achieve the goal.
Deputy Executive Director, SDPI, Dr Sajid Amin Javed said the rise of China was based on economy over politics approach. “Pakistan needs to learn from China that investing in economy and development will bring rise of the nation at political arenas as a stronger nation,” he said.
Regional prosperity and end of widespread disparity was critical for development, he said, adding, “China invested in people first to train them on utilizing modern infrastructure and then developed infrastructure as it’s useless sans skills development of masses to utilize it.”
Data culture missing in Pakistan, strengthen national statistical system in Pakistan,
Access to data timely, capacity to transform numbers into policy documents
Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Chinese Embassy, Dr. Shi Yuanqiang appreciated the AEIRD and IRS for their endeavors to hold dialogue on people centric governance and Chinese model of development.
“People centric governance needs to be taken as a serious approach for people focussed governance and since 18th national Congress of China’s communist party a new era of economic development and advancement has commenced.
Chinese people are enjoying access to medical and health insurance, life expectancy is 78.6 years, china has ensured ecological and environmental conservation,” he said.
China has become the country with faster improving air quality with the largest forestation areas in the world, whereas 26.4% of the total energy production is renewable energy, he added.
The whole process, he said emphasises cooperation between the people and the government, whereas people in China have stronger sense of participation in policy making.
CPEC has brought large amount of investments and jobs that had changed Pakistan’s conditions significantly, he added.
President IRS Ambassador Jauhar Saleem in his vote of thanks said the session garnered very informative insights and ideas, where the speakers emphasised important things.
For good governance in terms of the needs of the people, he said Pakistan had a lot to learn from China.
It’s essential to learn from best practices around the world and successful models with experiences of friendly nations as Pakistan requires good governance and it only needs meritocracy which is the key learning from the Chinese model as it laid most emphasis on it, he said.
