Governance is not only limited towards state affairs or community influences, but it is vast in meaning. Governance is sometimes as governing the whole world and sometimes it is limited to one single human life. When it comes to governing a state the most important factor is self-governance. A human being should be potent enough to make the right decisions at the right time, for himself and for the others associate to him. Self-governing individuals paint the picture of a self-governing society where mental, spiritual and emotional freedom outshines, where each and every human soul holds the responsibility of his own actions, where each human being is as capable of governing himself as the other.
Human race since the day of its creation is burning with the desire for power. Every humanly figure wants to achieve dominance even among his look-likes. This lust for power has resulted into different types of governance around the globe which includes Monarchy, Oligarchy, Dictatorship, Democracy, Republican, Communism and many others. This land buries many monarchs, oligarchs, and dictators who were once controlling large nations under their names but history has also witnessed the amount of damage caused by them. People in powerful positions have taken unfair advantages of the population. Mankind has always been compressed by its rulers either politically, socially, culturally and economically. These type of crucial rules were then demolished by the human race with the help of violence and blood-shed. This demolishing of monarchs was named as ‘revolution’ by the historians. This, then resulted in the creation of other types of government named as democracy, communism and Republican. Though, democracy is not the bed of roses but here the power is vested among the people who rule through elected representative. Communism, on the other hand doesn’t allows individualism but emphasis on equality and justice among human beings. Republican states are ruled by the representatives of the respected citizen body and consider the country as the public matter.
With the rise of the civilization, humans are capable of solving bleak situations. Humans are born with the primordial instinct of fear and to overcome this weakness, being powerful is the only option. Being powerful creates a barrier of protection especially if fear becomes the tool of control. Rather than considering it just for the means of protection, humans have always misused power in order to satisfy their worldly needs or desires. The desire for power is always unconditional. Power provides with affirmation to the ego, encourages personal status and gives comfort, enjoyment and luxuries which leads Mankind towards greediness . Desiring for control and order grants independence which is a real effect of power. Generally , the one having an authority makes vital decisions and becomes an epitome for independence, that can be appealing to the ones who are powerless .
Considering governance with respect to Islam changes the entire worldly phenomenon . Governance in Islam and public service are the two sides of the same coin . Islam doesn't propagates governance in the name of wealth , authority, status but encourages public opinion, good deeds and firm faith in God . A renowned general and the most learned person of his time , Hazrat Ali wrote a letter of instructions and guidance to his governor Malik Ashtar on proper administration and better state craft . This letter describes the aspect of good governance under the spotlight of Islam, some of the lines from the letter are quoted as :
“ Public opinion is an administrator's mirror image ; as such only good deeds are one's richest treasure. Treat public kindly and don’t fight with God by acts of transgression.”
It is clearly stated that good governance can only be determined by the public opinion. It is also obvious that bad governance results in the discharge of duties.
If a country is prosperous and it's people are well-to-do, then it will happily and willingly bear any burden. The actual cause for the devastation of a country is 'poverty'. The main cause if poverty is a desire of its ruler to amass wealth either be it by legal or by illegal means. Poverty breeds crime and crime symbolizes bad governance. Poverty being the worst form of violence maximizes corruption, terrorism, economic and social crisis which causes much damage to the nation. Hence innovation should be introduced which is directly proportional to good governance which makes sustainable development at social as well as economic levels. The emergence of a responsible governance system within the government eliminates corruption, inequality, gender divide and brings trust in government.
The more we rely on government to protect us from our own choices ,the more we return backwards. The governance challenges countries such as Pakistan through their impact on effectiveness, efficiency ,continuity and accountability. Describing each of these by turn. Effectiveness refers to performance: the ability of the state to deliver services that meets public demands; for instance, if the state cannot provide shelter as is the case in most areas of Pakistan at this time, it is not effective. Efficiency refers to ability of the state to use the money in a way that reduces waste and corruption while maximizes the results. Pakistan has performed poorly on all these counts, having one of the lowest tax-to-GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ratio. Lack of continuity has resulted in the mismanagement of the economy. Accountability, the last pillar of the good governance has been an issue since decades, the institutions responsible for this task are widely affected by politicization which causes lack of transparency in the area of accountability.
Constant learning about the principles and practices of good Governance is necessary for faithful implementation of ideas as a public servant. What makes a good public servant? is the question arising nowadays and the answer is quite easy but difficult to follow. A good public servant has high -level tolerances either on religious grounds or social grounds. As a matter of fact, the rich hates justice the most, So the judiciary should consist of people with excellent character and high caliber, holding meritorious record. The decisions should be made on meritorious records. The decisions should be made on equity basis; corruption should be condemned as it undermines national well-being. The best governor is never cut off from the public and believes on the principle that 'peace leads to prosperity'.
Pakistan needs to solve all the public-policy problems, collective -action problems that we face in our societies whether they are at community level, national level or international -level. Good governance is the only option that is effective in every means. The vehicle of good governance runs on the road of good policies which requires good persons to devise and implement those policies. Good governance portrays positive image of one’s individual, social, political and economic life. When basic necessities of life are fulfilled. the nation is satisfied and its people are content, countries experience a better quality of life.