Despite extremely poor performance, the Punjab government has placed the banners and posters throughout the province on completion of 100 days, by incurring billions of rupees from the national exchequer for the self-projection of chief Minister Mariam Nawaz.
The bad practice of self brandalism was introduced by the PML(N) in the national politics, when Nawaz Sharif became prime minister for the first time in early 90s, then other political parties including PPP adopted the same bad practice of self-projection of their top leadership by following the footsteps of PML(N).
The Sharif family is very much fond of self-presentation by using public money. It is their track record that whenever they started any project while in power, they not only place the posters and banners regarding the projects with their large size photographs in the whole country but also float advertisement campaigns in the national media depicting their own pictures on the cost of national exchequer. They are also in the bad habit of naming the various projects after their name, as they utilize the amount from their own pocket instead of public funds on the project.
Now Mariam is following her family traditions by putting her own pics on the posters and banners which are placed at every city of the Punjab.
It is a point of ponder that when the economic condition of the country is so grim that the common people are forced to sell their valuables just to pay their utility bills, then the exploitation of public money on self-projection is a shameful practice.
On the other hand, as far as the performance of the Punjab government is concerned, there is nothing worth mentioning on the credit of the provincial government to show the gig. As a matter of fact, there is not any writ of the government in the province as it looks like that the entire affairs of Punjab are being run by the different strong mafias nowadays. Punjab CM has not any say except making tall claims, which are going to be proved as hollow lip service only. The Punjab government has failed to implement its decisions even at a lower level, for instance, first of all, the Punjab CM ordered to take action against the encroachments in the province but she faced a big failure to apply it. Then the CM announced action against smoke emitting vehicles on the roads of the province but she had to face frustration in fulfilling her words. Then she announced to reduce the price of roti at Tandoors, which could not be executed in a befitting manner. Then the CM passed another order to ban the plastic shopping bags, but the trader’s mafia blew these orders into the air.
Placing the posters and banners showing the pictures of the Chief Minister is an effort to hide the failures of the government behind bogus advertisement drives by misusing the public money on the self- projection cannot be appreciated at any level. The Punjab government should use this money for the welfare of the people instead of individual branding of the CM.
PML(N) and PPP had been in power for almost forty years but the lust of their top leadership for self-projection on the cost of national exchequer is not over. They should remember one thing that actions always speak louder than words. If they have eagerness for self-fame, then they would have to show some performance with their deeds instead of making fallacious claims on bogus promotion propaganda by misusing public money.