ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Romina Khurshid Alam on Thursday said that the Chinse people-centric governance model was a powerful model leading to poverty alleviation, technological advancement and development led by the people.
The Prime Minister’s aide was addressing the Dialogue for People-centric Governance System: A Case Study of China seminar organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization, Research and Development (AIERD).
Romina Khurshid Alam said that the Pakistan-China friendship demanded both nations to learn from their mutual experiences for human development and common good 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 is a powerful model leading to technological advancement, poverty alleviation and development,” Romina said.
The Prime Minister’s aide said that China had upheld women’s rights and empowerment in every facet of its life from social life to politics and business to industry, but it never adopted condescending a attitude towards other nations in that regard.
Romina Khurshid Alam underlined that in China every sector has women participation and were enjoying various successful positions. She appreciated the Chinese government’s paradigm of policy ensuring health, agriculture and other critical sectors are widely promoted and flourishing with positive future outlooks.
The Prime Minister’s aide said that Pakistan was also making strides for people-centric and climate-friendly development through the National Climate Change Policy, and Adaptation Plan, whereas the Green Pakistan Programme, and Recharge Pakistan projects were focused on forest conservation, community development and floodwater management through multiple approaches involving the community.
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 over time.
Pakistan’s former 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. He said that the Chinese development model is based on the ideals of Confucius that emphasized leadership and values of leadership of benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, and loyalty.
“No country has developed at such a big scale in a short span of time like China. Chinese invested in technology for health, medicine, pollution control, and nature preservation with the vision to serve the 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,” Ambassador Haque said.
Former Inspector General of Police, Dr Syed Kaleem Imam said people-centric governance prioritizes the welfare, and betterment of the 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.
Deputy Executive Director, SDPI, Dr Sajid Amin Javed said the rise of China was based on the economy over the political approach. “Pakistan needs to learn from China that investing in economy and development will bring the rise of the nation at political arenas as a stronger nation,” he said.
Regional prosperity and the end of widespread disparity were 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.”
Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Chinese Embassy, Dr. Shi Yuanqiang appreciated the AEIRD and IRS for their endeavours to hold dialogue on people-centric governance and the Chinese model of development.
“People-centric governance needs to be taken as a serious approach for people-focused governance and since the 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 a stronger sense of participation in policymaking.
CPEC has brought large amounts 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 to learning from the Chinese model as it laid most emphasis on it, he said.
