Does good governance have anything to do with our society? This and other rhetorical questions were answered.
All of a sudden, everybody thinks they are George Bush. First, it was Stan O’Neil, CEO of Merrill Lynch, who thought rules did not apply to him. So he lost billions of shareholder dollars on risky bets and then proposed marriage to Wachovia without his Board’s knowledge or consent. Now it is Musharraf who has brought Bush-style “democracy” to Pakistan!
The good news is that Mr. O’Neil was reined in by an “activist” board – you know, the kind that thinks CEOs exist to serve shareholders and insists on doing its job of protecting shareholder interests – and is going to enjoy a retirement funded by hundreds of millions of shareholder dollars.
Mian Musharraf, on the other hand, didn’t like his governance rules, i.e., the constitution, so he replaced it with his own version – a one or two-page document that says whatever he says goes. He did not like his board – the Supreme Court justices who were following the law of the land – so he fired, actually imprisoned them, and replaced them with his own board who will now endorse his “election” to “president.” Bush didn’t have to go through this trouble because Daddy had already done that for him.
As you all know, we are deeply interested in democracy…only if the dictator is not amenable to our agenda. We are against nuclear proliferation…but not if the proliferating dictator is our puppet. For our puppet dictators, we allow everything. You can exchange nukes for missiles or hard cash. You can explode bombs – kill hundreds of innocent civilians – to make a case for and then suspend the Constitution and beat the crap out of civilians who oppose you. You can be in bed with the “extremists” and still get $10.59 billion+ of American taxpayer money to “fight” them.
So, if you are one of the 150MM+ Pakistanis – a shareholder of that country – looking for help from Uncle Sam, don’t hold your breath. Your dictator is a “frontline ally” in the “war on terror.” Good luck and goodbye!
Now some of you wonder: who cares about what happens to Pakistanis? And others: how is this related to IT Governance?
Here is a simple truth about governance: it reflects our society. If we, as a society, do not follow the rules, then we will flaunt them at work. If we, as a society, do not demand accountability, then we will not get it in the boardroom. If we, as a society, look the other way, then our boardrooms will be stacked with sycophants. If we, as a society, are not vigilant, then we will not get good governance anywhere. Period.
Indeed, everything in the business world reflects what happens in our society. Bad parenting? Horrible boss. Child abuse? Irrational colleague. Spouse abuse? Well, you have a diversity lawsuit on your hands; just a matter of time.
You name the ill, and I will highlight its impact on the business world.
Now the question is: when is Bush bringing Musharraf-style “democracy” to America?
