The new government is going to need to plan wisely and execute efficiently, but of the two I think the actual doing is where the nation has lately been falling way short and is where a huge improvement is essential.
The argument between the policy-makers and the front-line troops will never end. I have no doubt that in Galilee, after Goliath’s defeat, David’s advisers took the credit for the excellence of their sling-shot design and the smartness of their critical coaching. Just as I am sure that, at Trafalgar, the British sailors on their blood-stained decks must have laughed with scorn to be told that victory had anything to do with Nelson’s brilliant manoeuvring against the battle-fleet of the French. The truth is, of course, that both good strategy and efficient execution are necessary if battles are to be won or projects carried out successfully. In most developing countries, however, I suspect the greatest cause of failure lies not in lack of plans but much more in a depressing absence of efficient, brisk and confident follow-through.
Why should this so? I think it may be because in societies like ours the strategists have
