Civil servants act as administrative bridges between the people and the government. A veteran civil servant Gus O'Donnell quite correctly made an assessment of a service he led as the British Cabinet Secretary under three prime ministers from 2005 to 2011. He was the highest official in the British Civil Service - the like of which Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and other countries still follow in its structure until today. He was not removed by two other later prime ministers because he had served the first!
Gus O'Donnell said: "There are too many countries where the values we take for granted in our civil servants simply do not exist. Seeing these values in action, applied with dedication by hardworking individuals, makes me proud to lead a service that is making life better for millions across Britain."
Not long ago, Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, who was appointed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's regime, accompanied new Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government when the latter visited Bangladesh. Even spokesman of the Indian External Affairs Ministry Akbar Uddin, too, was a member of official entourage of Sushma although he, too, was a Manmohan appointee.
Sadly, all these glaring examples of retaining non-political and brilliant civil servants for serving the statecraft and not the ruling party are being ignored in some countries that boast of having democracies. There political loyalty of the bureaucracy counts more than their merit and devotion to the cause of the country. It is always forgotten that members of the bureaucracy are there to serve the toiling masses more than serving their political mentors in all the governments that assumed power in Bangladesh since independence.
It is also baffling how a few senior civil servants - those officials against whom charges of corruption are being framed for grabbing of plots more than what is officially allowed and for procurement of freedom fighters' certificates at the fag end of their careers as well as for being involved in bringing shame to Bangladesh by faking gold crests that were awarded to its 'foreign friends' - could still remain in active service.
In the past, any civil servant against whom allegations of corrupt were brought, was first suspended in order to carry out a fair investigation. If no prima facie case was found against him/her, s/he was then instantly reinstated in his job. But today, this is no more to be seen. In one case, common people are wondering how a powerful secretary could attend quizzing sessions at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for his alleged corruption and then after his questioning hours, he went to his ministry to do his job again as a cabinet secretary. It is further alleged that he is trying his best to exert mounting pressure on relevant quarters to manipulate probe to his advantage. The fear persists that he may even try to remove all documentary evidences of his corrupt practices.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while addressing the concluding function of the 56th Foundation Training Course organised by Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) the other day, described new officers of the Republic as architects of future Bangladesh. She directed them to work with the mentality of patriotism, devotion and serving the people by discarding the practices of the colonial period.
But can they really do this under the circumstances they work? When a deputy commissioner is alone in his chamber in the district headquarters, he is flooded with 'orders' and 'directives' from different quarters of power at the grassroots or national level. There are countless quarters that try to hold the DCs and other civil servants in their firm grip. It is also true that it is simply humanly impossible for the prime minister to oversee the day-to-day functioning of the administrations across the country.
Good governance is what the prime minister meant while she was speaking before the civil servants. All including the ruling circles are publicly in favour of good governance in Bangladesh. They have suggested measures for improvements in governance. There are also institutions which offer course studies in good governance.
These facilities were not there in the distant past. But can the bureaucrats remain honest, as honesty is the cardinal principle of good governance in these trying times? Their hands are all tied. The best course they take recourse to, is to obey persons who are higher in power and authority. But a dishonest civil servant or a 'chained' bureaucrat is a serious impediment to good governance.
The prime minister's announcement that the Civil Service Act would soon be passed to allow public servants to perform their respective duties properly. She said the work on framing of the Civil Service Act has almost been completed. The draft law would be placed before the cabinet soon, and after its approval, it would be sent to parliament. Only time will say whether the civil servants will henceforth be appointed on merit. If not, a politically loyal administration will only spell disaster for good governance in the country.
Bangladesh can also take a cue from what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done to the civil service in India. The Modi government has amended the 46-year-old conduct rules for top bureaucrats to include new provisions that now mandate that a civil servant shall maintain political neutrality and take decisions on merit alone.
As many as 19 provisions have been inserted in the existing rules in India which now clearly state that every member of the all-India service shall maintain "high ethical standards, integrity and honesty" as well as political neutrality. "Every member of the service shall maintain promoting of principles of merit, fairness and impartiality in the discharge of duties, accountability and transparency, responsiveness to the public - particularly to the weaker sections - and courtesy and good behaviour with the public," says the new set of rules inserted by the government of India.
Modi's example might be an eye-opener to those who really want good governance, not lip service, from the country's civil service.
arjayster@gmail.com
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