Bureaucracy needs complete reform
Syed Fattahul Alim | Friday, 20 June 2008
A number of discourses on reform has gained currency in the administration in recent times. The political parties are at the moment under close scrutiny. The electoral system is another candidate. In fact, the whole political and administrative system of the country is in dire need of reform. But the candidates in queue for reform are not limited only to the spheres of party politics, electoral system or the financial administration. The bureaucracy, the engine that drives the administration, is itself the strongest contender for total reform. Interestingly though, reform or total overhauling of the bureaucracy had been the most talked about issue since the independence of the country in all conceivable forums of discussion and writing. What is more, the most general allegation leveled against bureaucracy was that it was out and out corrupt. Strangely enough, in a sharp contrast to the past, amidst all the clamours for reform and change in recent times, one rarely comes across a serious discussion on bureaucratic reform.
However, Hua Du, the country chief of Asian Development Bank. ADB, has broken the silence about the issue. While underlining the primary concerns of the economic growth and poverty alleviation in Bangladesh, ADB country director, at a recent talk hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) at its luncheon meeting, did again bring the all-important topic of bureaucratic reform to the fore afresh. And she candidly pointed out that all the efforts towards, what she said, 'promoting the businesses' and 'attracting investments' in the economy with an eye to developing Bangladesh into a middle income country by 2020, will fail to bear fruit unless its sluggish and complex bureaucratic system is restructured. Calling attention to the fact that our bureaucratic legacy harks back to the colonial times, she exposed the basic points of weakness of the inefficient, archaic and anachronistic wok culture of the juggernaut called bureaucracy. Stopping short of highlighting corruption as another syndrome that goes with the chronic symptoms the bureaucracy is afflicted with, Hua Du, however, made no bones about the fact that the incumbent government is yet to touch the most vital area of reform, that is the bureaucratic overhauling, saying that it was the 'mother of all other reforms.' Since the government's administrative machine with the bureaucracy at its core is the central mechanism to deliver the goods to the different sectors of society and the economy, the success of any effort at reform in is, therefore, contingent upon the restructuring of this age-old system.
It is interesting to note that the June 18 issue of this paper front-paged two reports side by side dealing, though, with bureaucracy from quite different perspectives. The first was the one that is the main theme of the present write-up. But the other report, too, is basically concerned with bureaucracy, because it narrates how the establishment of the cell to monitor the prices of essential commodities under the commerce ministry has been mired in the bureaucratic granny knot in the finance ministry.
What is at issue? The proposal of the commerce ministry to form a permanent monitoring cell to keep track of the prices of various essential commodities both in the domestic and the international has already been okayed by the establishment ministry, which about two moths back forwarded it to the finance ministry recommending that the monitoring cell to be so formed should be placed under the revenue budget of the government. But no decision has emerged since on the matter. Whatever and how important the reasons may lie behind the delay, the net result is that the very serious matter of launching the comprehensive monitoring mechanism to look into the behaviour of the essentials' prices and suggest stabilisation measures, as and when necessary, has remained unaddressed at a time when the life of the common man is smarting from the rocketing prices of the basic necessaries. Unfortunately, the commodities market, especially the rice market, has already demonstrated an upward trend with price of the coarser variety of rice moving up a rung along the price ladder. Given the irreversible nature of the price hike, there is little chance that the price level will again come down within the easier reach of the distressed and the most vulnerable section of the community. And who knows, early formation of the price monitoring cell could have helped matters on this score?
As a matter of fact, the re is no end to the excuses and reasons shown by the incorrigible bureaucracy in favour of what it all boils down to is inaction.
As usual, the bureaucracy was never short of its reasons, and the reasons were undoubtedly very serious and unavoidable ones, considering the self-serving lingo of any social organism that preserves itself under all circumstances. And the end result has been that the progress remained stalled at all the fronts of the national development endeavours.
Then again, the task of reforming the bureaucracy is better said than done. Consider the situation that a horseman is trying to correct a horse while riding on its back. The analogy is not exhaustive though, for the bureaucratic horse is more powerful, clued-up on the issue of governance than the political stranger riding it for a particular period of time. Now think of the nearly impossible mission of the political boss trying to take this unwilling horse to the water, which is about the latter's reform. Unless the political boss is very adamant and determined to go the whole hog, come what may, then the outcome will be painful for the missionary of reform itself.
Undoubtedly, the incumbent government enjoying the support of the armed formed forces was ideally suited to start the job of cleaning the bureaucracy of the remnants of the colonial legacy and all kinds of impediments to change. The political governments, usually beholden as they are to the constituencies of umpteen kinds, most often lack the will to effect such drastic changes as are needed for overhauling the bureaucracy. Understandably, the ADB country chief did refer to this most vital sector of the reform agenda that is yet to be addressed by the caretaker government.
Reform of the bureaucracy means its streamlining and modernisation. The decisions have to be promptly taken as well as implemented. For the purpose, the number of steps and so the number of papers passing from desk to desk has to be drastically reduced. The size of the bureaucracy, too, has to be trimmed down keeping the key, efficient and quality manpower where they belong. In the process, the number of desks will also have to be reduced. It is important to note here that poor quality of manpower is a breeding ground of indecision, corruption and sloth. So, far from being purely a job creation mechanism to serve all conceivable types of constituencies, the administrative heartland of the government should consist of people who have the talent, aptitude and correct attitude to deliver and hence serve the nation. The pay scale for such an efficient team of government executives should also be commensurate with its output.
Finally, to make all this to happen, what one would need is a leadership that will be strong-willed, incorruptible and imbued with a mission for change. Given the necessary will, the proposition is not at all a tall order, as many countries with a similar colonial legacy and syndromes of underdevelopment have already achieved miracles both in their economic spheres and the administrative systems.
However, Hua Du, the country chief of Asian Development Bank. ADB, has broken the silence about the issue. While underlining the primary concerns of the economic growth and poverty alleviation in Bangladesh, ADB country director, at a recent talk hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) at its luncheon meeting, did again bring the all-important topic of bureaucratic reform to the fore afresh. And she candidly pointed out that all the efforts towards, what she said, 'promoting the businesses' and 'attracting investments' in the economy with an eye to developing Bangladesh into a middle income country by 2020, will fail to bear fruit unless its sluggish and complex bureaucratic system is restructured. Calling attention to the fact that our bureaucratic legacy harks back to the colonial times, she exposed the basic points of weakness of the inefficient, archaic and anachronistic wok culture of the juggernaut called bureaucracy. Stopping short of highlighting corruption as another syndrome that goes with the chronic symptoms the bureaucracy is afflicted with, Hua Du, however, made no bones about the fact that the incumbent government is yet to touch the most vital area of reform, that is the bureaucratic overhauling, saying that it was the 'mother of all other reforms.' Since the government's administrative machine with the bureaucracy at its core is the central mechanism to deliver the goods to the different sectors of society and the economy, the success of any effort at reform in is, therefore, contingent upon the restructuring of this age-old system.
It is interesting to note that the June 18 issue of this paper front-paged two reports side by side dealing, though, with bureaucracy from quite different perspectives. The first was the one that is the main theme of the present write-up. But the other report, too, is basically concerned with bureaucracy, because it narrates how the establishment of the cell to monitor the prices of essential commodities under the commerce ministry has been mired in the bureaucratic granny knot in the finance ministry.
What is at issue? The proposal of the commerce ministry to form a permanent monitoring cell to keep track of the prices of various essential commodities both in the domestic and the international has already been okayed by the establishment ministry, which about two moths back forwarded it to the finance ministry recommending that the monitoring cell to be so formed should be placed under the revenue budget of the government. But no decision has emerged since on the matter. Whatever and how important the reasons may lie behind the delay, the net result is that the very serious matter of launching the comprehensive monitoring mechanism to look into the behaviour of the essentials' prices and suggest stabilisation measures, as and when necessary, has remained unaddressed at a time when the life of the common man is smarting from the rocketing prices of the basic necessaries. Unfortunately, the commodities market, especially the rice market, has already demonstrated an upward trend with price of the coarser variety of rice moving up a rung along the price ladder. Given the irreversible nature of the price hike, there is little chance that the price level will again come down within the easier reach of the distressed and the most vulnerable section of the community. And who knows, early formation of the price monitoring cell could have helped matters on this score?
As a matter of fact, the re is no end to the excuses and reasons shown by the incorrigible bureaucracy in favour of what it all boils down to is inaction.
As usual, the bureaucracy was never short of its reasons, and the reasons were undoubtedly very serious and unavoidable ones, considering the self-serving lingo of any social organism that preserves itself under all circumstances. And the end result has been that the progress remained stalled at all the fronts of the national development endeavours.
Then again, the task of reforming the bureaucracy is better said than done. Consider the situation that a horseman is trying to correct a horse while riding on its back. The analogy is not exhaustive though, for the bureaucratic horse is more powerful, clued-up on the issue of governance than the political stranger riding it for a particular period of time. Now think of the nearly impossible mission of the political boss trying to take this unwilling horse to the water, which is about the latter's reform. Unless the political boss is very adamant and determined to go the whole hog, come what may, then the outcome will be painful for the missionary of reform itself.
Undoubtedly, the incumbent government enjoying the support of the armed formed forces was ideally suited to start the job of cleaning the bureaucracy of the remnants of the colonial legacy and all kinds of impediments to change. The political governments, usually beholden as they are to the constituencies of umpteen kinds, most often lack the will to effect such drastic changes as are needed for overhauling the bureaucracy. Understandably, the ADB country chief did refer to this most vital sector of the reform agenda that is yet to be addressed by the caretaker government.
Reform of the bureaucracy means its streamlining and modernisation. The decisions have to be promptly taken as well as implemented. For the purpose, the number of steps and so the number of papers passing from desk to desk has to be drastically reduced. The size of the bureaucracy, too, has to be trimmed down keeping the key, efficient and quality manpower where they belong. In the process, the number of desks will also have to be reduced. It is important to note here that poor quality of manpower is a breeding ground of indecision, corruption and sloth. So, far from being purely a job creation mechanism to serve all conceivable types of constituencies, the administrative heartland of the government should consist of people who have the talent, aptitude and correct attitude to deliver and hence serve the nation. The pay scale for such an efficient team of government executives should also be commensurate with its output.
Finally, to make all this to happen, what one would need is a leadership that will be strong-willed, incorruptible and imbued with a mission for change. Given the necessary will, the proposition is not at all a tall order, as many countries with a similar colonial legacy and syndromes of underdevelopment have already achieved miracles both in their economic spheres and the administrative systems.