The case for engaging in civil service reforms
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Obaidul Quader Chowdhury
THE need for pushing through civil service reforms can hardly be overstressed for promoting good governance. Here the moot question is : what should be the core area to be addressed by this government in reforming the civil services. While there is merit in increasing remunerations of the civil servants as a way of discouraging them from corruption and inefficiency, the matter is not really so simple. Honesty, integrity and neutrality in the characters of civil servants are also important qualities and these have to be promoted to improve the performance of the civil services.
Civil servants in Bangladesh have traditionally behaved as if they form a privileged group. Their accountability process has been flawed. Many of them look at their jobs as 'sinecures' really from where none can dislodge them. But this mentality breeds both arrogance and indifference. Thus, notwithstanding suggestions of improving the financial benefits for civil servants, the main cure to poor governance in the Bangladesh context can be no other than a system well laid in place to put the civil servants of any rank under compulsion to perform better.
In other words, there must be instituted an 'accountability structure' to make the civil servants accountable for what they do or do badly and the penalties to be paid for that . Simultaneously, there should be also devised a system to reward promptly and amply the civil servants for their good and exceptional performance.
Such a framework of discipline and motivation respectively can work better than any amount of suggestions thrown at the civil servants to go for auto improvements of their performance. While their salaries and perks need to be given a priority, the incentive structure has to be linked to performance. This will encourage individuals to take the initiative to improve themselves. However, if an effective system is in place to guard against their wrong doings and slothful mentality, then the same undoubtedly delivers better results in all situations.
A series of commissions and committees were set up by successive governments to study and recommend administrative reforms. But the study reports have been gathering dust and only a few out of the many hundreds of recommendations for administrative reforms have been actually implemented so far.
Vested interest groups continue to be very alert to defeat any move for substantial reforms of the government departments that they perceive would undermine their prospects for bribery and privilege. Therefore, the imperative for the government is to push through during its tenure the implementation of the main proposals of the past administrative reform commissions for they are essentially similar and their implementation at an early date can achieve qualitative improvements in the functioning of the civil services. Good governance will not come about from wishing for it or urging the civil servants to that end. It can be attained only through purposeful actions to create a system and from reform activities.
The recruitment process for the civil servants has to be transparent. Here, the prime emphasis should be given on quality and integrity of individuals to be recruited to civil service. There should be no compromise on this.
THE need for pushing through civil service reforms can hardly be overstressed for promoting good governance. Here the moot question is : what should be the core area to be addressed by this government in reforming the civil services. While there is merit in increasing remunerations of the civil servants as a way of discouraging them from corruption and inefficiency, the matter is not really so simple. Honesty, integrity and neutrality in the characters of civil servants are also important qualities and these have to be promoted to improve the performance of the civil services.
Civil servants in Bangladesh have traditionally behaved as if they form a privileged group. Their accountability process has been flawed. Many of them look at their jobs as 'sinecures' really from where none can dislodge them. But this mentality breeds both arrogance and indifference. Thus, notwithstanding suggestions of improving the financial benefits for civil servants, the main cure to poor governance in the Bangladesh context can be no other than a system well laid in place to put the civil servants of any rank under compulsion to perform better.
In other words, there must be instituted an 'accountability structure' to make the civil servants accountable for what they do or do badly and the penalties to be paid for that . Simultaneously, there should be also devised a system to reward promptly and amply the civil servants for their good and exceptional performance.
Such a framework of discipline and motivation respectively can work better than any amount of suggestions thrown at the civil servants to go for auto improvements of their performance. While their salaries and perks need to be given a priority, the incentive structure has to be linked to performance. This will encourage individuals to take the initiative to improve themselves. However, if an effective system is in place to guard against their wrong doings and slothful mentality, then the same undoubtedly delivers better results in all situations.
A series of commissions and committees were set up by successive governments to study and recommend administrative reforms. But the study reports have been gathering dust and only a few out of the many hundreds of recommendations for administrative reforms have been actually implemented so far.
Vested interest groups continue to be very alert to defeat any move for substantial reforms of the government departments that they perceive would undermine their prospects for bribery and privilege. Therefore, the imperative for the government is to push through during its tenure the implementation of the main proposals of the past administrative reform commissions for they are essentially similar and their implementation at an early date can achieve qualitative improvements in the functioning of the civil services. Good governance will not come about from wishing for it or urging the civil servants to that end. It can be attained only through purposeful actions to create a system and from reform activities.
The recruitment process for the civil servants has to be transparent. Here, the prime emphasis should be given on quality and integrity of individuals to be recruited to civil service. There should be no compromise on this.