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POLITICAL DIARY
System Under Attack
SLOW ADMINISTRATIVE COLLAPSE
By Poonam I Kaushish
New Delhi, September 25, 2007
India’s much-maligned and decrepit “administrative system”
is in the throes of two political crises. One, precipitated by
the Indo-US ‘nuclear’ tug-of-war between the Congress-led UPA
Government and the Left. Two, triggered by the faith vs myth
war of words on the Ram Setu between the Saffron Parivar, DMK
and the Congress. At stake is the silly chair called India Raj.
No matter that both the crisis may end up driving one more
nail in the coffin of India’s decaying democratic system and
the rule of law.
Sadly, in this acerbic warring, the delicate balance between
Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary has been
disturbed. If yesterday we were busy shedding tears over the
withering of Parliament, today we should be preparing to weep
for our increasingly debased Executive. Not only have the
powers-that-be become all powerful, causing grave concern all
round, but their feudal ad hocism and rule by law has become
the bane of our democratic set up.
Uttar Pradesh or should one say Ulta Pradesh, today represents
the ugly truism of India’s executive and administrative system
gone horribly wrong. Chief Minister Mayawati’s melodramatic
sacking of over 10,000 policemen recruited during the
erstwhile Mulayam Singh rule is symptomatic of the rot that is
afflicting the Executive today and how it is spreading thick
and fast.
Mayawati’s excuse for the mass cancellation is that the
recruitment was done without proper selection and purely on
the basis of caste and creed ---- Yadavs, Muslims and Thakurs.
The issue is not whether Mayawati was justified in taking the
action she did. Nor is it about her action smacking of
vendetta against her bete noir Mulayam Singh.
Either way, in this termination nautanki the hapless aam aadmi
and his ilk have got screwed. What was their fault? That they
believed in their mai-baap Sarkar? Sincerely went through the
recruitment drill. Even paid hefty bribes, which they could
ill afford, to the babu to do his job for which he gets his
salary. Swore by scraps of papers confirming their appointment
as policemen. Raising the point: Who should bear the cross?
Obviously, the Executive comprising the political masters and
the bureaucracy. Remember, this is not the first time that
allegations of misdemeanour have been levelled by a new Chief
Minister against his of her predecessor. Should not the Chief
Minister have first taken strong action against the officials
who comprised the recruitment board? Instead of cancelling the
appointments en masse? Merely, suspending a few officials, who
will be reinstated later is not good enough.
This incident has once again brought us face to face with one
ugly truth. The politician and the bureaucrat are both hand in
glove and working in tandem to mutual advantage. Why blame
Mayawati? It is a given that with every change of political
guard, babudom goes through an upheaval of transfers. Wherein
powerful and lucrative slots are given to the chamchas.
In this scenario, a majority of babudom is more than happy in
going along merrily with their political bosses. This enables
them not only to secure speedy promotions without any regard
to seniority or merit but also join the politician in looting
the country. Rooted in the firm belief that, like their
masters, they too are a law unto themselves. Bringing matters
to a pass where caste, corruption and chamchagiri alone count.
Over the years, officials have become used to dispensing
patronage and not a few love the colour of money. Resulting in
no accountability, no fear of removal, arrogantly earning big
pay packets for non-productive work. Consequently, most babus
have little interest in taking any initiatives and are willing
to make self and boss-serving compromises with the
fundamentals of administration.
This treacherous politician-official nexus was lucidly
portrayed in the Vohra Committee report which, tragically
continues to gather dust. Even Vohra as Principal Secretary to
Prime Minister Gujral conveniently forgot his own report and
did nothing to implement any of its recommendations! The net
result? The civil service today has no commitment to either
the country or the people they are supposed to serve. Self is
shamelessly placed before all else.
Is this what the founding fathers of our Republic had in mind?
Absolutely not. India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Patel, was
happy to inherit from the Raj its “steel frame” of ICS
officers fully believing that they would ensure the country’s
unity and, as patriots, serve their own people even better. In
fact, he prevailed upon Nehru not only to keep the steel frame
intact but give the country an all-India Administrative
Service along the same lines. The all-India services were
intended to provide an institutional and reliable link between
the Centre and the State administrations and ensure the
country’s unity and integrity.
Sadly, the steel frame that we inherited from the British has
been vandalized beyond recognition. Right from the
administration at the district level to the top of the ladder
at the Centre --- Cabinet Secretary. Top slots in the
administration are now filled in accordance with the whims and
fancies of the political masters, contrary to established
norms and practices in the civil services of leading
democracies.
A cursory glance at New Delhi’s bureaucratic wonderland would
have made Alice exclaim: “Who needs rabbits; bureaucrats will
do!” Shockingly, the Cabinet Secretary and the other
Secretaries are appointed courtesy the Prime Minister, not the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet in accordance with
healthy practices.
Those favoured seldom retire. A recent example. The former
Cabinet Secretary BK Chaturvedi, hand-picked by Manmohan
Singh, was given an extension for a year and has now has been
‘accommodated’ in the Planning Commission. The list is
endless.
If such is the condition at the Centre, can the States be far
behind. In fact, matters there are worse. The plight of not
only the All India Service officers, but also those of the
Provincial and Subordinate Services can well be imagined. The
Chief Secretary was once supposed to head the civil services
in the State and place officers in the best interest of
probity and efficiency. But he has progressively surrendered
this right to the ruling politicians.
A case in point. In UP, Mayawati has created a history of
sorts. For the first time a Cabinet Secretary has been
appointed over and above the Chief Secretary. Naturally,
handpicked by her. The reason forwarded is that if a Cabinet
Secretary heads the bureaucracy at the Centre, why can’t she
appoint one of her favourites to head the State
administration?
Lamented U.C. Agarwal, who was Secretary, Personnel under
Indira Gandhi and thereafter Central Vigilance Commissioner:
“Nearly every change of political guard leads to a large
reshuffle of top officials in most States. In fact, the
political identification of officials is becoming so marked
that even the bureaucracy itself is able to predict as to who
will occupy which top post, if ‘X’, ‘Y’ or ‘Z’ political party
or individual comes to power!”
What kind of governance lies ahead? A clue can be found in a
recent survey of the probationers at the National Academy of
Administration, which trains the IAS and other all-India
services. It stated that only 32 per cent of the new recruits
condemned corruption in the civil services. Only five per cent
believed in harsh measures to reduce corruption. Another 45
per cent believed that they were above the law. Cold
statistics that mirror the harsh reality of how debased our
system has become.
Clearly, the time has come to give serious thought to a
qualitative change in the functioning of the Executive. If it
is to be nursed back to health, we need better people, with
good educational qualifications, wider exposure and sound
moral values. Why the West lays great emphasis on background,
upbringing, and education. Alternatively, follow the Chinese
model and set an example in “eliminating” corruption. All it
takes is one single bullet.
It would, indeed, be a great pity if India is deprived of one
of the principal pillars of democratic governance and
recklessly pushed towards unabashed feudalism. The writing is
on the wall. The bureaucracy must shrug off its inertia and
get back its professionalism based on absolute, not obsolete
principles.
Civil servants need to give serious thought to their basic
commitment to the country and collectively not allow the
political bosses to play ducks and drakes with the system.
They must restore the system to the glorious days of “I
Command Service” (ICS). After all, Prime Ministers will come
and Prime Ministers will go, but the Government will go on for
ever. Or else they will end up debasing the IAS from the once
respected Indian Administrative Service to “I Am Sorry”
service! The country will not forgive them. ----- INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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newseditor@sarkaritel.com
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