In search of morality

Bureaucracy as a word has almost become a euphemism for an abuse. The picture in one's mind is of a blockage to progress and development, a lax and incompetent individual or office, a slow and status quo culture. This image may have many universal affirmations as most countries talk about the grind of the government machinery and the snail's pace of the red tape. The irony of this situation is that the people who become bureaucrats were by the process labeled as being special. Consider the exams they pass to get to these posts-CSS, ie, Central "Superior" Service, consider the offices they hold-Ministerial Secretariats, consider their role and responsibility- of running the country, and then consider what they have become and you see why we are where we are. This "Superior Service" has become a symbol of suspect conduct, behavior and performance. The concept of service, and too for the public, is almost unheard of in our recent civil servant archives. Call them public servants or civil servants they are the real people who have the power to facilitate and block any public matter. The public that has to deal with them day in and day out will have horrific stories of not only their "unforgettable service encounters" with any government department but also the crass uncivility of the civil servants.
But that was not always the case. But that was also not how Pakistan as a society was, Pakistani governance was, and the value system was. Civil Servants in various services for example the foreign office had become role models. Names like Agha Shahi and Sahibzada Yaqub Khan still inspire respect and awe for their competence and character. However, over a period of time with the de-moralization of the political economy and the de-gradation of the social values of the country this service has just become another symbol of what has plagued Pakistan in the last few decades. The reflection of how deep and wide this virus of immorality has become is evident by the series of embarrassing incidents associated with senior most torch bearers of this service.
The civil service is still a legacy of the British colonial system where the process enslaved the performance. The control of this machinery provides the control of the government. Thus from time immemorial the attempt to tune the bureaucracy to those who govern the country be it dictator or the democrat, has become a norm. From Ayub khan to Pervez Musharraf the desire to control the executive by implanting your own loyal servants has been a story that has been almost vengefully carried forward by the democratic leaders. They pick and choose men who "understand" "their" objectives and aims and serve them with allegiance. These servants then are benefited by out-of-turn promotions, access to unlimited facilities and resources, and a share in all projects and schemes that their lord and masters procure for personal benefit. Since they are facilitators and shareholders in the status quo empires they create longevity of the government with designed effort to come in the government again and again for more accumulation of power and benefits.
In this context, the incident of the theft of a wallet of a Kuwaiti delegation by a Grade 20 officer may be very embarrassing but not totally inexplicable. The fact that there was a CCTV footage showing this shameful act is enough for any self-respecting individual to just wither away into oblivion. However, the concepts of self-respect, self-esteem and self-accountability are no longer marks that are talked about leave aside implemented with pride. With the moral belief, that not taking absolute advantage of your position or power is considered a loser mentality, the concept of speedy short cuts, speedy process bending and speed money, etc, are the new buzzwords to get ahead in ranks and file.
The last few years where the social and electronic media have magnified every error the news on the government front and the government servant behavior has been unsavoury. The almost fictional outpouring of cash from Mushtaq Raisani's car bumper and house stunned the people. Having stowed Rs 730 million in the most unimaginable places in his house, the former Secretary Finance of Balochistan, stoically walked away with the police as if it were business as usual. This was money stolen from development funds of a province that has screamed of having the worst economic and human development indicators. Similarly, the latest asset details of the two top guys in the province and in the federal capital are examples of how the service has become tarnished, infected and diseased with immorality.
Ahad Cheema and Fawad Hasan Fawad are said to among those bureaucrats who have done a great deal of disservice to the service. The fact of the matter however is that these people do not represent the majority of the civil servants. Majority of the civil servants are still people with decent behavior and good intent. However, their talent and aspirations are seriously impaired by a culture which is festered on nepotism and cronyism. This majority then becomes silently withdrawn to their minimum level of survival and never really put in their best. Their objective in life is to avoid any volatility in their career rather than add value by doing creative work. Thus the status quo prevails over this unleashed potential allowing the history of bureaucracy to swallow any attempts at change or reform.
With the new government trying to exercise reforms the real challenge will not be to take the civil servants off the political pressure but to keep a balance of giving them space yet making them accountable. The present state of mind in the civil service culture is one of exploitation. They see the new government is trying to depoliticize the service. Many of them when questioned on non-performance or non-service take refuge in saying that they are being pressurized unduly. This is where the governance model has to be strong enough not to yield under pressure of this clever manipulation of the situation. The need of the hour is to stop the political class from using the executive for personal benefit. Moreover, this class must be taken to task for failing to deliver public benefit. The prestigious and rigorous training provided by the Civil Service Academies needs to highlight that in this resolve to maintain status quo the central superior service has lost most of its status and is the danger of becoming the central inferior service.
(The writer is a columnist. She can be reached at [email protected])