KARACHI: Ethical codes capture a vision of excellence, of what individuals and societies should be striving for and what they can achieve. When applied to public servants, codes are the ultimate terms of reference. They are the framework upon which professions are built.
Effective codes operate at two levels: institutional and symbolic. Within institutions, codes articulate boundaries of behaviour as well as expectations of behaviour. That is, they provide clear markers as to what behaviour is prohibited and what behaviour is expected. Subscribing to institutional codes is the way we define a model professional not only as we see ourselves but as we want others to see us.
In this context, I have serious reservations on the way certain senior officers in my department are functioning, especially the secretary. A few days ago, I requested her to grant me two days leave since I had to take my parents to a doctor. However, she refused my request, and that too, in a demeaning manner. Apart from this, she often insults her subordinate officers for their failure to decipher her usually illegible handwriting. The department is packed with files but she always demands that her subordinate officers produce the required files before her within no time, and delay often ends up in expletives being hurled at them. Who would want to serve in such an unprofessional and unethical atmosphere?
The officer comes from a feudal background and this is manifest in the bad way she deals with her subordinate staff. One can only hope that the government ensures that its senior functionaries abide by ethical codes of conduct that are established for the smooth working of various government departments and ministries.
Raja Masroor Hassan Qazi
Planning Officer-II (Health Section)
Planning and Development Department,
Government of Sindh
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2013.
