Present system has created slave mentality in civil service. Only sycophants get outstanding reports and promotions.
ISLAMABAD: It has been reported in a section of the press that since the civil bureaucracy has become extremely inefficient and lethargic because of decades long politicisation, therefore, the PML-N government is contemplating administrative reforms to ensure better governance and accountability of bureaucrats. There is no doubt that many politicians treat the country as their fiefdom and bureaucrats behave like personal servants to please their masters. No self-respecting civil servant can survive in this servile environment. Most senior bureaucrats discard the principle of intellectual integrity in their professional lives. As a matter of fact, intellectual integrity is not included in the syllabi of training institutions.
The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and its provincial counterparts are responsible for recruitment of civil servants in their respective domains. The president of Pakistan and the provincial governors have been mandated by the Constitution to appoint chairmen and members of these statutory bodies on the recommendation of the chief executive of the federal/ provincial government. A member gets Rs10-15 million for a three-year tenure. Politicisation of the bureaucracy starts at the public service commission. Mostly, bureaucrats with proven loyalties to their political masters are appointed members of the federal and provincial public service commissions. In the recent past, a federal secretary, who came to the adverse notice of the higher judiciary, was appointed a member of the FPSC and retired after completing his tenure. In other countries, recruitment into civil service is done by human resource management experts, while in Pakistan, retired bureaucrats perform this role. Reforms in the civil service should start with reforms in these statutory bodies. There are many models of public service commission in the world to choose from. Another area begging for reform is the performance evaluation system of the bureaucracy. The present system has created a slave mentality in the civil service. Only sycophants get outstanding reports and promotions. Pakistan needs comprehensive and meaningful reforms in the civil service on an urgent basis.
Asghar Mahmood
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2014.
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