Reforming civil service

The PTI government had announced the much-trumpeted civil service reforms with a big bang to break inertia, enhance quality of delivery, improve efficiency and ensure merit. These are of course noble ideals for which the masses of Pakistan have been yearning ever since independence. However, the government just came out with the punitive aspect of reforms by enacting the Civil Servants (Directory Retirement from Service) Rules, 2020, generating mixed responses within the bureaucratic circles. To many, it appears to be a move at improving governance by ensuring prompt service delivery with the intention to send a strong message to the shirker, inefficient and corrupt. There is no doubt that modern governance is based upon lean and clean administration, efficiency and effectiveness. However, many experts are of the opinion that these reforms are not in consonance with the blueprint that had initially been given.

Amid much ceremony two years ago, the government announced civil service reforms under a Task Force on Institutional Reforms, headed by Dr Ishrat Hussain. The idea was floated with a big bang to revamp recruitment, training and promotion criteria of civil servants in order to transform them into responsive public servants; making civil service more responsive to the requirements of policy formulation with an assurance to adopt best international and regional practices in the realm of public administration. Obviously generating new hopes for change in the quality of life of the citizens but nothing tangible came out.

The proclamation to get rid of the inefficient sounds well, if other aspects of reforms are also implemented. Efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, accountability, rule of law, merit and curb on corruption are essentials of good governance. These attributes are augmented with better decision making within a timeframe based on key performance indicators. Certainly, all institutions are for the good of the people and can deliver only if they possess the aforementioned values. Therefore, retention of high performers should be one of the most important criteria.

While Dr Ishrat Hussain and his team might have all good intentions to reform the system for the good of the people; the question is: what is the basic ill? Is there something wrong with the existing civil service? A scrutiny of the whole system suggests that the most competent candidates go through a robust system of Central Superior Service Examination and then make it to various occupational groups. They undergo an intensive common training programme followed by specialised training in their own academies. This is then supplemented with field training. They further undergo training in service till reaching BPS 21. Of course, the training manuals need upgradations with the dictates of time. There is no fault either in the system of examination or training which is based on merit. Then where is the fault? If showing the door to the incompetent is the issue, the existing Efficiency and Discipline Rules are quite explicit, clearly mentioning “ceasing to be efficient” amounted to misconduct. Thus, a civil servant on that account could not only be sent on retirement but also be dismissed. Therefore, what was the need to reinvent the wheel?

With change of colours of Annual Confidential Reports or columns therein, no change for the better is likely to occur from the people’s perspective. The same set of officers will again write the ACRs which at times are not objectively written. Very few officers dare to give the true pen picture. It will not be out of place to mention here that on the one hand, in the recent past, officers undergoing departmental inquiries have been deferred but on the other, officers facing trials in NAB cases have been promoted. Similarly, many officers who were superseded twice for promotion from grade 19 to 20 and similarly from 20 to 21 eventually made it to grade 22. However, at the same time officers having outstanding ACRs throughout and having never been superseded before were ignored for promotion to grade 22. No reason is being given under the garb of prerogative and thus it would be safe to say that personal likes or dislikes were the overriding factors.

The reforms also speak of functional specialisation but ignore other cadres, ministerial staff as well as the provincial services. The Pakistan Administrative Services and Provincial Services through their associations and network have been able to include innumerable seats of technical nature in grades 18-22 in the schedules of promotions against their cadre such as Chairman CDA, Inspector General of Prisons, Director General of Prosecution, Chairman Text Book Board, while also upgrading the posts of Secretaries from 20 to 21 in the provinces. As most of the posts at higher scales are placed in the schedules attached to the appointment laws, the claims of giving opportunities to specialists become a mere lip service. The policy of specialisation and motivation of civil service is further jolted when serving and retired officers of military background are placed on civilian posts.

While going deep into the system, the realisation of set goals, for instance in the realm of law and order, tax collection and revenue administration depends on efficiency and integrity of the inspectors. Even the best at the top will fail if the whole system is not overhauled from a functional specialisation point of view. Therefore, it is high time to do away with the present system of recruitment through the Central Services Examination. In its place direct induction of inspectors or equivalent with better qualification and tough examination standards may be adopted. Their promotions can then be linked with the passing of prescribed courses with the opportunity to reach the top slots. Similarly, in order to ensure specialisation promotions and postings against the posts of technical nature should be from the technical cadre up to the level of Provincial and Federal Secretaries.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^st, 2020.

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