By Aristotle Lyngdoh
Who will not serve themselves is a question as well as expression, but if everyone were to only help and serve themselves and not depend on others, then the world we live in would be free from dependency. There will be peace and perhaps terror groups like the ISIS would never exist. Kudos to the editor of this newspaper for the article, “Bureaucracy – A self serving class,” in the last part of 2015. The writer has hit the nail on the head. The statement is bold enough to catch the attention of every reader. It was unexpected and amazing. To my mind it’s like Cain’s mark for the entire fraternity because this is not just a statement by someone but an actual demeanor and conduct that we have seen and witnessed over the years. This impressionistic portrayal of a person will continue to remain with many and those closer to superannuation will bear this remark forever so that no counter statement or brilliant article would easily erase this notion, except by someone who can prove it wrong during their tenure of ‘service to the nation.’
Other reasons perhaps that encourage such contravening action is possibly due to the fact that ours is a pro-socialist society and the scope to accumulate wealth by siphoning off from the state’s resources is higher in comparison to capitalistic societies where wealth is created by the intelligent people through innovative thinking and services suitable for the people who became their ultimate consumers. Looking from this perspective, Ambedkar was right when he argued that the Indian constitution should not be defined by any particular form (socialist or capitalist) because these are matters which people themselves will decide from time to time.
However, the root of corruption and self aggrandizement is very much historical and started right from the administration of ancient India. When the East India Company started the system of civil service in India in 1757 by terming it the CCS (Covenanted Civil Service), the idea was to control the entire colonial territory through a handful of personnel but because of the political patronage that the system relied on, there was rampant corruption and abuse of responsibility. This compelled the British Parliament to address the problem by enacting The Regulating Act and the subsequent India Act for the purpose of establishing the principles of governance in India. But it is the Macaulay Committee that gave India the first modern civil service in 1854 and recommended a permanent civil service based on merit and a competitive recruitment system. But today as it appears, corruption too has become more competitive and merit based because the aspiration to get to the top is purely to benefit oneself, not others.
After Independence our political leaders opted to retain the system with certain objectives and primarily to preserve national unity, integrity and the continuity of the mission for nation building, thereby making the entire administrative machinery productive but can we say that there exists a sound co-ordination between various departments or ministries? The conflict of interest, the lobby for personal agenda and promotion seems to dominate the internal affairs of the administration and once they reach the desired position, they think they have supreme control over government assets and facilities like vehicles, guest houses and innumerable perks. Taking advantage of the administrative freedom and the gray adjustment loopholes, most of these utilities are being used for the leisure of their close friends and family members. Yet we call them honest officers because they are lenient towards their staff or over burden others with the same monotonous task sometimes unnecessarily. Then there are the wily one; nobody knows what favours they are capable of doing for themselves. It is interesting to note that the state’s expenditure in travel allowances and P.O.L never comes down but the corresponding outcome from such tours is totally unproductive. Ultimately this has shattered the very purpose of achieving public welfare.
The writer (Patricia Mukhim) has pin-pointed the top class in this regard, but the entire service community is not free from this remark. Perhaps other fraternities such as police, medical staff, engineers etc. are somehow serving people in a different way but they too cannot be exonerated from covetousness. The last category in particular which is responsible for the state of our roads! Self-assertion, conceit and nepotism in government service are like competition and the sole business of administration. We can blame the politicians for every mess but at least they are doing something for the people especially for their supporters to secure their vote bank. Considering all these developments, it is no wonder that the Holy Book – The Bible – has spoken about these types of behavior. Apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy warned him about the last days where people will be lovers of themselves and money (2 Timothy 3:1-4).
Whereas the attempt to bring reformation and transparency has helped generate new dynamism but the corollary to this which is the pursuit of individualism (the element of corruption) remains alive and active since this controversy rests with the person himself. Inside a person the desire of greed is concealed and nurtured that no technology could detect in advance. Having said this, we cannot rule out the advantages from technological advancement crisscrossing every aspect of our lives and every sector of government. Intelligent decision making process is possible today than it was 10 years ago because of the accuracy of analysis derived from refined technology rather than relying on decisions based on the opinion or perception of a person as was prevailing in the past in the Indian bureaucracy. We need people in the government and at higher levels who can move along with technology and make it more relevant and indispensable for day to day affairs of governance. This will reduce the dependency on physical man power.
While technology has made some nations of the world supreme and powerful, in India the amount spent to maintain the bureaucracy is enormously huge so much so that even the smallest tax payer’s income is needed to sustain this expenditure. The question then is, ‘Who has benefitted the most in this country after independence?’ Or who can be considered as the asset of the nation in this regard? Can we say that bureaucrats are the valuable assets of our country? If yes, then what is the percentage of their contribution towards the GDP of the state or union? Of course some people have shown exemplary yeoman service in preventing a damage which might have been created by the whimsical wishes of their bosses. The intention to induct the best talents from the society into this category based on their outstanding capacity and integrity is primarily to entrust upon them that crucial impetus necessary for the development of the nation and the realization of human development, but as of now, we are still far away from this reality.
We should learn a lesson from the Delhi odd-even formula. Despite many difficulties when the effort made by the popular government received public support and participation that effort and initiative is bound to be successful in the midst of mass casual leave taken by the ‘babus’ protesting the against the suspension of their non-performing colleagues. At the outset of every year, the hope and wishes of everyone is prosperity and most importantly good health, but how can we translate these things into reality without better and affordable health care facilities, better income generating opportunities? Who is supposed to facilitate the effective delivery of these services from the existing outlay? These are actions where civil servants should be more pro-active rather than exercising control and asserting their prominent VIP status in the society.