By Rudi V Warjri
Editorials and commentaries have been written about the targeting and naming of some non-tribal bureaucrats for their wielding power in running the Meghalaya State administration. I call this ethno-othering. Some local tribal clan names were also being bandied as to why not them who should instead be running the State administration. Though that is not exactly the case particularly when the administrative head of the State administration is a tribal with a proven competence to boot.
A notable anecdote: When Atal Behari Vajpayee was Prime Minister , among his closest confidants in the PMO ( Prime Minister’s Office) was an Assamese IAS Officer who had also grown up in Shillong named Ashok Saikia. Among the leading politicians in the opposition at that time was Mulayam Singh Yadav. Yadav had attacked Ashok Saikia on some administrative issue concerning the PMO. Vajpayee, true to his stature and leadership responded in kind and told Yadav that if he had any issue concerning his office he should take it head on against Vajpayee himself not on someone who cannot reply back. I didn’t see any political leader in Meghalaya standing up for the targeted bureaucrats. Similarly, bureaucrats in Meghalaya also cannot reply back against politicians .
Is it true that non tribal bureaucrats wield more influence in the State administration in Meghalaya? If the answer is in the affirmative then the next question is why is it so ? Is it because the political masters like their faces so much? Is it because they are more pliable? Or is it something much more than such banal presumptions? Could it be because of their competence; their effectiveness and their ability to deliver? Qualities which are acquired from exposure to cross fertilization of ideas, broaden the horizon and build a wider network of contacts because of their mobility to take postings in Delhi and elsewhere? And they choose not to stay put within the comfort zone of the State capital. One fundamental fact is that anyone qualified for the civil services is as good or as bad as the other. The difference in the ranking from one to the other at the Civil Services examinations is by decimal points. In fact, a top ranker in a batch may not necessarily turn out to be the most outstanding officer in practice. It is the qualities developed in the job itself that matter, like passion for the work that one does and that the heart is in it regardless of the assignment. Also qualities like sincerity , dedication , dynamism , willingness to move from one place to another , learn , unlearn and relearn in a fresh environment all the time etc,. that count.
Article 312 of the constitution of India is the basis of the All India Civil Services . Its raison d’etre is accountability and integrity which in turn is a sine qua non of the unity of the nation. Politicians in states have to be mature enough to accept the national mandatory character of the All India Services and their service in the States also means the service to the nation. Truth be told , every State Civil Service officer dreams of being nominated into the All India Services So venerable politicians of all hues do take note!
An American President in the past had said that the Government can do without politicians but not without bureaucrats. Political masters can come and go but the bureaucrats last for as long as they are in service. They are also the institutional memory of the Government .
At the same time the notoriety of the bureaucracy is well known. The bureaucracy is known among many other things for being self-perpetuating. There used to be a documentary in the BBC called, “Yes Minister,” later changed to Yes Prime Minister. About how the Minister wanted to bring changes and reforms and yet being subtly scuttled by the bureaucrat indefinitely even though the bureaucrat would always say Yes Minister .
Using parochial language concerning non tribal bureaucrats is demeaning and smacks of an inferiority complex of the community which the political representative represents. It is also demoralizing to the concerned bureaucrats, especially ,to those who have a sense of mission be it in health , agriculture , tourism , environment , rural development , etc .
I am also amused when politicians and local pressure groups are wailing about their own tribal youth getting into civil services . My question to these jingoistic men and women is, how many of them have ever even tried for any UPSC exams. To set by example? My next question is why not delve deeper as to why tribal students from the State can’t get into civil services for so many years now? I invite these men and women to debate and discuss with me on this subject. Swami Vivekananda said “ Blame neither man, nor God , nor anyone in the world. When you find yourselves suffering, blame yourselves and try to do better”.
Othering and imitating art can also manifest in many other genres . Also through religion. By denying to the minority by the majority . Lately , there has been some controversy about the Cherry Blossom festival concluding on a Sunday . And since Meghalaya is predominantly Christian there should be no festival on Sundays. Firstly, it is a practice globally that events which involve several days inevitably have to take place on Sundays as well, in predominantly Christian countries, or on Fridays in predominantly Muslim countries . Moreover if one believes that India is a secular country then one should accept that anything to do with religion is a personal matter. Imposing majority sentiments means infringing on the minority sentiments . Let those who wish to attend the events do so and those who don’t religiously or spiritually observe their usual Sunday.
The assertion about Meghalaya being a Christian State can also boomerang. This is cannon fodder to the Hindutva bigots of India, lately called Bharat. Hindutva bigots believe that India is 80% Hindus and therefore it should be a Hindu theocratic nation or Hindu Rasthra just like Pakistan is an Islamic nation because it is Muslim majority country. The othering to Hindutvadis are the Christians and Muslims who should be prepared to be second class citizens. And because Hindutvadis are vegetarians we should all be vegetarians. Already the bureau of propaganda of the Sangh Parivar is busy with engineering and tinkering of all kinds into history, geography, culture etc .
It therefore makes sense to fanatic Christians in Meghalaya to take their faith beyond the practice of Sunday worshipping by taking the entire humanity into account . The Bible says in Genesis 1:26 “Let us make man in our image.” In other words all humans are made in the image of God.
(The writer is a retired diplomat )