The New Nation - Internet Edition

Many observers believe that civil service reforms could be carried through by the present caretaker government because political governments, influenced by interest groups, would not atempt to do it But the moot question is, what should be the core area to be addressed by this government in reforming the civil services. While there is merit in increasing remunerations of the civil servants as a way of discouraging them from corruption and inefficiency, the mater is not really so simple. The Chief Adviser recognised this aspect when in his recent speech he underlined that honesty, integrity and neutrality in the character of civil servants are more important qualities than anything else to be promoted to improve the performance of the civil services. He laid stress on these requirements while addressing the newly recruited members of the civil services.

Civil servants in Bangladesh, scholars and members of the civil society opined on occasions, have traditionally behaved as if they form a privileged group in the sense that they feel accountable to none. Many of them look at their jobs as 'sinecures' really from where none can dislodge them. This mentality breeds both arrogance and indifference. Thus, notwithstanding suggestions of improving the financial benefits for civil servants, the main cure to poor governance in the Bangladesh context can be no other than a system well laid in place to put the civil servants of any rank under compulsion to perform beter.

In other words, there must be instituted an 'accountability structure' to make the civil servants accountable for what they do or do badly and the penalties to be paid for that . Simultaneously, there should be also devised a system to reward promptly and amply the civil servants for their good and exceptional performance.

A framework of discipline and motivation can work beter than any amount of suggestions thrown at the civil servants to go for auto improvements of their performance or increasing their salaries and perks. Individuals in most cases do not or cannot take the initiative to improve themselves. However, if an effective system is in place to guard against their wrongdoings and slothful and corrupt mentality, then the same undoubtedly delivers beter results in all situations.

A series of commissions and commitees were set up by successive governments to study and recommend administrative reforms. But the study reports have been gathering dust and only a few out of the many hundreds of recommendations for administrative reforms have been actually implemented so far.

Vested interest groups in the civil services themselves continue to be very alert to defeat any move for substantial reforms of the government departments that, they perceive, would undermine their prospects for privilege. Therefore, the imperative for the present caretaker government is to push through during its tenure the implementation of the main proposals of the past administrative reform commissions, for they are essentially similar and their implementation at an early date can achieve qualitative improvements in the functioning of the civil services. Good governance will not come about from wishing for it or urging the civil servants to that end. It can be atained only through purposeful actions to create a system and from reform activities.

Recently, people came to know about question paper leaks in BCS examinations. Persons who become civil servants after taking and passing such examinations, in some cases, cannot be relied upon to have any integrity to start with. Besides, it is no secret these days that some civil servants look at their jobs as cash cows to squeeze out as much as possible in the form of graft Thus, officials whose monthly salaries are not even fifteeen thousand taka are found to have indulged in life-style not commensurate with their known sources of income.

We feel civil service reforms can no more be delayed because the services are the sources of some of the serious corruptions in Bangladesh today. The deep cleansing of the civil services is absolutely necessary to clean them and to this end sweeping reforms are indispensable.