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ADDRESSING the ongoing joint session of the National Assembly, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan recently warned the prime minister that he suspected that once the crisis was over, his ministers would become more vainglorious and conceited.
I was sitting in the gallery, wondering how such a strong government — in terms of the number of seats the ruling party has in the National Assembly — got into this mess. I had my answer when I saw PML-N MNAs congratulating Ahsan when the session was adjourned for delivering a speech that echoed their sentiments towards their party leader Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
This is the level of indifference the prime minister demonstrates towards his MNAs, barring a few whom he holds dear either because of family ties or personal preference.
The current political crisis will be resolved sooner or later. But the attitude of those in power, if not checked, is bound to create another crisis — sooner rather than later. The style of governance, both politically and administratively, in Pakistan needs to change. Parliamentarians and protesters such as Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri will take care of the political side; but I wonder when and how the administrative problems will be addressed.
The government has failed to give civil servants a sense of ownership.
The kingly attitude of the Sharif brothers has pushed most of the bureaucracy towards alienation. And the impact of this attitude is felt nationwide as the governments in Punjab and the centre pretty much dictate the fate of Pakistan. Such alienation may seem innocuous as compared to hooligans trying to take over parliament, but it is far more damaging to the cause of a better-governed Pakistan as it causes systemic failures.
An octogenarian former civil servant and a few others camped at Raiwind should not be the ones calling the shots for administrative changes in the civil service. It is good to have advisers, but it is better to have advisers who are inclusive in approach and do not take sides or favour certain individuals. Otherwise, the rest of the bureaucracy remains alienated.
Ask a secretariat group officer, a teacher, a doctor or an engineer in government service whether he is happy with the affairs of the civil service. He will present a very long charge sheet against the government’s biases. The Punjab police service, for one, was on the verge of revolt earlier this year when an anti-terrorism squad was created under the home department rather than the inspector-general of the police. On March 18, 2011, 76 PCS officers were arrested and cases registered against them under the anti-terrorism act. Their ‘crime’ had been to peacefully protest against what they saw as prejudiced promotions and postings.
Doesn’t it make sense to promptly hold a provincial chief minister responsible for not registering an FIR in the Model Town killings, when the same regime was so quick about registering a case against the protesting officers? Further, images of doctors being beaten last year by the Punjab police for similar demands are still fresh.
A general trend, in Punjab in particular, is that of appointing junior officers to senior positions, not because of competence but because a junior officer in a position disproportionate to his credentials will be in awe of the person patronising him and thus much less likely to defy orders. No wonder, then, that district police officers and district coordination officers in Punjab look to Chief Minister House for directions all the time.
To cut a long story short, it is an open secret that the current regime disapproves of even highly competent civil servants who do not exhibit the kind of humility becoming of a courtier.
Prime Minister Sharif’s listening to his advisers may not be necessarily a good thing, as his choice of advisers leaves a lot to be desired. The affairs of the civil service should not be meddled with on the recommendations of advisers with political loyalties, because political inclinations only cloud their judgement and the focus shifts from the building of institutions. If the efforts of the PML-N to breed a DMG-N (District Management Group) and PSP-N (Police Service of Pakistan) are not halted, the country will lurch from one crisis to the next.
As a group, civil servants should be politically neutral. But at the same time, their affiliation with the state should not diminish. The present regime has failed to give civil servants a sense of ownership over the affairs of government.
Lastly, I’d like to put a question to the prime minister: When Javed Hashmi walked into parliament in the ongoing session, were you thumping the desk because he stood for a certain principle, or was it because he stood for a principle that was benefiting you?
This country needs rebels like Mr Hashmi, not just in politics but in bureaucracy as well.
The writer is a former civil servant.
Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2014
