Civil service reforms needed’

THIS is apropos of Syed Saadat’s article ‘Civil service reforms needed’ (May 21). The writer has rightly traced the genesis of the rot prevailing in the ranks of civil bureaucracy, but one would beg to differ with his out-of-the-box solution of appointing ‘a godfather’ to protect civil servants against all kinds of political pressures.

The decay in governance started the day constitutional safeguards were withdrawn to the great disadvantage of civil servants. The imbalance between the individual merit and professionalism of a civil servant vis-a-vis political patronage can only be corrected by restoring the constitutional safeguards against arbitrary transfers, denial of promotion and selective accountability of civil servants by rulers.

The administrative reforms subsequent to the 1973 reforms stipulated the legal framework (s) to redress the grievances of civil servants but proved ineffective and inadequate to provide the requisite relief, especially to those civil servants who opted to tread the right path.

On the other hand, those who played a partisan role were rewarded with prized postings, promotions and other benefits. As a result, a widespread conversion to cronyism, by the civil servants of all hue, has occurred which has devoured the very concept of ‘good governance’.

Therefore, it is time constitutional safeguards were restored to provide a comfortable working environment to civil servants who should deliver, honestly and impartially, without let or fear and become the agents of change.

NAGUIB ULLAH MALIK
Islamabad

DAWN