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Kathmandu Tuesday August 08, 2000 Sharawan 24, 2057.
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Responsibility needed
The other day, some political leaders and senior bureaucrats traded
charges regarding the ineffective performance of the civil service. This certainly
reinforces the general perception that the country's civil service seriously lacks
accountability and is riddled with inefficiency and rampant corruption in all sectors. It
is not that successive governments were unaware of this fact. However, the glaring truth
is that none of them have taken steps to reform the civil service in order to provide
quick, efficient and effective service to all. It is because of this neglect on the part
of the government that things have deteriorated to the extent that it will be an
extremely difficult task, if not an impossible one, for any government that attempts to
reform the country's administrative system.
There are a number of things unnecessary political interference and
rampant corruption and political protection for the unscrupulous- that have rendered the
country's civil service virtually non-functioning. This has arrested economic growth,
affected changes and encouraged dishonesty in the service. In fact, there is a nexus
between political leaders and bureaucrats which has been eating at the roots of
development and administrative performance. This apart, nepotism, cronyism and sycophancy
are other factors that have led to the degeneration of the bureaucracy. Bureaucrats run
around political bosses to fulfill
their vested interests instead of implementing the rules and
regulations. Political leaders order transfer of civil servants and also act as if they
are the administrators at the time of appointment.
The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) the
corruption fighting body has also become a tool in the hands of political leaders to
protect themselves from corruption charges. With every change of guard there are massive
changes in state owned corporations which have been turned into recruitment centres by
political leaders.
They have not only spoilt the environment of government offices but
also encouraged moves to sack the appointees of previous governments in the name of
providing good governance
by replacing them with new appointees. Due, largely to this,
government offices have become overstaffed; and this is no doubt a chronic problem.
It is true that the government has come out with no concrete plans
or measures to prevent overstaffing. Neither has it made efforts to reform the bureaucracy
nor have the two committees formed by successive governments come up with recommendations
to reform the administration. Besides, political leaders and bureaucrats have also failed
to live up to the expectations of people. The political party in power must recognise that
it is the duty of the government to provide effective and efficient service to people. For
this, it has to introduce measures and implement laws that prevent corruption, political
interference and overstaffing. If it fails to do so, it is definitely not fulfilling its
responsibility.
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