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Kathmandu Thursday December 06, 2001 Marga 21, 2058.
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Bureaucrats,
technocrats and democrats
By Ujjwal Lamsal
Bureaucrat, aristocrat, autocrat
- the list goes on and on. But let us focus more on simple and humble ‘crate’.
Etymologically, bureaucrat seems to have been derived from ‘bureau’. This means
writing desk with drawers. Similarly, a democrat is person who believes in the ideals of
democracy and the word is derived from the Greek – ‘demos’ and
‘kratos’, meaning people’s rule and hence ‘advocate of the
people’s rule’. The word ‘technocrat’ is dubious both in originality
and meaning. Technically, ‘techno’ indicates applied sciences. However,
technocracy seems to have been used after the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Practically, bureaucracy is a
system of management by bureaus. In defining bureaucracy, the tool coconut theorists take
preeminence over all other theorists. The tool theorists believe that bureaucracy is a
tool in the hands of whoever knows how to run it. It is guided by rationality and
authority but controlled by knowledge to achieve ends. While the coconut theorists believe
that bureaucratization is to facilitate organizational harmony better and public
administration the tool theorists have a world of their own. They believe that recruitment
and remuneration should be strictly on the basis of impersonal relationship. They believe
that bureaucracy is better managed by extensive division of labour, thereby affecting the
authority and the structure affirmatively. The wide rift between the tool theorists and
coconut theorist has left the ground open for other theorists. The paper theorists believe
that bureaucracy is pen and papers. The indulgence in pen and paper, with stress on
conservative action and rationality is bureaucracy proper.
After the 1930s’ Great
Depression, the Continental Committee on Technocracy reformed industries in the public
interest and controlled it. Management can be considered an important part of technocracy,
while transformation of mechanical and often repetitive acts of science into an art for an
industry would mean ‘technology’ and a person skilled in a particular technology
would be an ‘expert’. So ‘technocracy’ would roughly be an even mix of
an expert, technology and management. A ‘technocrat’ would be one with the
knowledge of all three factors, while technocracy would be coordination, cooperation and
harmony among the three. The major problem with technocracy is technocrat becomes an
inseparable part of it making technocracy inexplicable phenomena and leading us to the
conclusion that ‘what technocrat does is technocracy’.
The most vague and bizarre of
all ‘cracy’, from ancient Athenian states to medieval Europe to present day
banana republics is democracy and volumes have been written about democracy. It is a
system that ensures the basic rights of every citizen -- speech, religion and political
opinion -- and upholds the rule of law. So democrat would imply one who exercises these
rights. Democracy and its function have been categorized into various groups. Direct
democracy signifies majority rule. Representative democracy signifies again a majority
rule through representatives where hereditary or arbitrary difference in rank and
privilege is restrained through equality of rights. Economic democracy signifies
minimization of social and economic difference. Another version of democracy says that it
is the exercise of the power by the majority taking into account the minority and the
constitution.
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