Reforms In Civil Service
A Must For Good Governance

By Shanker K.C.

POLITICIANS, policy makers as well as common men have constantly alleged that Nepalese bureaucratic structure is overstaffed and bloated. Its delivery of service to common people is very inefficient and ineffective. As such, it has become totally dyfunctional as an agent for socio-economic change of the nation.

Lack

Nepalese bureaucracy lacks clear vision, direction and motivation. It does not have properly defined job descriptions at both individual and institutional level. There is not clear demarcation of collective and individual responsibility. It promotes deskilling rather than professionalisation and harbours anamolies rather than integrity and honesty.

Undoubtedly, many factors could have played their part in the downward slide of Nepalese bureaucracy. Though the country adopted more liberal approach in politics and economy, especially after the 2036 B.S. referendum, large scale corruption became the accepted norms. Ironically, strengthening of the institution like Public Service Commission also contributed to the degeneration of Nepalese civil service. The impartiality maintained by Public Service Commission made it difficult for privileged and elite class to enter the civil service. As it became difficult for the privileged and elite to enter the permanent civil service, they become more interested in creating structures outside the civil service and gradually civil service became neglected.

Similarly, privileged class began to promote INGOs and NGOs at alternative mechanism for service delivery. INGOs and NGOs offered employment opportunities with attractive remunera-tion for urban privileged and elite. Proliferation of various commi-ssions, projects outside the setup of permanent civil service could also be seen in this light. These institutions became handy for politicians and decision makers to employ their party workers and followers. As a result, on the one hand, the civil service was left without enough jobs while on the other hand, size of bureaucracy outside the permanent civil service became bloated. This trend seems to continue even today. Also along with the liberalisation and deregulation, many functions of the civil service became redundant while the opening of the economy also contributed to the expansion of private sector and breaking up of public sector monopoly.

However, the civil service could not readjust to this changed environment. Many reform commission were constituted, but the recommendations made by them were never implemented or became distorted while implementing. These reform measures could not address the core problems besetting the civil service.

More worrying is that in the name of introducing innovative measures, the civil service seems to have developed hybrid administrative system, which neither follows the established norms of American position classification system, nor the Anglo-Indian tradition of Rank-in-corps system. The introduction of lateral entry system in higher echelon of our civil service is a case in point. Later entry system is appropriate in the civil service which follows the position classification system.

Because position classification system specifies the particular qualification and experiences needed for the job to be performed. Accordingly, a person can be recruited for that position. However, in our case, a person entering through lateral entry system has to perform varied jobs from that of a chief district officer to a policy maker in the ministry. This does not contribute to professionalisation of the civil service.

The question that could be asked is: has the bureaucracy lost its relevance in the changed context? Definitely, the role has changed from that of a regulator and provider of services to that of a facilitator and motivator. However, no one can claim that functions of civil service have become redundant. As long as there is political system, there will be a bureaucracy. They is no doubt that with deregulation and liberalisation many functions traditionally carried out by this institution has become redundant. Moreover, the permanent civil service of approximately one lakh strength cannot be considered big for a nation-state of 22 millions. The main problem is that the civil service has yet to redefine its role in the changed context.

Hence, instead of large scale retrenchment and restructuring, reform measures should focus on human resources development. Present trend of creating committees, commissions and project offices even for minor jobs should be stopped. This could also provide enough jobs for the civil service. Similarly, the government should facilitate the exit of many employees, who have become disillusioned with their jobs as well as the dead wood who have become burden for organisation. At the same time proper job descriptions and objectives should be set for each ministries, departments and offices.

Career development opportunities for employees should be broadened and made more scientific while disparities in promotion opportunities among different services should be abolished. At present, in certain services one can get promotion after 5 years, whereas in other one cannot get promotion even after fifteen years. This has contributed to the lowering of the morale of personnel in the civil service.

Focus

Past experiences have shown that reform measures concentrated on organisation restructuring or procedural and legal reform had minimum impacts. So, our future reform measures should focus on human aspects rather than on organisational restructuring and procedural reforms. Motivated human resources will contribute to organisation development and improved service delivery—and hence to good governance.

New Satellite Images Track Slowing Deforestation

By Juan L. Mercado

THERE is both good news and bad news about shrinking Asian and other forests in the new satellite photos that Food and Agriculture Organisation analysts painstakingly pieced together this year.

The good news is: Finally, the rate of deforestation in tropical countries is starting to slow down.

Preliminary analysis of more than 300 satellite images show that the rate of deforestation in tropical countries was, at least 10 per cent less, in the past 10 years compared to the 1980s," the United Nations agency said.

In fact, "half of the images show a reduced rate of deforestation and 20 per cent an increase," FAO adds.

The bad news is. The reprieve may come too late for some of remaining Philippines timber stands and plantations threatened by constant encroachments.

The momentum of earlier and reckless clear-cutting and burning will result in continued razing of remaining timber stands well into the early 21st century. The Philippines has few forest stands left to raze.

These findings will be reflected in FAOs Global Forest Resources Assess-ment, 2000. This will be published end of this year. But preliminary findings were unveiled at the XXI World Congress of the International Union of Foresty Research Organi-sation, held in Malaysia.

FAO’s last global figures on forest cover indicated that in 1995 there were 3.5 billion hectares of forest, including natural forests and forest plantations. About 55 per cent of the world’s forests were located in developing coun-tries.

Between 1980 and 1990, FAO estimated forest loss running at an unsustainable 15.5 million hectares yearly. Most of this destruction occurred in natural forests of developing countries, like Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar.

The new FAO findings assert tropical deforestation decreased by at least 10 per cent annually in the 1990s.

Major causes of defores-tation, in the tropics, remain expansion of subsistence agriculture in Africa and Asia and large economic develop-ment pro-grammes involving resettle-ment, agriculture and infra-structure in Latin America and Asia.

In addition, overhar-vesting of industrial wood and fuelwood, overgrazing, fire, insect pests and diseases, storms and air pollution cause forest degradation, FAO said.

Hefty profit margins from permanent crops and food needed, by growing popu-lations will divert 36 million hectares, by the year 2010, from dwindling reserves of arable land in Asia and the Pacific Foresty Towards 2010.

As a result, pressure is building up in countries, including those of Asean, to increase forests under legally-protected status.

To make up for the drain, Industrial forest plantations is likely to expand: from 40 million hectares (in 1994) to about 64 million hectares in 2010. Most will consist of fast-growing short-rotation plantations, many for pulpwood use.

Demand in the region for all forest products will increase significantly due to population growth and the easing of the Asian economic crisis.

"There is broad consensus among recent studies that wood supplies at a global level will be adequate to meet demands for both industrial wood and fuelwood in the immediate future."

For Asia and the Pacific region, the present supply-demand balance will probably remain at "the present levels of shortfall, through the year 2010." The one major exception is for large-size logs, already in short supply.

Nonetheless, "Asia-Pacific dependence on imports for all industrial wood products" will deepen.

By 2010, the region will find itself a net importer of all forest products. Today, Asia-Pacific is already the world’s largest net importing region.

For the region as a whole, imports are expected to supply 16 per cent of the region’s industrial round-wood, 18 per cent of swans-wood, 28 per cent of wood-based panels, 9.2 per cent of paper and paperboard, and 11.6 per cent of fiber-furnish.

Consumptions of wood-based panels and paper and paperboard here, by 2010, will exceed North America and Europe combined "Consump-tion of sawn wood in this region will be second only to that in North America.