NATIONAL 4 - (Spotlight Weekly)

'The Bureaucracy Needs Strong Monitoring And Evaluation'

- MUKUNDA PRASAD ARYAL

MUKUNDA PRASAD ARYAL, secretary at the Ministry of General Administration, is known as a frank bureaucrat and a leading advocate for administrative reform. Aryal spoke to KESHAB POUDEL and SANJAYA DHAKAL on various issues relating to the civil service. Excerpts:

Amid growing complaints of inefficiency in the civil service, how will the administrative reform program implemented under the support of the Asian Development Bank change things?

In the process of making the administration functional, the ADB-supported reform program has certain targets. One of the important aspects is to develop a personal indicator. It will check the performance of the individual and institution. There need to be a strong monitoring and evaluation system. Evaluation and monitoring of the individual is necessary to bring change. After evaluating the individual and agencies, the final outcome will be judged on the basis of performance evaluation. Since we don't have a personal evaluation indicator, there is no mechanism right now to distinguish between a hard worker and absentee. This system will bring changes in the working culture. Another important component of the reform package is to update vacancies and positions in the bureaucracy. Because of lack of such a system, we are unable to determine the total number of civil servants and vacancies within civil service. We now have 105,000 posts and there is no individual filing system on it. We want to computerize all the information about the civil service so that anyone can evaluate the situation at any time. At a time when everyone is talking about the need to improve government efficiency along the lines of modern business organizations, we have to think about salaries and benefits along those lines, too. The pay and retirement policies will have to be worked out. The project will also decide the right size of the civil service. In our civil service, there are more non-productive employees like messengers and cleaners (peon) and the number of gazettes employees is very low. There is a high-level administrative reform committee working on this. Reform is a very difficult process as it needs all-out support from various sectors. Speeches alone cannot make that happen. In a country where the government needs to issue an order to maintain the official schedule, we cannot expect reform on the basis of lip service.

If so, why are so many civil servants negligent and not committed to their work?

There is a tendency among senior officials to tolerate all kinds of actions and activities of the civil servants. Nobody wants to take action even if someone violate the rules and regulations. Nobody seeks clarifications from offenders. My experience is that nobody wants to be rude by taking action. There is a system of reward and punishment in the existing act. There is competition among the senior officers to reward employees, but all of them hesitate to punish them. We have been unable to bring collective reform in bureaucracy.

Administrative reform commissions of the past frequently pointed out that Nepalese civil servants lacked commitment and determination. How will the new reform program change things?

We are focusing more on seeing various parts of the civil service and civil servants. If necessary, we will also change the working environment. Our aim is to increase efficiency in the civil service to cope with the changing world.

How can you increase efficiency when civil servants don't have proper job descriptions?

Our law clearly points out that no civil servant can be appointed without a job description. The Ministry of General Administration formulates the job description. From lower non-gazetted officers to gazette officers, all employees have job description. What we don't have is a system to monitor whether the work has done in accordance with the job description. There is a need to have a strong supervision mechanism to look at the performance of the civil servant. Some civil servants are getting unnecessary protection from the higher level. When a supervisor sends remarks against such civil servants, politicians protect them. In many cases, I have received pressure while taking action. This is a very small society and civil servants know each other. No one wants to break social harmony.

In most government offices, one can see vacant chairs and empty rooms even during office hours. What does this signify?

Yes, in some places it can happen. It may be the reason of lack of work or weak observation and monitoring on the part of the senior officers of such departments. I have seen changes, but the employees are yet to perform in accordance with their duties. If you see the public-relations-based offices, you find employees even before and after office hours. If a civil servant finds work, he will be there to do it.

Every time efforts have been made to improve the civil service, it has been destabilized. Don't you think serious reform is required to stabilize the bureaucracy?

I am not in favor of shaking the civil service frequently. One of the aims of the ongoing reform program is that we want to stabilize the civil service to deliver effective and efficient service to the people.

Why does government bring amendment bills, then?

Amendment to the existing Civil Service Act is needed. Although it was amended after two years of debate, many vested interest groups prevailed there. Because of some lapses, we have not been able to promote the non-gazetted employees and there are so many other such clauses. We must not allow vested interest groups to prevail.

It is often said that rivalry among civil servants affects the performance of the bureaucracy. How do you look at it?

There is a feeling of competition among the civil servants so they see their colleagues as competitors. I think this is a good way to enhance the capabilities of the civil servants. There are various groups in the civil service which have their own pros and cons.

It is said that civil servants in the administrative group do not permit others to join the mainstream. Does this mean the administrative group is the sole representative of the civil service?

Administrative groups grow up within the administrative work. They are more experienced to perform administrative work than others are. We have already seen some failures in the leadership of employees taken from other group.

How do you see the future of civil servants of the parliamentary group? Will they be readjusted in the administrative group?

The case is now pending in court. I don't want to comment on it. One thing is certain. The administrative group should not be a dumping ground. Whenever a certain group is abandoned, members are put in the administrative group. We have now employees from the Civil Aviation Department. How long can the administrative group accommodate employees of dissolved group. Promotion procedures in the administrative group are tough compared to other groups.

How do you see the issue of political intervention?

We need to have a certain demarcation between politics and the bureaucracy. Secretaries are permanent advisers to ministers. There is no question that ministers occupy upper positions. The question is whether we need to follow the rule of law or not? Everyone should be allowed to work under the rule of law. Violators, whoever they may be, should be punished. As a secretary, I have to work in accordance with the law.

'The Civil Service Must Start To Work As An Institution'

- MADHUNIDHI TIWARI

A former member of the Civil Service Commission, MADHUNIDHI TIWARI is a leading expert of Nepalese public administration. Tiwari, who taught public administration at Tribhuvan University before his appointment to the Civil Service Commission, spoke to KESHAB POUDEL on various issues. Excerpts:

How do you evaluate the civil service of Nepal?

If you see the civil service in terms of individuals, it is full of talented people and individuals with great potential. In the early stages, we had a lack of manpower, but today the situation is completely different. But accumulation of individuals with talent is not enough to run the institution. A functional institution requires collective efforts. It needs aggregate skills. Although we have many skilled and talented individuals, why haven't they been able to produce results? This is not the fault of the individual but that of the process of institution.

People often complain that they don't find employees at their desks during office hours. How do you look at this?

Basically, it has to do with the problems within the institution. We must evaluate where an individual is sing his talent. If he/she does not use his talent, then where can it use? Most talented individuals work in accordance with the salaries paid by the government. Such individuals use their skills outside. If an employee can see progress without working, why should he or she feel the need to work?

In the last 50 years, many programs have been implemented to reform the civil service. But they have often been interrupted by political intervention. How do assess the situation?

Yes, political intervention has disrupted the process of reform but the bureaucracy is also responsible for its plight. Voters can elect politicians and replace them if they don't like them. But as far as civil servants are concerned, they are chosen to serve for a longer time. Politicians are representatives of the people but bureaucrats operate on a different ladder. The government has to spend 50 million rupees to prepare a secretary. It may be more than that. Politicians have many weakness and they are inexperienced. As politicians came to power following a long political agitation, they didn't know the norms and values of the civil service. But what did the civil servants do to them? Politicians are misled by civil servants. Following the restoration of democracy, our civil service got a good opportunity to change, but it did not show the will to do so. The decision to dismiss employees in 1993 shocked the civil service. It is still mysterious why such a large number of civil servants were dismissed. Thanks to the Supreme Court, many of the civil servants were reinstated. Civil servants should give the right advice to the government. We need to have a bureaucracy committed to the rule of law and democracy. The civil servants must have the strength to resist undue pressure. Everyone is following the orders of ministers because they want lucrative ministries. The present civil servants have a secure job. The secretaries need to review their weekly performance. If the ministers exert unnecessary pressure, they have to follow. I have not found a single case where civil servants have spoken as an institution. Civil service is a permanent institution set up to advise the ministers. There are regular meetings of secretaries, but I have not read anything about them. Our institution, which has a wide exposure, does not want to be an institution. I don't blame politician alone. The bureaucracy is also responsible for political intervention. There is no justification in accusing politicians alone.

How do you see the quality of Nepal's bureaucracy? Is it capable of meeting the challenge of globalization?

Nepalese civil servants have shown that they can work in any country and they are capable enough to compete in international agencies. Many Nepalis are at the top levels of international agencies. Our bureaucrats get education, exposure and have access to all kinds of literature. Our bureaucrats are competent but our average bureaucracy is bad. The issue of fake certificate is not a problem. If we reduce the emphasis on academic marks in promotions, no one will bring fake certificates. If we place certain qualifications for entry-level posts, we wouldn't have to face too many problem. We have already changed the curriculum of the Public Service Commission. Promotion must be based on merit. In the placement of employees, however, we always ignore merit.

How do you see the relations among the civil servants?

We don't have a culture of teamwork. Individually, civil servants are good but our behavior pattern is different. If the bureaucracy work as an institution, things will become different. The bureaucracy must work in accordance with the rule of law. There is a vested interest among civil servants so they don't want to talk about teamwork. One has to make sacrifices in teamwork. But most employees are concerned with temporary gain.

How do you assess the modality of job description?

We don't have scientific job description. We have been talking about the need to introduce an effective job description system. We don't have job description in the real sense, although the existing law has clearly spelled out the need. We must have a job description that can provide a clear picture. Our job description is like a formalistic map. There is no clear method of evaluating performance. Each and every task must be analyzed vigorously before preparing a performance report. The Public Service Commission has formulated a job description. I think the government may use it as a basis. Job description could be tool for the reward and punishment. We have an act and regulations, but we don't have job description.

What should be done to make the civil service efficient?

As long as the civil service fails to work as an institution, we cannot expect efficiency. Bureaucrats have to implement and execute decisions made by politicians. The civil service cannot work as an institution of vested interest. The training aspect is also weak. Another obstacle is the absence of career planning for the individual. This would help to identify his or her position. Nobody knows where his or her career will end. It is commonly thought that promotion is a career opportunity, but this is not true.

How do you see institutional status of the civil service?

We need to have a powerful institution to listen to the grievances of civil servants. We started our civil service from scratch 50 years ago. I still remember a statement of B.P. Koirala reported by Bhola Chattarji when Koirala was appointed as a home minister. He did not find a person to appoint as his secretary. Nor did he find an office building to run day-to-day functions. Fifty years ago, Nepal neither had capable manpower nor firm institutions. In the early days, we had recruited Indian citizens to advise on the civil service. We even recruited an Indian citizen to advise the King. A joint secretary of the Indian Administrative Service came to advise us on setting up the civil service. The country has come a long way, but the pace is still too slow. We have not been able to utilize what we have. I have seen highly talented joint secretaries in the current batch, but we have not been able to get the best out of them. Despite all kinds of political instability, we have developed and sustained the civil service.

How do you see the future of the civil service at a time when the quality of education is eroding?

The future is bleak. If we don't improve the quality of education at Tribhuvan University, we will have to face a scarcity of manpower. Although we have very competent manpower coming out of private and foreign universities, they are not enough to meet the demand of the time. The future availability of manpower for the civil service will depend upon the quality of education TU delivers. n