Editorial
Corruption in administration
Ministers must have a role in curbing wrongdoing
LAW Minister Shafique Ahmed has come down hard on government officials on the issue of corruption. His considered view, one that large sections of people surely agree with, is that the inability or reluctance of senior officials to oversee the activities of officers at the lower tiers of administration is a major reason for the corruption in which government employees are mired. We at this newspaper would add somewhat to the minister's feelings on the subject. It is simply this: all too often it is corruption among the top levels of the administration that encourages those at the lower levels to indulge in similar wrongdoing. In other words, when the head begins to rot, the rest of the body soon falls prey to the resultant putrid smell.
That said, there is another point that must not escape notice or comment. In a democratic environment, it is necessarily ministers, being in charge of their particular portfolios, who must provide the political and moral leadership that will in turn promote transparency and accountability in administration. And they can do the job provided they ensure that political meddling in the discharge of administrative work in any form or shape is eschewed. The unfortunate trend in civil administration for the past many years has been the fact that political patronage has created conditions where government secretaries and other senior officials have found it convenient to create their own brand of patronage in their departments. Corruption has thus followed a systemic pattern. Obviously, it has left day-to-day administration weak and ineffectual.
Conversely, it has been observed that when secretaries attempt to undertake the task of bringing recalcitrant junior level officials to heel over the issue of corruption and the like, they find their hands tied because of the close political links many of their subordinates maintain with ministers and other influential ruling party elements. That surely acts as a damper in any effort to streamline the system. It is here that ministers must play a proactive role in the overall national interest by ensuring that politics does not worm its way into the purely administrative matter of departmental discipline. In effect, the far bigger necessity is the promotion, creation and sustenance of an administrative system that can withstand all political pressures and can truly function in the service of the republic. Modern states function on the principle of systems rather than individuals; and only systems can ensure the transparency and accountability so vital for the working of government. Ministers being the public face of the government and especially their departments can act as architects towards building a structured, dynamic and apolitical administrative system.
Finally, we note that the Right to Information Act will take effect in July. A fundamental premise behind the formulation and operation of the act is to guarantee transparency and accountability in all spheres of state and governmental activity. In light of such an imminent reality, we have all the more reason to ensure that ministers and officials will do everything that brings governance up to the level of public expectations.
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