Hello colleagues..ur comments are invited about the latest article appearing in a local daily abt Bureaucracy.<br />
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Bureaucracy feels humiliated, frustrated<br />
<br />
By Ansar Abbasi<br />
<br />
ISLAMABAD: "They treat us like dogs," this is how one of the top federal secretaries sums up the civilian bureaucracy's present state of affairs vis-a-vis its relation with the ruling elite. <br />
<br />
He had once uttered the same words at a high-level meeting. Lt-Gen (retd) Jamshed Gulzar Kiani in his last press conference revealed that he was also told by a senior bureaucrat that "bureaucrats were treated like dogs".<br />
<br />
Background interviews with members of the civil bureaucracy, including federal secretaries, over the recent premature resignation of an additional secretary (BS-21), show that the government servants were perhaps never so dejected and disappointed as they are today.<br />
<br />
Bureaucrats cite the case of grade 21 officer and Additional Secretary Ministry of Education Javed Nizam, who still had more than two years of service left but prematurely retired from the government service on July 16, 2006. Announcing his premature retirement, he had written to his colleagues in the civil service that he was hanging his boots for not being satisfied with the bureaucracy's working. "I feel no hesitation in saying that we civil servants have collectively failed to come up to the expectations of the "subjects". Certainly, some external factors too must share the blame for this malaise," he said.<br />
<br />
According to Nizam's colleagues, the officer was wronged repeatedly for speaking his mind. One of his colleagues told this correspondent that the officer was lately upset because one of his political bosses was too rude towards the bureaucracy.<br />
<br />
Commenting on the officer's premature exit, a federal secretary who is also member of the high-powered central selection board, told this correspondent that the working environment for the bureaucracy has never been so bad as it is today.<br />
<br />
He said that in the past there were instances where even mid-career officers used to say "no" to the unlawful dictates of the rulers and even rejected proposals that in their view were not in the larger public interest. "Today there exists nothing of the sort," the secretary said, adding that today bureaucracy is treated like personal servants.<br />
<br />
Another officer referred to the recent case of Saira Karim, the former senior joint secretary law, who was reportedly victimized by her minister after she had refused to dance to the tunes of his political boss. Karim, who initially faced a probed, was later transferred out of the ministry.<br />
<br />
Referring to the case of Dr Aleem Mehmood, former secretary social welfare, a joint secretary said that bureaucracy has been given the message that they have to follow the dictates, whether legal or illegal, of their political bosses if they have to survive.<br />
<br />
Mehmood was made OSD in May 2005 after he differed with his minister on the appointment of an expensive consultant. Dr Aleem Mehmood was also "accused" of telling his minister that the latter was misusing official vehicles and also had personal staff far more than what was authorized under the law. "Today after the lapse of over 14 months, Dr Aleem continues to be an OSD," the joint secretary said, wondering how many bureaucrats would want to be in Aleem's position.<br />
<br />
The treatment being meted out to the former secretary social welfare, it is said, has made many bureaucrats coward. <br />
<br />
Quoting an example, a source said that a federal secretary was made to pay Rs 60,000 mobile phone bill by his minister. Though the minister had exceeded his mobile bill ceiling many times, he insisted his secretary to pay the bill no matter how and from where. The said secretary told a colleague that he followed his minister's direction to avoid displacement. The recent transfer of the country's Chief Economist, who is a BS-22 officer, to a post- Chief Enercon- which in the past has been offered to BS-20 officer, is too seen as humiliation of the officer who had differed with his bosses on poverty figures.<br />
<br />
A federal secretary claims to have seen a re-employed BS-21 officer weeping in his office for facing the kind of pressure to do unlawful things. The re-employed officer, it is said, admitted before the visiting secretary that the life of a retired officer working on extension is really painful and those offering the extension expect every dictate of theirs to be followed.<br />
<br />
Bashing of a finance ministry joint secretary by his political boss was yet another recent awful shock for the bureaucracy. Many in the bureaucracy wonder if there would ever be any improvement in the working environment for the civil bureaucracy. Some in the bureaucracy expect miracles from the recently constituted Dr Ishrat Hussain-led national commission on civil service reforms.
<br />
Bureaucracy feels humiliated, frustrated<br />
<br />
By Ansar Abbasi<br />
<br />
ISLAMABAD: "They treat us like dogs," this is how one of the top federal secretaries sums up the civilian bureaucracy's present state of affairs vis-a-vis its relation with the ruling elite. <br />
<br />
He had once uttered the same words at a high-level meeting. Lt-Gen (retd) Jamshed Gulzar Kiani in his last press conference revealed that he was also told by a senior bureaucrat that "bureaucrats were treated like dogs".<br />
<br />
Background interviews with members of the civil bureaucracy, including federal secretaries, over the recent premature resignation of an additional secretary (BS-21), show that the government servants were perhaps never so dejected and disappointed as they are today.<br />
<br />
Bureaucrats cite the case of grade 21 officer and Additional Secretary Ministry of Education Javed Nizam, who still had more than two years of service left but prematurely retired from the government service on July 16, 2006. Announcing his premature retirement, he had written to his colleagues in the civil service that he was hanging his boots for not being satisfied with the bureaucracy's working. "I feel no hesitation in saying that we civil servants have collectively failed to come up to the expectations of the "subjects". Certainly, some external factors too must share the blame for this malaise," he said.<br />
<br />
According to Nizam's colleagues, the officer was wronged repeatedly for speaking his mind. One of his colleagues told this correspondent that the officer was lately upset because one of his political bosses was too rude towards the bureaucracy.<br />
<br />
Commenting on the officer's premature exit, a federal secretary who is also member of the high-powered central selection board, told this correspondent that the working environment for the bureaucracy has never been so bad as it is today.<br />
<br />
He said that in the past there were instances where even mid-career officers used to say "no" to the unlawful dictates of the rulers and even rejected proposals that in their view were not in the larger public interest. "Today there exists nothing of the sort," the secretary said, adding that today bureaucracy is treated like personal servants.<br />
<br />
Another officer referred to the recent case of Saira Karim, the former senior joint secretary law, who was reportedly victimized by her minister after she had refused to dance to the tunes of his political boss. Karim, who initially faced a probed, was later transferred out of the ministry.<br />
<br />
Referring to the case of Dr Aleem Mehmood, former secretary social welfare, a joint secretary said that bureaucracy has been given the message that they have to follow the dictates, whether legal or illegal, of their political bosses if they have to survive.<br />
<br />
Mehmood was made OSD in May 2005 after he differed with his minister on the appointment of an expensive consultant. Dr Aleem Mehmood was also "accused" of telling his minister that the latter was misusing official vehicles and also had personal staff far more than what was authorized under the law. "Today after the lapse of over 14 months, Dr Aleem continues to be an OSD," the joint secretary said, wondering how many bureaucrats would want to be in Aleem's position.<br />
<br />
The treatment being meted out to the former secretary social welfare, it is said, has made many bureaucrats coward. <br />
<br />
Quoting an example, a source said that a federal secretary was made to pay Rs 60,000 mobile phone bill by his minister. Though the minister had exceeded his mobile bill ceiling many times, he insisted his secretary to pay the bill no matter how and from where. The said secretary told a colleague that he followed his minister's direction to avoid displacement. The recent transfer of the country's Chief Economist, who is a BS-22 officer, to a post- Chief Enercon- which in the past has been offered to BS-20 officer, is too seen as humiliation of the officer who had differed with his bosses on poverty figures.<br />
<br />
A federal secretary claims to have seen a re-employed BS-21 officer weeping in his office for facing the kind of pressure to do unlawful things. The re-employed officer, it is said, admitted before the visiting secretary that the life of a retired officer working on extension is really painful and those offering the extension expect every dictate of theirs to be followed.<br />
<br />
Bashing of a finance ministry joint secretary by his political boss was yet another recent awful shock for the bureaucracy. Many in the bureaucracy wonder if there would ever be any improvement in the working environment for the civil bureaucracy. Some in the bureaucracy expect miracles from the recently constituted Dr Ishrat Hussain-led national commission on civil service reforms.