The pressing need for accountability in public service

Sq.Ldr. J.T.Rex Fernando (SLAF Retd)

RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY: President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphatically, reiterated that institutions should not overstep their powers and act arbitrarily on the own accord sans accountability and responsibility to its hierarchy.

His comments are timely since Sri Lanka is tottering with its institutions of governance highly depilated essentially due to the absence of accountability and transparency.

This includes the Executive Legislature, Regulatory agencies and the whole administrative machinery. Exceeding the stipulated and prescribed limits of authority and rights violations by politicians and bureaucrats are almost endemic.

When we consider the declining standards in civic and public morality recalling with nostalgia the comparatively high standards maintained in the pre and post independence era, the evolution of the political, administrative systems should be considered.

President Rajapaksa conscious and firmly convinced of the appalling absence of accountability in his policy framework to rejuvenate Sri Lanka also placed increasing importance on accountability.

He has emphatically re-iterated “a need towards working a disciplined society strengthening the rule of law. We will not leave room for anyone to break the law by using financial power or privileges.”

The President is aware of the principal challenges facing the country’s administration. It is abundantly clear that there is a pressing need for effective measures to rebuild and rejuvenate Sri Lanka. These should be wide ranging, comprehensive to deal with the ills tormenting in the country.

Lack of understanding

Most of the problems Sri Lanka faces as a nation today can be attributed to the lack of appreciation and understanding of accountability particularly by politicians and bureaucrats.

The absence of accountability is the bane of this country. Many politicians and bureaucrats fail to realize the importance of this salient aspect of governance that they are accountable and responsible for the action and official conduct to the people.

Sir Winston Churchill said “ the price of greatness is responsibility”. Albert Schwieter maintained “Man must cease attributing his problem to his environment and learn to exercise his will is personal responsibility in the reality of faith and morals”.

The way to make people abide by excepted standards of morality is to hold them responsible in law. They should be accountable for their actions and stringent punishments imposed for blatant breaches.

Very simply “Accountability” implies responsibility and the requirement to account for ones action. In a democratic society control by Parliament, becomes imperative as any government in power becomes accountable automatically to the people. An essential feature of a democracy is that responsibility of rulers to the people, unlike in an autocratic state. This responsibility is secured by responsibility of Ministers to parliament.

Democratic governments have continuously attempted to maintain this responsibility or accountability of politicians and office holders to the people. This is the cornerstone of democracy, those elected to govern and answerable to the people who elected them.

For responsibility to be meaningful punishment has to be effected where there has been a lapse or disregard of responsibility or negligence Such conduct cannot and should not be condoned.

Ministers have to be held responsible by the President and the Prime Minister and the public officials must be responsible for their superiors.

In a democracy when the Government in power is with the peoples consent and its continuance depends on the people’s will as such the most important factor is to be responsible to the people’s need as they themselves see it and demand it. It could be said that there is no substitute for external vigilance and assertiveness of civil society to usher in good governance and accountability.

The office a politician holds is a sacred trust. It is as trustee that he holds public office. Booker T. Washington explicitly conveyed this obligation of a politician when he said “ Few things help more than an individual to place responsibility upon him and let him know that you trust him”.

Dag Hammarkshold asserted “to let oneself to be bound by duty from the moment you see it approaching is part of the integrity that alone justifies responsibility”.

The aspects of answerability or accountability was admirably explained by the late Lakshman Kadirgamar when he delivered his memorable speech a few days before his untimely demise.

He explained that the office a politician holds is a sacred trust. It is as trustee that he should conduct his public affairs. The President has emphasized this aspect of responsibility repeatedly in his initial address to the nation.

“This earth and its vegetation is yours, but that should not be protected not only for your benefit but also for the benefit of future generations. A ruler is only a temporary trustee and not the and not the owner of your children’s heritage”.

The deterioration of the quality of the politician and public servant over the years has been of such a serious nature as to bring down governments.

Both the politicians and public servants are to be blamed for this, the politician only wanting blind obedience and uncritical acceptance of his ideas and plans and the public servant only thinking of his personal position and future. In such environment where the politician and public servant are concerned only about their personal gains and the future interests of the nation are no concern.

Bureaucracy

“Bureaucracy” means different things to different people. Whatever the meaning the word carries people are becoming increasingly aware of the growing significance of bureaucracy.

In simple terms bureaucracy can be defined as “A government by central administration” a “State or organization so governed”, and “Bureaucracy pathology” are also terms used to describe how public service it looked upon as a Wart on the nose of society.

Very rarely do people think of the bureaucracy as an essential of an essential organization to carry out complex activities in a more complex modern society.

In a democracy to assist the political system which sits at the apex of Government in the administrative sub system which is the “public service “ or bureaucracy as it is commonly described.

The public service being so vast and defused it is no easy task to get it to translate the political will into administration and monitor its activities. If the public service does not perform efficiently and is not adequately responsive to the people’s needs it is those at the helm of the Government in power who will finally have to answer to the people.

Most of the ills that persist is due to the lack of accountability of our bureaucrats. Reports of negligence of duty and indifference appearing the daily papers with monotonous regularity.

It is an undisputable fact that when the when the social aspirations of the masses are obstructed bureaucrats interest and indifference as the “servant” becoming the master, the consequent frustration in society may manifest itself in violent forms such as civil disturbances revolutions and overthrow of the Government itself.

It has been reported in the recent past, that regrettably some officers indicted for negligence of duty and misdeeds have been appointed to high office. This tantamount to condonation of their misdemeanour and such appointments have shattered the sensibilities of all right thinking people and the moral fabric of society.

The Public service which was once the pride of this nation attracted to it at that time the cream of intelligentsia that schools and universities produced. They did not enter its portals through family connections or political patronage.

They faced competitive examinations and interviews and their performance and merit alone guaranteed their appointments. Having entered the service they performed their duties with great dedication and efficiency. Efficiency of Sri Lanka’s public service was recognized even by prominent world leaders like Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew.

Deterioration set in subsequently with party -politics and unprincipled trade unionism making inroads into it and sapping it of its efficiency discipline.

Merit, efficiency and dedication which were considered the required qualifications or qualities needed for appointment to various posts and promotions in service, yielded place to political patronage and sycophancy. Attempts, of course were made to arrest the declining standards but they failed to make any impact.

As a result, the public service has become synonymous with inefficiency, lethargy and corruption. There is a breakdown in discipline throughout the service. It is common knowledge most public servants come late to work and leave early.

The canteens in Government offices are open throughout the working hours giving the employees an excuse to loiter in the canteens and corridors Punctuality is not enforced. In most places Executives are often late.

The working time left is also punctuated by long pauses gossip. Time Management is non existent in State Departments and Public Institutions.

Political interference

It must be accepted in theory that the public service is a neutral body that exist for the sake of the public. At no time should it be prostituted by politicians. Unfortunately the golden rules have been observed in the past more in the breach.

Politics has been a virulent cancer that has been eating into the public service. Both the politician and public servant should be blamed for the sad state of public service. The politician wanting only blind obedience and the public servant for thinking about his personal position.

Bribery and Corruption is not something peculiar only to Sri Lanka Graft and corruption seem to be the unfortunate legacy of our colonial masters. The biggest problem seems to be that many such countries have not been able to totally dismantle the administrative system left behind by the colonial overloads. What was worse was that those who took over the reigns of these countries were saturated in values that prevailed under the system.

Restore the salutary criteria of morality, transparency and accountability in the public life, a close examination of the inherent organizational inadequacies will also be helpful.

While attempts have been made to modernize administrative systems, however old ghosts still linger within modern structure as value systems do not die easy reminding us of the dictum of Sir Henry Maime “Forms of action are dead but they rule from the grave”.

It must be appreciated that public officials today work in an acquisitive society where money is of paramount importance and people are hooked to consumerism. Therefore it is hardly fair to expect unquestionable integrity only from public officer’s either at the top or bottom of the scale.

What is necessary is to approach the problem not in isolation, but in the context of society and the elected politician.

With capitalism in full flow, there will always be allegations of crooked deals, commissions and bribes on various contracts as well as on privatization.

The existing administrative and legal machinery should be probed and rectified where necessary. If the Government is serious about bringing about public morality then accountability of politicians and all those in state and public sectors is absolutely essential.

Most of the problems facing the country can be attributed directly or indirectly to the lack of accountability and transparency. It is the appalling absence of the need for accountability that has permitted public officers, politicians and individuals to overstep their powers and act arbitrarily on ones own accord.

Further the excesses and misdeeds are often overlooked and even condoned . This is regrettably the bane of Sri Lanka. It is of little use to attribute the blame for the prevailing unsatisfactory situation and malaises to the previous regimes.

What is required is to learn by the mistake over the years and ensure that the weaknesses and inadequacies which have been identified experience and studies are eliminated by well planned strategies.

In this context in is appropriate to recall the words of John Kennedy “ Our task is not to fix blame for the past , but fix the course for the future.” The President has fully realised the predicament of the Public Service and it is heartening to know that the revitalizing and cleansing of the public service is being afforded adequate priority.

The need to uphold the principles of integrity and transparency in respect of the public service by politicians and bureaucrats is commendable. It has to always be borne in mind that the public service is a sub-system of the political system and the tone and standard of ethical conduct has to be set at the highest stratum.

The effective performance and maintenance of the public trust, and confidence of the integrity of the public service, is crucial to the proper functioning of the Government. The achievement of high standards of ethical conduct by public officials is central to the Maintenance of public trust and confidence in the Government.