There is no doubt that elected politicians, especially those who go on to assume office, and bureaucrats, they are important pillars of governance. Both have their own set of powers and responsibilities and these should be carefully borne in mind when it comes to functioning of the government. There has to be a professional level of trust and respect while working for public welfare, after all government is about the common good and not vested interest. However it is also a fact that politicians can assume for themselves unreserved power to keep control over the bureaucrats. And this they do through the convenience of a handy tool—transfer and posting of government employees. The Sword of Damocles (in this case transfer) is always hanging over the heads of our bureaucrats and this is precisely the problem, which leads to abuse of power by the politician giving scant regard to good governance as long as it fulfills the latter’s whims and fancies. And the way the tool of transfer has been used by the political class is not surprising for the simple reason that politicians have very limited powers over the bureaucrats, at least in theory. For example, a politician does not have any control over the recruitment of say IAS or NCS officers nor can they be dismissed or demoted. In such a scenario the discretion of the politician to transfer i.e. pick and choose people who can serve them well, has come in very handy. So you see, transfer of bureaucrats by politicians in is not something unheard of, at least in Nagaland. Starting from the Chief Minister to the Ministers to powerful MLAs, every one of them has an objective to fulfill by having their choice of bureaucrat. And when this happens, the bureaucracy tends to become politicized and thereby losing its independent functioning.
All of us are aware about the ill effects of such a practice but till today the political establishment, including our law makers have not demonstrated the will to bring some kind of curtailment of the politicians’ discretion to transfer bureaucrats before they complete, say, at least two years of service in that position. The problem with our present system is that we see the bureaucracy as a tool to fulfill one’s political agenda. But why only blame the politician. Even government officials have played into their hands to find favour and themselves enjoy the fruits of power. And it is likely that if a new party comes to power, many of our bureaucrats who are close to the dispensation may face punishment postings as was also the case when this present government came to power after many years of Congress rule. While the bureaucracy must always assist and cooperate with the government in power, it should in no way become ‘committed’ but continue to remain professional in both outlook and functioning.
Perhaps more than the political class, it is our bureaucracy which needs to reflect upon its own state of affairs and whether it is living up to the expectation as an institution wedded to the highest ideal of public service. The concern department, in this case Personnel & Administrative Reforms, should take some policy initiative similar to those being taken up at the Centre and other States. For instance legislations are being fine tuned as per reports not only to assure our bureaucrats fixed-tenure postings but also protect them from political interference in their day-to-day functioning. Besides, all bureaucratic appointments, transfers and postings will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. As a consequence, the IAS and IPS officers in the country will no longer be at the mercy of the whimsical transfer and posting regime that operates currently. Some of the States have also come up with ‘Public Services Bill’, which among others, stipulates that bureaucrats can’t be transferred before completion of at least two years in that position. So there is a vast scope for policy reform and Nagaland should not be left behind as far as improving public service goes.
