By: Insaf Ali Bangwar
The concept of a welfare state enshrines public welfare and well-being as central to the governance and administrative mechanisms of a country. Under this, the government is responsible to and accountable for the socio-economic welfare of individuals and citizens. However, the objective of a welfare state is immaterial without a compassionate, disciplined and accountable bureaucracy. Being the ultimate executive authority mandated with implementing legislations, the bureaucracy is central towards establishing a welfare state. Since they are the ones meant to ensure service delivery to the masses at the grassroots level, a compassionate, pragmatic, unfettered and humane bureaucracy and public service system is essential for a welfare system to operate effectively.
Sadly, Pakistan’s bureaucracy is mired with colonial psyches and power-hungry inclinations coupled with ineffectiveness and non-sympathetic. Historical and socio-economic compulsion notwithstanding, Pakistan’s bureaucracy is with the paucity of the capability, the compassion, the liberty and the willpower to maintain collective social good. There is a great interpersonal contradiction and trust deficit between the national bureaucracy and the public. This divide hinders service delivery to all and sundry. Recruitment lacunas, political appointments, superiority complex, lack of training coupled with the influenced postings and transfers are some of the causes behind the crippled performance of the bureaucracy.
The training they do is the very place of being conceited and deeming oneself superhuman, resultantly, the dichotomy between the public and the bureaucrat is unleashed and a canker for the state. They are brainwashed into thinking that the more they are revered and the more their powers get multiplied. Sadly but realistically, “elite” is the term they like to be identified with. This superiority complex is manifested in the fact that the majority behaves no alternatively than autocracies in their respective realms. Indifference, apathy and incapacity are the defining features of most of the bureaucratic strata when it comes to the hapless masses and destitute sector of the country. The term “public servant” is being deemed as a misnomer since the large portion of the country’s bureaucracy is partial to the favours of the rich and powerful who wish to enjoy impunity and an unbridled power grasp. Particularly in Sindh, the day of their posting goes pleasing and appeasing the areas’ influenced individuals.
Pakistan’s slide in the Corruption Perceptions Index and the recent seizure of millions worth of gold, cash and kind by NAB in Karachi are but the few instances of unbridled practices of corruption unleashed by large sections of the bureaucracy.
Moreover, the appetite of the power reign supreme is one of the hinders of being arrogant to the hapless masses for which they were appointed. In majority, who have made it into the bureaucratic sphere through fair or foul wherewithals have anti-public agendas. Serving the masses exists nowhere in their diagram since being unapproachable to the underprivileged section and making them wait for weeks if not months demonstrates the testaments. Their genuine grievance gets a deaf ear. On the contrary, for the influential and feudal lords, the opening is widely open. The convention of the bribe is rampant, sans it, no work gets done.
Pakistan’s colonial and power hunger bureaucracy needs fixing since it has been a great contributor to this degenerative national plight. The feeling of serving influential has largely been resisting the bureaucracy to serve for which they are. Fix the bureaucracy for leading it to be available for the commoners, in other words, serving the destitute ones should be above all else. The dream of building a welfare state would be fulfilled when bureaucracy is compassionate and humane before a common person.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Kandhkot, Sindh.