An honest, efficient and responsible bureaucracy is vital for the new government to effectively administer the country. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia knows it and that is what she underlined in her meeting with the senior members of our cMl administration last Saturday The PM's appeal, as reported in the press, was impressive in its purpose and sincerity. What, however, was missing was a clear indication as to the steps she was planning to take to establish a 'people oriented' administration. Mere calling upon our seasoned administrators to desist from corruption, to become efficient overnight and to develop a feelings for the down-trodden, and expecting it to work, is nothing more than letting our wishful thinking tQ get the better of us. The Prime Minister is too much of a practical politician not to realise that.

Our civil servants — according to many, they are hardly civil and far from being servants — have for long become alienated from our people. For some it is a machinery for exploitation and control, coming down from the colonial days. For many others, it is a part of a civil-military bureaucratic alliance that is mainly responsible for perverting our political process eversince the Pakistani days. All these are facts. However, underneath them all. there is perhaps another fact — that the bureaucracy does not have to be what it has come to be. Meaning that a patriotic leadership and representative government can mould it after its own image. It may not be ideal, but it can definitely be made functional. Herein lies a big challenge for our new leadership.

The examples set by the political leadership — ministers. MPs. stalwarts of political parties from both sides—can have a tremendous demonstrative effect. If they remain above reproach, how far can the civil servants deviate ? There was a lot of talk about public declaration of personal wealth of ministers and MPs at the time of assuming office. Immediate action in this regard would give our drive against corruption a serious boost. In time, and through stages, the same could be made to apply on our bureaucracies, both civil and others.

The most Important corrective measure that needs to be adopted for our public service is to free it from corruption. For that we need to restore accountability and transparency in our administration. The veil of secrecy and mystery — which Is both a source of undue power and corruption and a means of hoodwinking our people — must be lifted. Administrative procedures must be made open and the decision making process, known to all. This can be done by restoring the well established rules that all public servants are duty bound to abide by. If the existing rules are cumbersome and time consuming — and so they are — let us simplify them. But under no circumstances should we throw them by the wayside either on any populist pretext or to suit any coterie interest.

We must also take steps to free our administration from all sorts of interference — especially political. This is a tall order for any government to fulfil. There are local MPs. party big shots, campaign contributors, and of course the opposition stalwarts to keep in good humor. To what extent the BNP government will succeed, only time will tell. But the public expects them to give It a serious try. During the nine years of Ershad's rule, when bureaucracy was reduced from being public servant to that of private' servant, the general public developed a tremendous distrust about our civil servants. This distrust needs to be replaced by confidence which our bureaucracy will have to earn through dedicated service. There is also the need to restore dignity and raise the morale of our civil servants, many of whom can be compared to best among their peers anywhere in the world. There are many among them who are patriotic and full of zeal to serve the people. The challenge is to weed out the dead woods and enthuse tne rest with the task of development.