Civil Service is exposed to whimsical experimentation and retribution like no other institution in our country. The famous gag enforced by its conduct rules will never allow its toothless members to put across its point of view without fear of inviting a backlash.
Metamorphic attitudinal convulsions inevitably caused in the service fraternity by frequent transfers, false insinuations, motivated propaganda, character assassination and malicious hounding have been continuously addressed one after the other.
Challenges before our Association are unending. The brotherhood flame flickers when solo efforts of climbing the greasy pole start increasingly substituting the team ethos. Little do most of us realise that being a part of the herd reduces manifold the probability of a deer’s falling prey to a predator as compared to the cent percent probability of the stray one venturing out alone in search of greener pastures.
It does’nt take very long to identify predators and to skirt the danger. But intrigue within the herd may spring a surprise. As systems crumble and officers with even 20 years seniority gap are shuffled as predecessors and successors on the same assignment; and seniors at the pinnacle of their careers may even have to report to their juniors and, with only a few honourable exceptions, stoop only to bag post retirement assignments, cut-throat intrigue is induced surreptitiously in our fraternity to play the role that water plays in turning the pastures green.
Fancy for imported objects in Punjab is not confined to scotch and cars alone. Hand-picked IAS officers from other state cadres have over the years been requisitioned to handle key administrative assignments for making up the oft touted ‘inadequacies’ of Punjab cadre.
Performance of civil servants in Punjab is casually commented upon by the naïve in isolation of the working parameters set by other key instrumentalities and institutions contributing to policy formulation, planning and prioritisation. In an age of populism and appeasement, political manifestos catering to electoral gallery determine the thrust and quality of governance.
Let us all unite in our resolve to preserve the flickering flame of brotherhood while providing a fair, just, impartial and transparent public service.
