The Greek Monarchs had created bureaucracy to make public delivery easier by planning and implementing citizen-benefitting effectively. The French had named the system. Sharp-minded bureaucrats are invariably chosen from among highly skilled young groups.
Prior to the birth of bureaucracy as a critical organ of governance, kingdoms, mostly small with countable subjects, trusted the monarch as the head of state with powers of the chief legislator, executive, judge and police. So, not surprisingly, he took decisions by his or her personal likes and dislikes. But as domains of governance process and activity grew in number and became more and more complex, the ruling monarch needed help and assistance.
Highly ingenious, honest and problem-solving citizens were picked by the monarch to update, guide in decision-making and implementing public delivery schemes and projects. One person would find it impossible to keep track of multifarious areas of governance. No wonder, bureaucracy gained importance beyond limits and virtually rendered the ruler irreversibly dependent on every small matter that required critical decision-making, planning and implementing in the field situations.
Today, the world over, bureaucracy has the greatest control over democratic government processes as the popularly elected representatives have hardly any time to look and learn the tricks and skills. The bureaucrats have acquired such powers and authority as leaders in the political executive can ever fathom.
Politicians have become used to populist methods of vote gathering. They know too well the bureaucracy composed of the creamiest of skilled brains can take care of everything that’s critical and guide them to safety should they bump on dangerous paths by being populist and unruly. The bureaucracy virtually frames the rulebook, prompts the leaders on what’s right while making policies, cautions them against erring conduct and keeps the tools of every governance machinery readily at hand for instant use during crises and emergency situations.
All the same, critics of the impossible-to-discard community have effortfully found faults with bureaucracy by screaming, “The officials don’t give us a damn”, whereas the truth is they have never worked hard to learn the tricks of statecraft with rare exceptions. Yes, the democratic setups in India are essentially bureaucratic in spirit for the simple fact that politicians have no patience to learn and assimilate knowledge. Incidentally, the highest level of bureaucracy in any country is made out of the best available brains through the most rigorous tests. And lately, individual achievers from all domains of human knowledge including medicine, engineering and corporate management are pouring in for the power and authority they enjoy and the scope to learn a huge variety of activities in all human domains.
The jokes that critics make about bureaucracy are varied and interesting though not always logically correct:
‘In a bureaucracy, accomplishment is directly proportional to the volume of papers used’.
‘Give a civil servant a good cause and he’ll wreck it with cliches, bad punctuation, double negatives and convoluted apology’.
Sometime ago, a report in The Pioneer was based on a book written by an IAS officer, MKK Nair which shows how great bureaucrats have saved nations at most difficult times. Highlights of the beautiful story:
Days after India achieved independence, a Cabinet meeting witnessed a sharp exchange of words between Nehru and Patel on the Hyderabad accession issue in 1948. lord Mountbatten had left for london. Rajaji had become Governor General. The article based on Nair’s book ‘The Story of an Era Told without Ill Will’ narrates an episode which indicates how real good bureaucrats can save a nation from disaster.
“On April 30, 1948, Indian Army withdrew fully from Hyderabad. After that, Rizvi and the Razakars began behaving licentiously all over the State. Nehru, Rajaji and Patel were all aware of the dangerous situation in Hyderabad. Patel believed the Army only could put an end to Nizam’s wantonness. The Nizam had sent an emissary to Pakistan and transferred a large sum of money from his Government account in london to Pakistan. Patel had demanded instant military action. At the Cabinet meeting, Nehru who usually spoke calmly, peacefully and with international etiquette, spoke losing his composure, ‘You are a total communalist. I will never accept your recommendation.” Patel remained unperturbed but left the room with his papers.
The Hyderabad situation worsened day by day. Rajaji wanted to find a solution. He consulted VP Menon, who told him that the Army was being kept battle-ready and would attack any moment.
Rajaji invited Nehru and Patel to the Governor General’s house next day with Menon waiting to explain strategy. An ICS officer named Butch handed over a letter to Menon on his way to the meeting. It was from the British High Commissioner who had protested the rape of a seventy-year-old nun of a convent two days earlier by Razakars. Menon handed over the letter to Rajaji before the meeting. Rajaji in his typical style described the situation.
To safeguard India’s reputation, a decision had to be made then and there. Nehru was concerned about international repercussions. Rajaji now played his trump card — the letter from the British High Commissioner. Nehru read it. His face turned red and veins bulged on his bald head. Anger choked his words. He shot out of his chair, slammed his fist on the table and cried out, ‘let’s not waste a moment. We’ll teach them a lesson.’ Patel’s view was vindicated. Rajaji immediately told Menon to inform the Commander-in-Chief to proceed according to the plan. Menon conveyed the order to General Busher. A witless Nehru kept sitting, his head in hands. Rajaji was firm. “If it is cancer, it has to be removed, even if it is painful,” he had said.
Menon returned to office and made quick plans. The Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan, also an Englishman, was somehow bitterly inimical to Indian leaders. When Busher took over from General lockhart as Commander- in-Chief, he had sworn allegiance to India by God’s name. Soon, Busher heard Menon had instructed Rajendra Singh to order General Choudhary for immediate military action before dawn. Busher contacted Karachi and spoke to his counterpart in French.
Next morning, Menon walked into Busher’s room. Assuming that he had come for details of the Hyderabad action, Busher came up with the latest progress. Menon said, “I know all that. Just tell me if you have spoken with Pakistan’s Commander-in-Chief yesterday evening. ’Busher’s face went pale. “VP, are you saying we friends cannot speak with each otherIJ” “Was that a friendly conversationIJ”
“Do you doubt itIJ”
“Why did you speak in FrenchIJ”
“Have you started tapping telephonesIJ”
“Shouldn’t we if circumstances warrantIJ Was it really a friendly chatIJ’
“Of course!”
Menon gave a document to Busher. It was the transcript of the previous evening’s conversation and an English translation which read thus:
Busher: “Attack on Hyderabad begins tonight. Will not last many days. If you must do anything, do so right away.”
Pakistan C-in-C: “Thanks. Shall inform liaquat Ali. Jinnah is on his deathbed.”
Busher: “After I do my duty, I shall be in your hands.”
Busher, who had pretended to be offended by telephone-tapping, was sweating now. He looked sorrowfully at Menon and said, “What should I do, VPIJ I have made a mistake. I am sorry.”
Menon queried, “Did you not swear allegiance to India in the name of God, with your hand on the BibleIJ”
Busher: “VP, please save me. I am willing to atone for what I have done. Help me for our old friendship.” Menon obtained a letter from Busher that read, “I resign on personal and health grounds. Please accept it immediately” and left. General Cariappa was instantly given charge of the Indian Army.
Menon who rose from an ordinary clerk to ‘Secretary of States’ (Home Secretary now) had proven his exceptional intelligence by solving the most difficult state problems at a sensitive time when nearly all politicians and senior officials were groping in the dark.
There are a few VP Menons in every bureaucracy. But the present-day ones with enviable skills lack courage to stand up to the situation only to save skins or make personal hay as the sun keeps shining. Self-serving and spineless ones are rising in number; not surprisingly therefore, populist politicians find them easy prey. They tempt them to connive so as to rob the people more easily. The ones with noble intentions, though miniscule in number, play saviour only by guiding the executive well and ethically.
It’s just indisputably true that if the top-level bureaucracy had not existed and functioned as per norms, developing and populous countries like India would have been robbed wholly by politicians who are in majority illiterate thugs with personal agenda high on their minds.