Administrative reforms – a long felt need 

It has been six decades since we gained independence. The cry for independence was to manage our own affairs much more efficiently than the British colonial administration. Many governments of different hue and cry have ruled this small country since independence and wanted to implement their own reforms and policies without weighing the merits of such action.

Most of the policies were implemented without wider public consultation and ended up in the doldrums. Education had to bear the brunt of these policy choices of each government. Administrative reforms are essential in maintaining good governance and it aims at creating conditions and circumstance under which all citizens, irrespective of class, caste and gender, can progress to their full potential. In addition to this, good governance also aims at providing public services effectively, efficiently and equitably to the citizens.

The edifice of good governance

The real edifice of good governance rests on the service to the citizen and the honesty, integrity, transparency and the speedy and effective delivery of the service. A lacuna in this regard is a hindrance to social progress. Just imagine that a Sinhalese from the South could travel to Colombo and get all the work done during the day and return to his home on the same day.  Imagine how a person from a minority with a different language could attend to a similar exercise in Colombo. How much does he or she have to pay for the journey? If the person does not have the proper papers, yet another day might be required in this exercise. It would be of great benefit to the people if the administrative systems are simplified and devolved so that basic necessities of the people could be attended to in their own language and in their own locality.

Jawaharlal Nehru once said, “Administration is meant to achieve something, and not to exist in some kind of an ivory tower, following certain rules of procedure and, Narcissus like, looking on itself with complete satisfaction. The test after all is the human beings and their welfare.” (29 March 1954). A presidential commission of inquiry is needed to inquire into administrative reforms and what further steps should be taken to improve the provincial administration.

Political expediency

Policies are often adopted to meet the political expediency of the time without any regard for the welfare of the country. There are some areas where efficiency is totally lacking and reforms are urgently needed. It still takes weeks or months to get certain work done by a government institution.

All citizens are protected by the rights guaranteed in the Constitution. It is the responsibility of the Government to ensure that administrative policies and actions are executed in a transparent and equitable manner. Transparency in government action and conduct is therefore a prerequisite before we consider the merits of the action.  When there is transparency, the corruption, lethargy and rampant wastage could be highlighted and arrested. The officials could be held responsible and it serves as a deterrent to others.

Importance of upholding the rule of law

The importance of establishing rule of law is paramount as without which no government can exist and it tends to backfire on the government. The foreign investors will have second thoughts about investing in a country where there is no rule of law. Tourists may get travel advisories that abductions are taking place on a daily basis in Sri Lanka. The citizens lose faith in the government and it would be detrimental to the popularity of the government.

Separation of powers enshrined in the constitution must be upheld. The constitution clearly demarcates the functions of the executive, legislature and judiciary and any intrusion by the other would tend to undermine constitutional order. Independence of the judiciary is a necessary condition for a democratic system of governance.  The judiciary is the last vestige of hope for the people of this country and it is expected that the judges would hold the scales firmly however difficult the pressure they may have to bear. Judges would also have to resist the temptation to swallow the incentives offered to them with the intention of disturbing the equilibrium. If the independence and integrity of the judiciary are destroyed, then there is potential for chaos. 

Revolution in IT

The revolution in information and communications technology (ICT) has the potential of elevating governance in a mighty way. It is not a question of hosting a website; it is about making things work through ICT. Citizens’ expectations from the Government too have increased rapidly. Urbanisation has caused alarming developments in how the Government should respond to the needs of the people.

The resource allocation is totally inadequate to meet the demand and there is no holistic approach to the reforms that are necessary. The morale of the public sector employees may have dipped even further with the announcement by a teacher-turned minister that a person could live with a monthly salary of Rs. 2500. This is a ludicrous and a nonsensical statement meant to divert the attention of the people from the real issues at stake. 

There are some government departments where employees, equipments and the systems are totally archaic and needs urgent overhaul. Take for example the police department, prison department and the judiciary - they still use huge books for administration related work. It is high time that these departments are fully computerised.  It will have a direct bearing on mitigating delays in law. If the details of a complaint lodged at a police station or a person arrested is logged in to a system all the penal institutions can access, it will greatly reduce the amount of paperwork involved. Information on taxes, fines, levies and other charges collected by the government authorities on a daily basis would enable the Government to make timely adjustments to its fiscal policies and provide accurate predictions for planning purposes.



(The writer is a freelance journalist and political lobbying and government relations consultant)