Visionary leaders do not politicize the administration; instead, they politicize policy expertise. They do not focus on routine administrative matters like transfers and postings but rather demand policy outcomes.
Politics and Administration:
- Politics:
- The legitimate authority and power governing the country,
- Structure with the right to exercise state power,
- Identifies problems,
- Directly accountable to the voters,
- Elected and has a short tenure,
- Limited technical knowledge,
- Populist in nature,
- Seeks immediate results,
- Holds supreme authority,
- Administration:
- Mechanism or organization that mobilizes human resources, financial assets, procedures, and information.
- Hierarchical structure with defined jurisdictions, professionalism, service facilities, and stability.
- Solves problems and is a dynamic concept related to Government policy and public activities.
Values of Politics and Administration:
- Democratic Political Values:
- Justice,
- Competition,
- Brotherhood,
- Inclusion,
- Social justice,
- Voting rights,
- Religious freedom,
- Administrative Values:
- Meritocracy,
- Neutrality,
- Impartiality,
- Transparency,
- Professionalism,
- Consistency,
Foundations of Politics and Administration:
- Politics:
- The belief that Public Administration is responsive to political authority and functions according to political directives and decisions.
- Public Administration:
- The belief that politics will act as a guardian and ensure fair treatment without discrimination and will take ownership and leadership in institutional development.
- People:
- Both politics and administration exist for the people and are accountable to them, ensuring uninterrupted service delivery and respect for citizens’ rights.
Discourse on Politics and Administration:
- Conflicts and overlapping responsibilities between Civil Servants and Politicians,
- Dilemmas in political and administrative accountability,
- Differences in political and administrative values,
- Administration cannot remain neutral as it derives its authority from politics and is inherently part of the policy process, which is political by nature,
Political Expectations from Administration:
- Complementary, not competitive,
- Support through neutral competency,
- Impartial, neutral, committed, skilled, and honest,
- Professionalism, expertise, and loyalty to the post and service,
- Free from biases and prejudices,
- Separate from partisan interests,
- Bureaucrats must follow laws and Rules:
- Provide impartial services,
- Be accountable to the people,
- Be loyal to the Government,
- Not challenging politics or acting in a partisan manner,
- Trust and cooperative behavior,
- Act as a service delivery mechanism and facilitator,
Administrative Trust in Politics:
- Ensures protection, security, and guardianship,
- Does not act based on political affiliations,
- Respect of meritocracy and capacity,
- Must not become arbitrary, authoritarian, or oppressive,
- Avoid using administration for personal or political interests,
- Create an environment for lawful execution of duties,
- Upholds administrative values, merit systems, professionalism, and efficiency,
- Invests in administrative capacity development,
- Operates in line with constitutional values and laws,
Accusations Between Politics and Administration:
Accusations Against Politics:
- Lack of trust in administration,
- A tendency to control rather than motivate bureaucracy, seeking “Yes Service”
- Neglect of administrative professionalism, nature, and career systems,
- Attempts to use administration for vested interests,
- Ethical and technical incompetence in utilizing administrative resources,
Accusations Against Administration:
- Creating ad hocism,
- Unethical, self-centered leadership,
- Corruption and poor competency,
- Generating unnecessary processes and legal requirements,
- Lack of accountability.
Current State of Politics and Administration:
- Traditional organizational structures and working styles,
- Political division and dominance of Federalism,
- Political interference,
- Influence of intermediaries and pressure groups,
- Competition to bypass rather than uphold laws and policies,
- Lack of organizational behavior and work culture,
- Misuse of rewards and punishments and a culture of impunity,
- Disregard for public participation and support,
- A crisis of trust and blame-shifting between politics and administration,
- Domination of administration by unaccountable individuals and political influence,
- Criminalization of politics and politicization of crime,
- Unprofessional and value-violating behavior by bureaucrats,
- Dominance and monopoly of the well-connected in development, administration, and service delivery,
- Bureaucrats engaging in flattery, sycophancy, and opportunistic behavior,
- Tendency to misuse power while in office and criticize misuse from outside,
The Way Forward:
- Maintain respective values and principles in both politics and administration,
- Foster a cooperative rather than competitive relationship,
- Control political influence in administration,
- Develop coordination between both sides,
- Enhance professionalism and competitive capacity among administrators,
- Clearly define the roles of politics and administration in policy terms,
- Encourage research, innovation, and proactive initiatives,
- Fully adhere to performance contracts and integrate them into internal operations,
- Develop citizen-oriented concepts in policy implementation and performance,
- Establish clear accountability and eliminate unaccountable systems,
- Formulate and enforce code of conduct for both politicians and bureaucrats,
- Ensure administrative ownership and swift implementation of political decisions,
- Develop politics and administration free from pressure, bias, scarcity, and resentment.
Authored by Kumar Ghising researcher and public policy analyst.