City.Zen - 28 November, 2007 | Bangalore | Everything else

Governments form and fall, ministers come and go, but the people who will remain forever are the babus and their one-track mentality. Remember Yes, Minister and Ji Mantriji? They are the ones who wield all the influence over the ministers, educate and guide or misguide the Mantris. Babus clearly hold the keys of the kingdom. If we are to bring about a sea change in their attitudes, outlook, and competency, may be we could think of interacting with our prestigious IIMs who can design a special course for our Babus.

Here is an interesting article by Ramesh Ramanathan of Janaagraha in the new newsletter, MINT, reproduced here without permission. ( Please delete if copyright issues might crop up). Ramesh writes a regular column there - Mobius Strip. (Thanks to Ms. Aparna who sent this to me).

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Janaagraha Communications
Date: Nov 9, 2007 4:37 PM
Subject: What's Wrong with our Babus - Ramesh Ramanathan in MINT
To: info@janaagraha.org

WHAT'S WRONG WITH OUR BABUS
I have long been a champion of people within government – both bureaucrats and politicians - almost to a fault. My views have been shaped by years of deep engagement with "the system", during which time I have learned first-hand the enormous constraints that they work under. I have come to the conclusion that the challenges of government are driven substantially by institutional constraints and not individual competencies – put in the same place, I doubt that our record will be substantially different from theirs.

Most people are exasperated by my soft views, given the visible examples of poor government functioning. They say, "How can you excuse these people for the poor quality of our roads or the terrible public schooling system? These are not rocket science challenges! There is no excuse for poor delivery. The problem is that these people don't care."

This frustration is understandable. But there are many reasons where even well-intentioned people within government find themselves trapped in ineptitude. These challenges exist everywhere: from what seem like mundane issues like roads, to increasingly complex issues like urban planning, mass transport, and so on. Of course, the more contentious problems like SEZs, labour reform or water pricing have less to do with implementation, and more with policy itself, because we still haven't got consensus on these subjects; these will need to be resolved only through political processes.

However, my sympathy doesn't extend to all babus. My own experiences with bureaucrats have been varied, and many of these have been deeply frustrating. So I have devised a quick checklist, what I call the "three-filter test". My support is for the minority of bureaucrats who pass this test. Each filter is stated in the form of a question, and can be applied to any public issue that government is responsible for. The questions are as follows:
Filter 1: Are you willing to admit that there is a problem?
Filter 2: Are you willing to admit that you don't have the answer to the problem?
Filter 3: Are you willing to work in an egalitarian manner with people/institutions outside the system to solve the problem?

Of course, the three-filter test is itself only applicable to those bureaucrats who haven't become cynical or corrupt, two of the most corrosive side effects of working within government for extended periods. The honest, idealistic babu is a minority within the system. The sad part is that - of these honest officers - those who pass all three filters is a small fraction.

Alcoholics Anonymous says that the first step to recovery is acknowledgement. The best bureaucrats are those who are able to honestly answer "yes" to all the three questions, and then engage in meaningful solutions. This doesn't mean that solutions will come easily, but at least the foundation for sustained, constructive engagement would be laid.

Unfortunately, most bureaucrats fail to pass at least one of the three filters. Many are not even willing to admit that there is a problem. Even if they acknowledge this, some would genuinely believe that they have the answers. Or, if they are willing to accept the first two filters, they wouldn't be willing to reach out to others, especially those outside the system.

The reality is that the three-filter test is becoming increasingly important. As our world gets more complex, the challenges being faced by our governments are also increasing. The general management skills that a bureaucrats acquires – shaped substantially by the God-like experience of being DC in the early phase of their careers – simply doesn't equip them to deal with the technically complex and interdisciplinary nature of today's public challenges.

If only our bureaucrats could open their minds, and think beyond the steel frame and antiquated silos of the past, they will be astonished to discover the wealth of ideas and energy that they can harness. As well as the goodwill and sympathy that they can garner. This would in turn modify their mindset about their work – rather than feeling like martyrs, toiling away in unappreciated isolation, they will begin to feel the burden of their work lifting. The crust of cynicism will erode, the original idealism with which they joined public service could return. The arrogance of denial will give way to the humility of partnerships. After all, concern for the country is not a fiefdom.
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