Public Service: Ego Certainly Is not It’s benchmark

In recent days a DDC member dubbed a Tehsildar in Doda district of Jammu province a public servant to claim superiority in the system of governance by virtue of being a public representative. Interestingly public service which should be both the core concern and the motive of both a politician and a Government functionary be it Tehsildar or Chief Secretary, has now become the casualty of  personal ego of a politician and a bureaucrat not in this only instant case but by in every case of politico-bureaucratic clash reported day in and day from one or other part of the country. While a politician attains the position of a public representative with the support of the voters of a particularly constituency, a government employees is selected for a particular position to serve the people who as tax payers pay him for the services he has to render in different capacities in different departments. So both the government functionaries and as well as public representatives by all standards of understandabilities are only public service but not bosses unto themselves. Even when it comes to a clash between a politician and a bureaucrat, the point of debate should have been the difference in the opinions between the two on any issues concerning delivery of public services. Unfortunately the point of debate between a politician and a bureaucrat in any clash remains around their personal ego which they demonstrate by virtue of their position and in the process the casualty of the conflict is always some issue connected with the delivery of public service. A physical assault whether committed by a politician or a bureaucrat in a government office during working hours over a public or a private issue attracts only criticism and condemnation but not words of appreciation and encouragement. Wisdom demands that both a politician and a bureaucrat while discharging their duties as responsible functionaries should tend to become the sources of inspiration for the common masses but not the cause of an unwanted conflict in a public office. Since the behavbiour and conduct of both a politician and a bureaucrat always influences the behaviour and conduct of the common people also, it would be better for both of the politician and the bureaucrats to show good behaviour and conduct in debating, discussing and settling issues of public interest so that both of them become sources of inspiration for the common people but not the causes of a bad trend and a bade precedence the working of the government offices tasked the job of furthering the causes of the delivery of public services.