IAS officer Naveen Laxman has already acquired a reputation of being a hard-nosed, no nonsense officer, who has taken on Margao councilors and developed a fan following of a Rambo or an Amitabh Bachchan depending on what your early cinematic influences may have been. After all very rarely has Margao seen a Chief officer, usually picked from the state services, with a rare exception of Naveen Laxman, who calls elected councilors corrupt and proceeds to take action.
However the ugly and acrimonious verbal exchange that happened in the office of the Chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council between the Chief Officer and the newly elected Chairperson Arthur D’Silva, has lowered the dignity of an institution. The manner in which the exchange went out of control with the journalists in the same room, may have been God sent for the TV cameras and reporters at getting such live “action”, but it went against some established principles of governance and administration. Principles which call for all action to happen officially, without drama or outburst.
The manner in which the whole episode unfolded has been described in the minutest of details in our page one story. However some key elements of the duel need to be recorded to take this analysis further. It started off with the Chairperson taking umbrage to the IAS officer sitting on a chair when he was standing up. The Chairperson clearly displayed a feudal archaic mindset by making an ego-filled remark of asking the officer to stand up. The Chief Officer then retaliated with a volley of allegations against the Chairperson, which were absolutely unconnected to the situation, where he said he would put cameras in the room of the Chairperson because “people have been taking money from you” (no one figured what that meant because corrupt politicians are known to take money not give). And then he shouted at the Chairperson and said “I’m an honest IAS officer, 100 people like you cannot touch me”.
Taken in an isolated context, this can very well be seen as a brave statement by an IAS officer whose only master is the law and the constitution. That might well be the case with Naveen Laxman who has received unconditional support from the people of Margao. Herald too feels that Margao needs an honest upright officer like him to run the place. But having said that, the manner in which he took on the chair of the Municipal Council and hurled allegations against the Chairperson in public, undermines the very idea of institutional dignity that Naveen Laxman has taken an oath to protect. Democratic institutions are bigger than any of the people elected to its offices. And while a Naveen Laxman can, in private, take on an Arthur D’Silva, a Chief Officer cannot abuse a Chairperson in as much as a Chairperson cannot behave in a despicable manner and order an officer to stand up in his presence. Both are incorrect but if you see the entire video of the unseemly episode, the IAS officer needs more to answer for his behavior and conduct in full public view.
When the same officer took on the earlier Chairperson Gonzaco Rebello by ordering his illegal structure to be demolished, it was rightly lauded because the officer used the rule book to take action, even if it was against the first citizen of Margao. That wasn’t an emotional personal outburst but a firm, administrative call to action. The rule book was clearly the master. What happened on Tuesday after the election of the new Chairperson, was unadulterated drama without any provocation or cause.
We hold no brief for Arthur D’Silva or the kind of politics that every councilor in the MMC espouses, making the city come last on their priorities but we cannot support the behaviour of the IAS Chief officer, taking nothing away from his commitment and integrity, displayed so far in his work. He has breached the line between dignity of office and drama and must force himself back on the right side of the line for not just his own good but Margaos’s too. He must pursue illegality of every kind, cut down corruption, ensure that pre monsoon works are finished rapidly and engage in system repair. Taking on individual councilors, in the manner he did on Tuesday, will not reap any dividends.
