The tax payer has continuously criticised the inefficiency and the lack of courtesy of the government servant, has alleged corruption charges at them, but seldom has the government stood alongside the people and called in question the integrity of those whose salaries and pensions it pays. Governments in the past have admitted that there is need for the vast army of workers that it employs to improve its effciency but never has there been a direct charge against them made by any government.
Until now, that is. On June 14 Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte fired the first salvo at the government servants when he said, “As per my estimate, 30 per cent of government employees are involved in running side businesses. I will write to the CM seeking for a special task force and also float sentinel-like scheme (Traffic Sentinel) to expose government servants indulging in side business.” As per the service rules, a government employee cannot have a second job. To the vast majority of people who have at some point of time faced a languid civil servant, this would have been music to the ear. Finally some authority was taking notice of the failures in the administration.
But there was more to come, as barely a week later Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, “Let me clarify it once and for all. No one needs to pay anyone for government jobs. We are not demanding any bribe. I have come to know that some people were asking bribes from youth in my name to select them for government jobs. We will take stringent action against the perpetrators once they are caught in the act.” That’s an indictment of the government servant, the kind that has never before been made. For a change, there has been silence from the bureaucracy, including the association of government servants, that is otherwise very vocal on all issues affecting their members.
But the chief minister cannot stop at just making a statement. He has to follow it up with action, failing which it will appear to be an empty threat that the government employees will take no notice of. If he has knowledge that there are bribes being demanded in his name, then he has to act against the people so that there is a permanent end put to this rotten system of bribes and corruption. This statement can be taken as evidence as it comes from none other than the chief minister of the State. It should be enough to get the law enforcement authorities to act, and begin an investigation suo motu without waiting for an official complaint. But will they? Will Goa finally see a proactive police force, working on behalf of the people?
That would perhaps be asking too much of the authorities. If one looks at the past, the practice has always been of entrapping the government servant seeking a bribe. There have been a few that have been caught in this manner, but this system is cumbersome as it depends solely on the complainant to deliver the government servant seeking a bribe to the authorities. It also puts the complainant in the awkward position of being the bait, and that perhaps is the reason why the number of such entrapments is low. If this system can change, then the number of corruption cases too could increase, putting fear in the minds of the employees.
The government would be doing the people of the State a major service if it acts against corruption in the bureaucracy. This clean-up is required, and has been pending for long. Nobody would fault the government if it were to root out the corrupt that exist in the administration.
