News
Friday, July 01, 2011
Avoid politics, PM tells bureaucracy
* Gilani says bureaucrats will have to become public servant in real sense to achieve the target of good governance
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, on Thursday, asked the country’s bureaucracy to refrain from politics, and urged it to serve the general populace in real sense to achieve the target of good governance.
“They (bureaucrats) have an important role in pulling the country out of the present crises,” remarked the premier while addressing a passing-out ceremony of probationary officers of the 38th Common Training Programme and 33rd DMG Specialised Training Programme at Aiwan-e-Iqbal in Lahore.
Gilani said that although it had become a rhetoric for the past 63 years of “our history to say that the country is passing through very difficult times but today it’s the time to make a reality check”. “The reality is that Pakistan today is facing great security challenges. The difficult situation of our economy has further compounded them,” he noted. Gilani said that this dismal situation had coincided with the country’s move towards a new era of freedom of expression, democracy and active citizenship.
“This period brings out dynamics of its own which are complex and multifaceted. That means that the state and its institutions have to respond to the needs of the new era and have to understand that the old ways of responding to crisis situations will not work anymore.”
He was of the view that “an important dynamic of the new era is that the media, civil society and an independent judiciary that are proactively trying to correct the course of society. While rule of law is an important element of democratic governance, perhaps societal reform is a time-taking process”.
“The reform process is a long arduous path that requires patience, analytical skills and dispassionate approach. All Institutions have to play their due role as governance is a shared responsibility of all state institutions at all levels. Let’s prepare our nation for that,” added the premier. Gilani said that Pakistan’s state and society needed a continuous effort to understand that interests and ambitions must always be balanced with ground realities. He said that the buzzwords today were “performance, accountability and good governance”.
“You will have to remain in step with the changes taking place by continually upgrading your knowledge. An administrative machinery which does not respond positively to a progressive change is liable to be thrown into the dustbin of history,” he said. Gilani stressed the need for a framework wherein partnership with private sector could be promoted. He said that public service was a challenging duty which needed to be performed with passion and commitment.
The premier, on the occasion, announced a grant of Rs 100 million for the improvement of training infrastructure, increase in free messing allowance for probationers from Rs 175 to 225 per day and announced a grant of Rs 1 million for the DMG Alumni Resource Centre. He also announced a grant of Rs 10 million for the employees of the Civil Services Academy.
During a meeting with MNA Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry at the Prime Minister’s House, Gilani said that several initiatives taken by his government, including restoration of the constitution and NFC Award, had made the federation strong.
The government, he said, would continue providing assistance to all provincial governments in the implementation of devolution of functions in line with the 18th Amendment. In another meeting with newly appointed Interior Secretary Khawaja Siddique Akbar, the prime minister emphasised that vigilance and intelligence sharing among law enforcement agencies be enhanced to ensure security of citizens. He stressed the need for better coordination among the federal and provincial security agencies as well as, capacity building through improved training programmes to meet security challenges. agencies/staff report
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk