NOOR UL SHAHBAZ
Bureaucracy, democracy, polity and the social, economic and cultural development of a country go hand in hand. The monarchical, authoritarian and kingships were the traditional regulatory systems by which affairs of a society were to be run but the democratic systems were considered to be an alternate, and people started movements to firmly establish the ideal system in which people will be treated equally with respect and dignity.
The basic aim was to maintain the dignity of a human being who was suffering on account of being the subject of an unlimited power of an absolute ruler. Power or authority was being concentrated into a single person who afterwards channelized this concentration of power and wealth for his specific purpose, hence leaving rest of the common people at the mercy of their creator. The people suffered due to several problems such as poverty, bad health, authoritarianism, illiteracy and most particularly discrimination and adverse effect to the dignity of humans. This inefficient and often corrupt absolutist system prevailed all over the world. Slavery, illegal imposition of taxes, unnatural state of affairs gave birth to the voices based on just, equal and fair order. Those who were being treated unfairly and unequally, those who were underprivileged on the basis of race, caste, gender, status, religion and place of birth were now being counted as “humans”.
The state of affairs was drastic meaning thereby the human dignity was not being recognised. The Magna Carta, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independences, and Declaration of Human Rights were having the sole basis i-e, recognition of human status and dignity of human beings. The systems somehow changed in their nature and the democracy was being chosen as an alternative system to govern the human affairs in common. No upper class and lower class among humans, divisions thus prohibited, class segregations to be prohibited. The conscious people raised voice to safeguard humans from the clutches of authoritarianism. Peoples own choice was being prioritised and what people want, decide and to whom empower was a set standard for our society. Now democracy in its broader context employed agencies for service of the people.
The sufferings and discriminations from the thousand decades have come to an end with the rise of a new dawn. Democracy and bureaucracy hand in hand vowed to ease the sufferings of people. Proper distribution of powers and jurisdictions were set forth so not to override the given authorities. From one side a non elected body of experts are put on board to draft policies and execute the decisions reached at best suited to the nature of people, on the other hand among these people the best characters best suited for the role to represent, make policies, take help from the former class and pass the pro-public decisions. The later class is more authoritative and therefore must be more conscious about their powers, position and particularly the role to be played and the former class is nothing more than the serving class to aid and assist all the times to the public through their part time representatives. Both these classes have no independent authority, nor any special privilege or positions but are the servants of the common masses. The real authority and power lies with the people by whom and for whose service they are being appointed, elected and paid. There is a slight difference with regard to the tenure as per the set regulations, one has to serve for a longer tenure and the other class for a minimum but no has the absolute patent, trademark, copyright for their positions, more importantly both classes are in the pure language the servants of public which unfortunately no one among them at present times is ready to acknowledge, that means both the classes are misinterpreting their status and name. Bureaucracy is politicising its authority and status and on the other hand political representatives are trying to hold the public offices on an absolute basis, considering their positions and tenures as hereditary properties. You may not agree with my statement but it is the harsh reality with all the political and bureaucratic goons and they have devised a mechanism against which any common but conscious, educated and noble etc person of this society cannot fight. That in the real sense would be victory of the real democracy or the pure rule of the people. The so called elected class but precarious when it comes to actual and exact figures is always uncertain how to ease the sufferings of people, how to sort out the problems for all the times.
The common masses are their fellow human beings but the former does not represent in that sense and more importantly if they try to do so then they lack the required qualifications to do so. On the other hand the bureaucratic class is also not sincere to serve the people for whom they are being appointed as servants. In reality it strikes with their so called dignity that why they should be treated and named as servants. The core issue lies here that in no way will make them stand on the real position so to serve out of heart. Be it your IAS, IPS, IFS etc or KAS, KPS etc and the other public servants below the line in education, health and other public services, they also face the problems with their opposite class of public representatives. Egoistic motives of both the classes make the common masses to suffer and suffer worse. No issues, problems or genuine grievances of the serious concern gets redressed, door to door visits at the bureaucratic offices and at the homes/public quarters of public representatives makes the sufferings more worse thus hopes of disparity all over and transgression of powers, uncertainty, bureaucracy working as politicians and public representatives uncertain hence corruption and loot all around.
Noor UL Shahbaz M.A, LL.M [Gold Medallist],Lecturer in Law & Former Acting Principal at Sopore Law College can be reached at im1415151819@gmail.com