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Government
Government is best defined as a mechanism to provide governance in a welfare state ensuring proper and effective adherence to the rule of law for ascertaining a common good. Government symbolizes a tool to provide basic amenities to the people like health, protection of life and property, education and other amenities of a civic life.
There are various forms of governments – under a monarchy system, under a dictator, military ruler, presidential form of government- where all the powers are vested in the office and the name of the President, the titular head of a nation.
The best form of government known so far is democracy. Democracy, originally conceptualized and founded by Abraham Lincoln is defined as a system of government of the people, for the people and by the people. Here the participation of common people is crucial and thus even a non-entity can have his say in deciding the country’s civic life, health or education policy.
Candidly it’s said, a government can function where there are people who can govern and be governed. With either of these absent, one can have misgovernment and well with both absent – it can be a functioning anarchy.
Bureaucracy, also called The Steel Frame, is the principal executive tool to ensure governance and make the very purpose of government successful. Ideally, in a democratic government set up, three wings provide the governance. The Legislature (Parliament or state assemblies) to frame policies of the government, the Bureaucracy or the Executive to provide governance and the Judiciary to checkmate the functioning of all organs of government.
Bureaucracy
It is the chief organ of providing governance or the writ of the government. The effective result of a government can be best known by the proficiency of bureaucracy only. Therefore, there are every chance that various limitations and dark sides cloud the functioning of a bureaucracy. It’s therefore said, the state of bureaucracy is no better than that of the government and also those governed – the people. Bureaucracy is that way a stream where the society is the principal source.
Often the uncertain components of the political leadership do infiltrate into the core of The Steel Frame leading to ad hoc decisions in policy, appointments and execution of work. In many countries, including those in democratic set up, the bureaucratic system is going through an era of flux. There is overwhelming hue and cry for changes, stress on transparency and accountability. However, the truth of the matter is that bureaucratic bashing may not serve any purpose in the ultimate analysis. The theme message is no use finding fault with the musician – he can do his part as how best is the music. The important is the music ought to be corrected or rather fine tuned.
Vices in Bureaucracy
A few vices those have gripped the bureaucracy include the importance given to proximity to politicians and not the merits. In several countries including the likes of UK, India, Pakistan – cherishing democracy – the postings, transfers and promotions of officials are not made based on merits, but on the proximity to the political masters and the pliability. Unfortunately, what happens is that such a situation hampers development and the writ of the government or administration is allowed to lapse. As a result, one can only end up with piles of unattended files and loss to the country’s economy.
In Indian context, the civil service, created under colonial regime as Indian Civil Service, is now named as Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the examinations are conducted by the apex Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). A few important bureaucratic positions include Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Home Secretary, Defense Secretary, Law Secretary and down at the state level the top post is Chief Secretary.
Ironically, the grapevine has it that the prestige of Indian Cabinet Secretary, once described as the head master of civil service in India, has taken a beating due to unduly dominant of Prime Minister’s Office. Well known India watcher Mark Tully, onetime principal voice of BBC, has diagnosed the principal malady for India in the form of Neta-Babu Raj an unholy nexus between Politicians and the Bureaucrats.
Often the allegation is that political masters by one way or other and of all hues have been able to fashion the bureaucracy into a convenient tool to suit their political purpose.
The bureaucrats are also to be blamed as no civil servant in his sense and worth his salt would often dare not cross the path of his Minister.
Tully’s diagnosis is rather candid. Likes of him say Indian has not able to achieve its fullest potential largely because the institutions left behind by the British are basically in their place. Thus, theirs is stress that India should immediately de-bureaucratize its administrative set up.
Complementary Role
Notably, while bureaucrats and politicians are indispensable organs of any democratic government, it’s important that the two should play complementary role to each other. The relationship between the two should be such that there’s no place for any dispute between them and both should play a meaningful role in supplementing and complementing each other.
While on one hand, there’s talk of often disputes surfacing between political masters and the bureaucrats, paradoxically a very cordial relationship between a bad and a corrupt minister and a corrupt bureaucrat should signal greater danger than some mudslinging.
German System
There are many system of election of a government. The most commonly practiced form is parliamentary system under which the man on the street elects the Parliament and the elected members on their part form a government based on which party has largest number of seats. In presidential form of governments, the President or head of the national executive team is elected directly by the people.
In Parliamentary democracy, the government has to win the vote of the house, that is the elected members. Similarly, a government can be voted out of office also.
Besides these, Germany has a system under which ‘positive voting model’ is practiced under which elected members can install an alternative government at the time of voting out the existing dispensation.
Other types
Among leading few other types of governments include: Monarchy, where the king or the prince inherits the kingdom and the right to govern. We have such kingdoms around desert nations these days.
Among the earlier types came in Despotism, under which the ruler was the supreme power. A single ruler ruled over the place or kingdom and his subjects were his slaves.
Among ancient system of governments, there was Egyptian system, Indus Vally Civilization (in and around Indian sub-continet) and the Chinese Civilization often calso called Yellow River Civilization.
Key Role
The principal role of government, that’s the very purpose, is to protect the people’s lives and property. But to provide so the government of the day needs resources and it is ensured through an well-structured tax mechanism. Under this model, the tax structures are distinctly demarcated between Federal or Central and State Governments and other local and municipal bodies.
In India, the Government of India is the main taxation authority as it is empowered to levy taxes on income except tax on agricultural income, which the state governments can levy. Besides there are customs duties, central excise and service tax.
Value Added Tax (VAT) is a new phenomenon introduced in India at par with various European countries from early 2000. The move was keeping in line with the Government of India’s liberalized economic policy
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