People and public decision

TODAY, in the 'mouse-click-away-world', a single wrong decision or a single bit of irrationality is likely to set a whole train of traumatic events in motion. The degree of insularity that has set in our national life insinuates at the negligence of the political leadership to recognise the 'Vaux Populi' and their aspirations. The undisguised contempt of the people towards lawmakers and failure of the government to pervade development in national life have generated frustration which may carry the situation to anarchy.

Burdened with antiquated bureaucratic or legal procedure, the decision making process has become an area of preposterously buoyant sycophants and the caucus of the power that be. Laws that are enacted today seem to be devoid of the credo of humanism as they hardly reflect popular wishes and aspirations. I believe political leadership, public servants, and even the public are to be blamed for ineffective decision making on a national level.

What denotes public decision? A public decision is a "decision made by a society for itself or for society by its elected representative or by groups that have material effects on individuals other than those involved in making the decision". From this definition we can understand that elected representative and bureaucracy are the two pre-dominant elements that form the core of a decision making body.

In most cases millions of people implement the decision made by a handful of politicians with the active participation of bureaucracy. Many may contend that elected representatives voice peoples' need and aspirations but this is not quite an accurate situation in our part of the world. Over the years we have seen that the peoples' representative do not have enough time for their constituencies after the election.

Today passionate politics has given way to professional ambitions and therefore politics to hold on to power has become the trick of the trade. These representatives know that a broad majority of our people are ill-informed and barely literate and can be swayed by emotional speeches and dreamy promises. 

One can say that public decision making ability does not have pre-eminence in our national agenda these days. Will it be wrong to conclude that one of the major reasons of failure of public decision making is the lack of political vision of our electorate and betrayal of our political leadership as they, wearing the façade of a 'holier than thou' image, grossly mislead the people?

Failure to ensure balanced growth is probably another vital factor that has affected public decision making. Plans are formulated in the parliament but their execution is left to the bureaucracy. Governments seek advice from a few high profile advisers who are alleged to lack adequate knowledge of the ground realities and that is why they often falter in prioritising the development agenda. The bureaucrats, who are unassailable because of their deep rooted corporate interests, do not feel obliged to execute the plans dispassionately if they find that this does not fit into their scheme of things.

Flow of information pertaining to local hopes and desires is affected to the extent that only those pieces of information are made available to the national leadership which suits the interest of the leaders at the constituency level. Public decision makers' dislike for stipulations, organisations or institutions, their inherent inability to accommodate each other when they interface because of red tape, the low morale of the staff responsible, incomplete or distorted records and readymade solutions of the interest groups often greatly affect public decision making.

Government organisations do not, unfortunately, enjoy the reputation for making efficient use of individual skill or competence. Also our legislative process itself is not a model of efficiency. The quality of representation at public bodies such as the parliament, municipalities, union councils etc, has to improve. Our electorate should be educated through mass media about the consequences of falling prey to the enticements of the unscrupulous aspirants of power.

A comprehensive redesigning of the procedure to hold public offices will be necessary. This would entail development of transparency which should be promoted through mass media. An environment to bind the entire nation in a fabric of co-operation and understanding for the welfare of people should be created. Leadership's tolerance to public criticism will be necessary to institutionalise democracy or else whims and caprice of the leadership will mar the healthy growth of democracy. 

The writer is a former advisor of the chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).