DEMOCRACY DAY, CIVIL SERVICE AND PUBLIC TRUST!
Justine John DYIKUK
Today 29th May 2012, Nigeria celebrates ‘Democracy Day.’ I know many events are been organized to mark this remarkable day in the annals of our nationhood. But if one may ask, what is democracy? In the tradition of the Western Political thought, the term ‘democracy’ has been in use since ancient times. Etymologically, it comes from Greek ‘demos’ which means people, and ‘cracy’ which stands for rule or ‘government.’ Therefore, democracy literally means, “the rule of the people.” Many other definitions notwithstanding, a good number of political scientists are agreed on Abraham Lincoln’s timeless characterization; “Government of the people, for the people and by the people.”
There are apostles of democracy as well as its antagonists. Those on the right wing argue that democracy is breaking grounds in the world because of ‘democratic scorecards’ namely; following the rule of law (law and order inclusive), provision of social amenities, freedom of speech and press and the practice of religion of one’s choice, human capacity building among other dividends. According to Dr. Werner L. Ende, “The ideology of democracy can be compared to a new religion. Opinion leaders worldwide highly proclaim the uniqueness of democracy and its superiority above all form of states.”
Left wing disciples like Hans Herrmann Hoppe a well known Austrian Social and Political critic view it in bad light. In his book “Democracy – The God that failed,” Hoppe criticizes democracy for; disregard for fundamental rights of individuals and voting minorities out; shortness of term or period of office which leads to ‘get-rich-quick’ syndrome among many politicians giving way to buying voters with tax funds/money i.e., with their money taken from them by force and creating poverty among the masses – this is simply due to destruction of the economy and inability to pay the armed forces to protect them against the people, Hoppe says! Whichever school of thought appeals to you, the fact is, we are practicing democracy!
Our great country celebrates our return to civil rule. We recall with nostalgic feelings, events which have led us to this point. It behooves all and sundry to reflect on the true values of democracy, the ideals of nationhood, the unity and integrity of Nigeria and the undying principles of our forbears; this is the meat of our discuss!
Looking back is essential to knowing where we have come from, so we would understand the present state of affairs better and plunge into the future with a renewed vigor hoping that past mistakes will be minimized. Someone has said, “You have to see the future of your future in a futuristic scene.” This entails planning and a collective resolve. We often hear parliamentarians referring to our democracy, as a nascent one. A pertinent question is, how nascent is our ‘nascent democracy?’ Can a nation of 52 still be viewed as a toddler? Is the so-called nascent description due to various military interventions? This piece is meant to critique the current state of affairs in our country using civil servants as a case study – keeping public trust in view. Are you ready for the ride? Come on board, fellow Nigerian!
Some Nigerians have often seen civil service as divorced from democracy. I dare to make the point that though the latter may not know the intricacies of politicking or become active partisan politicians, however, civil service runs on the wheels of elected public service and at the instance of public office holders. Take for instance, the Councilor, Local Government Chairman, State Governor or President is elected by the people. Upon swearing in and assumption of office, he/she takes the mantle of leadership and runs the affairs of government as the tenure permits. What is important to note here is, every elected officer meets and lives people in government or civil service. Like the proverbial, “soldier go, soldier come, barrack remain,” elected executives come and go, non-elected civil servants remain; keeping the day to day dealings of the state.
This shows that there is a close relationship between elected and non-elected or appointed pubic office holders. Be it among the executive, judiciary or legislators, governance is a matter of public trust. One is shocked to hear remarks from some public office holders as: I got to the top because of my personal efforts; after all they did not vote me into office; what is important is that I am here (occupying this position); I have been voted – It is all over – they can go to hell. These ill-mannered sentiments are far from the dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of our great nation. Why is civil service today different from the eighties?
Selfishness: One feels that what is responsible for this ugly development is what Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah calls, “myownized mentality.” I, Me, myself and my family – a selfish and myopic mentality. For some people, life is self and not other oriented. We find many people who think of nothing except perpetuating themselves in office; falsifying their age to continue eating the ‘national cake.’ The recent subsidy money and pension scandals are sad cases in point!
Nepotism: Closely related to the above is the factor of nepotism. We hear of those elected and entrusted with the governance of our country choosing their kith and kin as advisers or contractors. One finds senior government officials employing their children who are still schooling and paying them huge salaries. How would the civil service system work efficiently when those in office seek to elongate their stay in their relations?
Kickbacks: Bribery and corruption is almost a cliché now. From the office driver who takes another route to carry passengers for pecuniary reasons to the contractor who inflates sums, one sees a clear case of corruption. I heard someone who upon going for an interview and sensing he wouldn’t make it, telling a friend: “I had to go the Nigerian way.” When you hear; “one Nigeria, 419, yahoo yahoo, abra-ka-da-bra,” you know, people are referring to bribes or corrupt practices. If you don’t give something, no employment or promotion for you!
Government/Public property: Except for government’s monetization policy, the way of thinking which involves handling public property is a sick one. Check most staff quarters and cars owned and manned by government – these are often eyesores. A typical Nigerian civil servant would take proper care of his personal residence and vehicle but (never) that of government! Yes, because that one belongs to everybody. A stroll to most local government headquarters reveal cars – accidented or roughly handled packed in various locations for years.
Ghost Workers: Although some governors have made public the presence of ghost workers in their states, many still exist for the good pleasure of the masterminds. Monies gotten from this misadventure is often invested in hotels, drinking spots or car stands. Is this the prize of democracy? Perhaps it is reason why the late king of afro beats Fela O. Kuti calls it “demo-crazy!”
Capital Projects: One in his or her right senses would certainly not be against giant development strides but at what expense? In his sermon at the 2011 Christmas Carol jointly organized by the Federal Radio Cooperation of Nigeria (FRCN), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and Voice of Nigeria (VOA), held at the National Christian Centre Abuja, Bishop Kukah said, “democracy is not about infrastructure. If democracy is about infrastructure then South Africa should have continued under apartheid because most of the infrastructure in South Africa were put in place during the apartheid regime in that country. So also in Germany, if democracy were about infrastructure, the Germans should apologize to Hitler because Hitler developed Germany…”
Insiders have argued that some governors would prefer capital projects to paying salaries (minimum wage) as the former is a leeway to enriching themselves. Often, these capital intensive projects are substandard and the masses are left poorer. What is infrastructural development to human capacity building?
Laziness and lateness to work: Laziness or lateness to work are terrible attitudes eating deep into the system of our national life. Some workers are seen chatting idly, sleeping or carrying domestic duties during office hours within the working premises. For some, the work-place is a business ground as they are seen selling drinks, shoes, bags etcetera. Sometimes you cannot distinguish between staff and customers, thus the working environment is overcrowded and polluted. Some local government staff reside in the state capital and go for work four or five times a month yet they are the first to collect salary. What an irony!
Conclusion
While I salute Mr. President, his crew, politicians, civil servants, captains of industries and indeed all Nigerians for this one year in office of our dear pilot, I wish to call on all of us to revamp the values of our nationhood. Let those occupying positions of public trust know that one day, they would render an account before God. Can we measure our Nigerian democracy on the following essentials of any successful democratic dispensation?
Absence of force and employing negotiations and consensus in matters of governance
Relaying on the ballot and not bullets
Wealth creation and promotion of social equity
Promotion of education, eliminating ignorance and ensuring the emergence of a vigilant public bearing in mind that ‘eternal vigilance’ is the price of any true democracy
The presence of free, fair and responsible press
Ventilating public opinion via people oriented policies while keeping an ear open to opposition and criticism
Ensuring a good life for all citizens
Promoting the dignity of every individual and helping him/her to live out their potentials to the full
Following the constitution and rule of law
Defying militarism at all cost and ensuring that the integrity and unity of our country is vitiated on the wings of nationhood
Let us grease on our democracy with the oil of sincerity, truth and integrity. Let civil servants reassess their commitment eschewing selfishness, nepotism, bribery and corruption in general; government/public property should be treated with care, ghost workers must be stamped out and human capacity building should be made a top-most priority. If every worker shuns laziness and lateness to work and the work-environment is conducive to learning, ours would be a reference-point-democracy in Africa.
May God bless the founding fathers of our great country, guide and direct politicians and all political office holders, protect and nourish all civil servants who work tirelessly for the smooth running of our democracy and all who believe in the ‘Nigerian project.’ Happy democracy day – God bless Nigeria!
N B: This article has been published by Elombah.com and Sahara Reporters
Fr. Justine John DYIKUK, a Catholic Priest and a Public Affairs Commentator writes from Bauchi!
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