Relationship between Politicians and Civil Servants in Bangladesh : A Study of Maulvibazar District

Abstract

The administration and development does not singularly depend on singular force, rather it is a result of collective efforts. In the midst of all these forces politician and civil servant exists. The politicians are the vital forces of administration. Again, no one can think of ruling the state keeping the civil servants aside. Similarly civil servants cannot administer the state, ignoring the politicians. The reason is that politicians visualize the vast area and dream to actualize it. On the contrary, civil servants unify the different works and try to penetrate into the matter with analytical approach. So one cannot move or run, keeping another ignored. So, a working relation is essential between them. For the development of a country a smooth, stable and harmonious relationship between the two structures i.e., political leadership and bureaucracy are essential. But this does not always happen. Absence of cordial relationship between them hinders the socio-economic and political progress of the country. The demand of the present and emerging times in Bangladesh like other developing countries is that the political and administrative levels of the societies work in tandem. This is necessary not only to ensure meaningful socioeconomic development but also to build a secure and harmonious society. To ensure socioeconomic development of the country there must be understanding and cooperation between the political leaders and civil servants. Here, lies the significance of studying the relationship between politicians and civil servants at the district level in Bangladesh. This dissertation is the result of a field survey conducted at Maulvibazar district in Sylhet division. The field of inquiry may be divided into four broad dimensions. First deals with the socioeconomic background of the politicians and civil servants at the district level. In this section an attempt has been made to identify the socio-economic traits of the politicians and civil servants. It is believed that socioeconomic background is an important determinant of attitudes as also role perception. Second relates to examine the role perception of political leadership and bureaucracy. There is no point in denying the politicians the role in development policies. Because they have to be active and aware in order to ensure the development of the areas they represent. The civil servants are engaged in policy implementation. This section seeks answer to: how did the politicians and civil servants perceive each other's roles? Third is an analysis of reciprocal image perception. In this section of the study, attention has been focused not only in self image of both the structures but also in the images one had of the other. In the fourth dimension of the study we examine how politicians and civil servants actually interact with each other. In this section we have discussed the types of problems politicians bring to the civil servants, the pressures they put on them for getting their demands fulfilled, and the way civil servants react and respond to politicians' demands and pressures and fifth sums up the findings and contains the recommendations of the study. The study examines a very important and burning issue in the present context that is the relationship between politicians and government officials, generally known as civil servants. The analysis of empirical data gathered through interviews of 67 political leaders and 52 civil servants operating at Maulvibazer district and Kamalganj Upazila is contained in chapter 6, 7, 8 and 9. The final chapter is a concluding one that contains summary of the finding of the study and suggests recommendations. The study makes it clear that though an open confrontation between the political leaders and government officials is ruled out, tension do exist making their relationship an uneasy one. The study revealed that the conflict between them is a reflection of their respective sub-culture and personality clash. Notwithstanding the civil servants maintain a good relationship with the leaders of party in power, sometimes undue interference from leaders of ruling party make their relationship confrontational. The study also revealed that there is a big gap between the leaders of opposition and the government officials.