Power of political patronage : Chamchagiri culture
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 22, 2012 -

In politics, patronage is directly proportionate to the executive powers that political leaders wield and nowhere is this more visible than in the appointment, transfer and posting of top rung Government officials.

And it goes without saying that wielding such powers can be 'lucrative' and hence the negative connotations that are usually associated with the term 'political patronage'.

Manipur is not an exception to the general understanding of political patronage and transfers and postings of officials are generally understood in the context of the political clout that the officials concerned are able to wield.

It is to check the negative connotations that go along with this term that the Government of India has specifically laid down service rules, primarily pertaining to promotion for the All India Services such as the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, the Indian Revenue Service and the Indian Forest Service.

This however has not stopped the political class, especially in Manipur, where the corruption index is high, from 'thinking out of the box' to beat the system and while this has indeed succeeded in certain cases, it has also earned the State Government a rap on the knuckle from the Centre from time to time.

The manner in which the Chief Election Commissioner, Dr Quraishi had to personally fly down to Imphal and do away with the SP-in-charge system implemented before the election code of conduct came into force as well as the change at the top most rung of the police hierarchy predates the current sharp reminder to the State Government from the Ministry of Home Affairs to review the proforma promotion given to four senior IPS officers who were on Central deputation.

The issue central to this commentary is not about the apex scale conferred on the said senior IPS officers, but how the State Government refused, deliberately or otherwise, to go by the book and if such a case can happen at the highest echelon of the police establishment the situation at the lower rung level can only be imagined.

Political patronage somewhat comes close to the understanding of a service provider-client relationship and the desire to improve this relationship may not necessarily translate into governance.

This effectively translates the relationship into a culture widely known as chamchagiri, a practice which has been perfected to an art form by some officials.

We have had cases of efficient officers made the scape goat while those who manage to make it to the good books of the political leaders are given the long rope and nowhere is this more visible than in the Police Department.

The visibility quotient could be due to the fact that the police have to deal directly with the public, the men and women on the street and not strictly only through official channels where paper work and files can reduce the visibility factor of the officials concerned.

The reminder from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the State Government to get its act together and remedy the anomaly in the proforma promotion of some senior IPS officers is a clear indication of the political leadership overlooking the radar that guides and lays down the norms on how to handle important things.

How did the anomaly creep in is the question that the political leaders should study. Was it a case of deliberately trying to step aside the rules and regulations laid down by the Government of India for All India Services, or was it plain apathy and lethargy to go into the finer details of the rules ?

Whatever the case it may be, it is about the career of some senior IPS officers and no one's career should be jeopardised or derailed due to the abuse of the executive powers conferred on the political leadership.

This is a fact that should not be blurred by the mist of political patronage.