Congratulations  Ministers of governance. You have  already demonstrated how keen you are in working towards creating jobs, providing basic energy needs, efficient transport and  traffic systems, institutions for education and health and  structuring  tiers of  benevolent governance in all other fields.   You have become the drivers of the daily lives of your citizens.    As observers from outside we know how difficult it would be to break into the stone of custom and  chaos.    The lineage of bureaucracy is laid out and  files are  piled up on your table as your commissioner secretary enters  your room with his words of wisdom and experience.  He knows the job of quick disposal of cases.    New  projects that need be  inaugurated by you take priority.
Congratulations Minister, you have overcome these tempting  overtures.  You know well  that it is hard to find sustained financial support for the new ventures but this  exercise has political rewards (you are told).  The photographer is handy and he makes rounds of important corridors  to be available at short notice.   Photographs  portray joy or  grief, concern or pride of an achievement or announcements for public.   The department of information and media also require  a good supply of photographs to append on press releases.
Congratulations  Minister for this demonstrative  bureaucracy that is forced upon you like a garland that accompanies  you everywhere.   It is outside this bureaucratic tangle  that  you have taken the right decisions. You have understood the needs of the society that you can redress  and that lies within your competence.   You have undertaken a survey  of all  the dire requirements than can be solved within your powers.   You are determined to see  the works  you undertake to a successful end.  
You have risen above the constant persuasive propositions made by your heads of departments working under your ministry.    Having understood  their  intentions  you  have  directed all the chiefs to be present at  their work.   The  director of education will be instructing a headmaster in a school,  a chief engineer with a spade in his hand is instructing construction workers,  the head of Health is in a  remote dispensary directing medical care and so on.  The heads  in your department will have no time  for  personal visits to your home.  
Congratulations Minister, you have made a mark in controlling  your civil servants who  have turned their institutions into comforts and  joys of power. They  use  government servants working as cooks at home.  You refuse to be drawn in by their manipulative  overtures.   In these hard times money is imperative in jobs.  You have rejected the culture of money changing hands between people and employees at a great discomfort for yourself.    Your own effort replaces this hideous catalyst of cash rewards.   Your subordinate employees  expect a vigilant, sharp, short and efficient chain of  command and work becomes their worship.  They all look at you and work for an honest wage they expect at the end of the month.    You  get the jobs done expeditiously and efficiently.  
Congratulations Sir !  Your reward is  waiting for you.  As the maxim goes  ‘virtue is its own reward’.   Your conscience  celebrates and a lasting  joy inhabits your heart.   As an outcome of your efforts the whole of your  department is stirred into action.    You have set an example of good governance for all your colleagues. You have worked hard in log rolling exercises in budget sessions to receive funds and achieve your objectives.  You have created a culture of  saving resources for environment and your nation.   Your employees now walk to work or use public transport sitting next to ordinary people in an understanding way as equal citizens.  The days of ugly white ambassador cars and  roving  PSO culture are gone. 
These cars are a part of our diseases because they pollute environment and traffic.   I beg indulgence in quoting  a recent episode in British parliament.  Labour MP Fabian  Hamilton tabled a question to ask why Transport Minister Simon Burns uses a government car and not use the train from home.  Burns defended by saying that he has to carry classified documents that need security and for that reason only he works in the car driven by a driver.  Fabian and others including David Cameron the  Prime Minister of United Kingdom use a bicycle  to work.   In Kashmir the PA to the under secretary  travels in  a  flashing jeep or ambassador car seen tearing through public spaces.  Congratulations dear Minister for having stopped these crimes against a  nation that is already  suffering  dire adversity in tumultuous times .  Sir !  We will see you again at  election time.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Feb 2013 00:00:00 IST