JOIN USThe Election Commission’s suggestion that there should be a cooling off period for government officials who seek to enter politics and contest elections deserves serious consideration.
The commission has proposed that government officials should not be allowed to contest elections for a reasonably long period after he or she retires from service or resigns to take up a political career. There is already a bar on civil servants accepting private sector jobs for one year after retirement. This is meant to ensure that the decisions they take in the last year of their career are not influenced by the demands and interests of their future employers.
A similar situation of conflict of interests or keenness to please future masters might exist for bureaucrats who want to enter politics. There are increasing numbers of civil servants and police officers who contest elections to state Assemblies and Parliament. IAS, IPS and officers of other central services figure prominently among candidates of all parties in the states where elections are being held now. This is not a healthy trend. Officials who want to take up a political career would try to ingratiate themselves with politicians when they are in service. Though officials are expected to be apolitical it is well-known that the bureaucracy is divided along political lines. Ministers and other politicians have their favourite officials who do their bidding and are rewarded for their service. This is against the best traditions of bureaucracy and lowers the morale of all employees.
Politics has become attractive because the yield is better than the most lucrative government jobs. There are no conduct rules as in government service. It is no longer public service for most people but private sector business with great possibilities of power and pelf. Therefore there is no impropriety in extending the time bar on taking up private sector jobs to contesting elections too. But it is doubtful if the government will consider the proposal favourably because it is politicians and senior officials who have to take a decision on the matter. The legal implications of the proposal also have to be studied. The government however has not yet responded to the commission’s proposal.