Goa is relieved today with the retirement of the very slimy Chief Secretary B. Vijayan. He may retire but the illegalities he has allowed in the administration over the last two and a half years may come to haunt him for years to come. Infact after Manohar Parrikar came to power in March 2012, Vijayan maneuvered to illegally get himself elevated to the post of Chief Secretary much to the consternation of the Union Home Ministry. To shore up his retirement benefits he recently stage-managed things at the Ministry of Home affairs while illegally and irregularly getting himself promoted to the Apex scale so that his pension benefits get enhanced. Vijayan has been also been frantically lobbying for a post retirement job in Goa as a reward for his loyalty to Manohar Parrikar. We shall soon know on this retirement nest.
The bureaucracy should have been truly independent and impartial but sadly in Goa it is not living up to this reputation. The bureaucrats in Goa have totally surrendered to the political rot. The Chief Secretary who heads the bureaucracy should have led by example and kept the administration free from political interference. But B. Vijayan has shamelessly by bending and bowing all over, signed on the dotted line at the dictates of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. On 13th Dec last year, the entire bureaucracy led by Chief Secretary Vijayan queued up at the BJP office in Panaji to greet Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on his birthday. This was totally out of place because no government servant should ever have an occasion to visit the office of a political party. The Conduct Rules also prohibits such acts. They could have wished the Chief Minister or even kissed his feet at his office in the Secretariat or his official residence. Over the years we have seen successive governments using bureaucrats as pawns in their political games, but the situation now has reached a flash point under this current one man Manohar Parrikar regime. And it is precisely to achieve his nefarious ends, that Manohar Parrikar was crying hoarse that incompetent officers are being sent by the former Central Government. He obviously wanted officers who do not advise nor question, but just shut up and listen. We need to stem the rot over this interdependent chronic relationship that exists between Ministers and civil servants. May be its time the parameters of the relationship between ministers and civil servants is made abundantly clear by having a code of conduct and ethics for bureaucrats and ministers which ensures a neutral relationship between ministers and civil servants. This code of conduct and ethics should clearly outline the division of responsibility between the ministers and civil servants with the fundamental focus being on the political neutrality and impartiality of civil servants preserved at all costs. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: airesrodrigu...@gmail.com Or airesrodrig...@yahoo.com You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires