The CSS question

The CSS question

As the final result for the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination came through this week, a few questions came to mind:

Can the bureaucrats act like civil servants? Do they think that when Pakistan is being considered the 5th most unstable country in the world, do they want to help change things?

Why aren’t the top notch universities graduates adopting this field as their careers anymore? How can nepotism and corruption be eradicated from bureaucracy so that postings and promotions are done on merit basis?

Would a raise in salaries of government officials announced in the recent budget impact positively on the working conditions? Were the Mayors performing better than today’s administrators (the bureaucrats)?

Text by Jawad Muzaffar.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

 

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151 Responses to “The CSS question”

  1. Per says:

    A due Correction.

    For your kind information this is “Central Superior Services” and not Civil Superior Services…

  2. waseem says:

    Hello all;
    I have read all the replies by my fellows they all are criticizing severely without knowing the ground realities. the ground reality is that only the civil bureaucrats are not the corrupt, corruption does exist in army also, your politicians are more or less having the same blame..
    Hong kong, Singapore, etc were regarded as the most corrupt countries in 1980s, but they took revolutionary steps not only for the civil bureaucrats but also for army and politicians, now even the PM is accountable to the anti corruption agency. One thing that was common, high salaries and other fringe benefits to demotivate the employees from corruption. but in case of Pakistan the salary of a bureaucrat is less than 25000 while the inflation is rising day by day. monetary benefits are the best motivational source to curb corruption. first you should apply this condition and then expect something better from them.
    css exams is not a childs play mind it, the passing percentage is just 15 %
    every one is honest in Pakistan who has never got the opportunity of bribe.

    • Muhammad says:

      Waseem sahib you are saying that CSS exams is not a child’s play mind it, the passing percentage is just 15 %. My question: does this percentage really make any sense. This low %age could be for more than one reason. For instance suppose they want to recruit 300 individuals and 10000 are taking examination. What would they do? They will take top 3% (=300) and not even 15%. And we cannot really assess the merit of those top 3% on the basis of one single exam. If this was a method of selection it should be at least 100 years old and of course obsolete. your other saying: every one is honest in Pakistan who has never got the opportunity of bribe. Is not only true for Pakistan but it is universal. Don’t think that angels live in other countries. The problem in Pakistan is that ratio of corrupt v/s non-corrupt officials is very high and out of control. It is not that ministers and prime ministers don’t indulge in corruption other countries; they do but they are caught sooner or later in majority of cases and they have to suffer all the humiliations for their corruption. It does not happen in Pakistan.

  3. Muhammad says:

    The CSS exam is designed in a way that only the elite class can think to attempt it. Our 80 % CSP’s belong to the rich families. And they have only hunger of power and money. It is also my personal experience that most of the CSP’s are atheists. Then how they can work and understand ethical values of the state.
    Officers always try to save their skin and want to show progress only in papers by hooks or by crooks. Those studied from the renowned universities are certainly richer, how they may know the problem faced by the common masses. CSPs only make rich talks just like our politicians, build palaces of words and practically the state goes to loss. There must be some radical watch over the CSPs: fresh and old that what kind of interests an individual hold and how he serves them.

  4. Shehzad Zafar says:

    I personally observed corruption is really not involved in appointments. Although I must agree with an earlier observation that most of people who apply are more power hungry then rest of population. Class1 services need more benefits and better laws to protect integrity of any officer from corrupt politicians and military. Also there is a need for little change in rules for appointments through FPSC. This will help to attract more serious and qualified people which in turn will be serious boost for Pakistan.

  5. Saman says:

    I think that civil service needs to improve the salary structure and also increase in numbers to be more effective. it still has some of the brightest in Pakistan

  6. Zeeshan Haider says:

    I am a professional (CA Qualified) and earning a package that an ordinary person can only aspire for. But m going to join Govt sector only beacuse it needs professionals. No matter its CSS or PMS like exams , what matters is ur objective…

    • sheena says:

      The CSS exam is for only those regions who have more seats otherwise no matter how well you perform and you get an interview failure even if you pass in all papers.

  7. sher says:

    CSS is the opening to the stage standing where the bureaucrats run the country and and formulate critical strategies to run the nation like Trade Policy etc. you dont have to look at others what they have done but rather look at your self that what you can do standing there.
    I personally feel that its the stage from where prudent and viable policies can change the fate of millions of muslims of paksitan depending the motivation and conviction that lies within me.
    Although the exam might not be accurate enough to judge the true potential of the candidate but what lies ahead is I guess more important.

  8. Salman says:

    Some good suggestions and comments by people on this thread. Sadly nepotism and corruption won’t end easily as endemic to our entire society, top down. What needs be done is along lines of perhaps is the case in Singapore where the brightest are selected for public service and given training and packages in line with top MNCs. The UK is another example, where public service is not a ‘right’ but a privilege…Performance management is exactly in line with a meritocracy-based private sector institution, with complete accountability to public and within ministries, etc. A bit of a pipe-dream in case of Pakistan, but one has to start somewhere….sadly the quality of people in Pakistan’s public sector is just dismal and deteriorating by the day…the overhaul needs be led by group of people who are constituted into a task force, given clear deliverable by a credible authority (so as not be struck down when govt changes!!) and constituents should be Pakistan’s leading and very credible public servants of past as well as captains of industry and perhaps a couple academics. No entry for parliamentarians, senators, freeloaders etc…(caveat: the all can fall flat of course because the minister who comes through elections and is given the ministry will ensure no bright person in right mind would be able to function….that is separate issue, but related). Cheers…Salman.

  9. Rashid Ameer says:

    I have lived outside Pakistan for nearly 10 ten years and from my varied and valuable experiences, I can only think of one thing that human spirit can make change happen. We can learn from the experience and methods of other countries (developed and developing) but choice must be ours fitting our circumstances. CSS, provides a valuable opportunity to graduates to take their human aspirations to the next social stage, its content and examination style could be reviewed and adapted to meet the challenges at present and it will take time, the point I want to stress is that we must believe in human spirit and patience to see things moving forward, not creating illogical impediments in the way of change. Most important thing is , change should not be feared and making mistakes to learn from them should be the norm of the forward looking societies. Pakistan’s problems from a-z cannot be solved overnight, we need to believe in ourselves first only then we can make change happen.

  10. Harrie keller says:

    Yes, it is true what saad said. It is true to have the quality education rather than running for office.

  11. sana says:

    Merit!!! there is no merit left in CSS. I know how papers have been leaked out by the FPSC and how many influential people pull strings to get in…
    Apart from those are the ones wanting to change their lives by sitting in the CSS……the sort who say to themselves in mirrors “mai bhi kuch banoo ga” and when they do clear the exam they are too bothered about how to raise their status rather than work for the country…..
    Gone are the days when people with good heads sat in the exam and got through and actually ended up doing tons for Pakistan…those were the days when merit prevailed…..its sad how CSS has too gone down the drain in Pakistan…..

  12. Muhammad Farooq says:

    I have not a bureaucrat myself; however I worked in a public sector organization (a bank) and seen bureaucrats and how they work, I shall try to answer these questions therefore.

    1) Can the bureaucrats act like civil servants? Do they think that when Pakistan is being considered the 5th most unstable country in the world, do they want to help change things

    Ans. No. They wont act like public servants. Those who sit in CSS are usually the ones who have a pre-set mind. They know what bureaucracy is and what bureaucrats do. Their objective is to be part of the bureaucracy; no none goes that way to bring about a revolutionary change in the bureaucrats work, you bet.

    2) Why aren’t the top notch universities graduates adopting this field as their careers anymore? How can nepotism and corruption be eradicated from bureaucracy so that postings and promotions are done on merit basis?

    Ans. Because they know bureaucrats and how they work. They don’t want to be part of this rotten system called bureaucracy conceived by a German Max Weber maybe a hundred years ago.

    As regards nepotism, it is not confined to government departments is all over the town, oops all over they country.

    Once a Finance Minister of Pakistan long ago said ( I don’t remember the exact words) that bribery works like grease in operating the government services. Please don’t blame bureaucrats alone for the corruption. Give me the name of one known person in government or out of government (now) who is or who has not been involved in one type of corruption or other.

    3) Would a raise in salaries of government officials announced in the recent budget impact positively on the working conditions? Were the Mayors performing better than today’s administrators (the bureaucrats)?

    Ans. This question reminds me of one press report that i read in a Karachi newspaper years ago. IG police was being interviewed and asked why the salaries of ordinary police person is so low. He said (I don’t remember the exact words) even if we increase the salaries we cannot stop them from taking bribes; so instead of increasing their pay we have built the bribe in their compensation. The same applies here, there would be no improvement because the whole system is rotten and needs to be rooted out. Peace.

    • Engr. Khan says:

      Examples of officials who have served honestly and spotlessly are not unseen. Have a look on lives of Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, Shakil Durrani, Dr. Pervez Hoodhboy etc…

      • Muhammad Farooq says:

        You have mentioned three names, I know Dr. Pervez Hoodhboy because of his analytical writings and I respect him for his views. I don’t know him personally so I cannot comment about his honesty etc. But I have very good impression of him otherwise. You mentioned Shakil Durrani, I am out of the country for the last eleven years so I don’t know who this gentleman is. I just googled and found one Shakil Durrani who has been associated with WAPDA etc. etc. Maybe he is the one you are referring to; I personally don’t know him at all so I cannot comment. The only person out of these three names I know is Dr. Attaur Rehman I don’t understand what do you mean by honesty and spotless records. Please go ask any one of his students at Karachi University how honest he is and how spotlessly he has served the institution that helped him uplift himself.

  13. A Pakistani says:

    Most of the negative comments about CSS are from those who unfortunately had the misfortune of not making it to this prestigious service. Grapes are Sour, to put it simply. CSP is the only service which has the prestige, sense of fulfillment and, above all, an edge over any other service. You have be part of it to feel the charm and the difference. For outsiders, unfortunately, it carries a negative perception. Join it IF YOU CAN, and see for yourself the tremendous opportunities to do good for your country, and along with it have a decent and prestigious life which you cannot find anywhere else.

    There is no denying the fact that there are black sheep in civil service, but like in any field of endeavour, they are in minority. Majority is honest, hardworking and brilliant. The reason that our country is still standing on its feet despite all the horrendous things happening to it over the years is that the civil service has been there, taking the brunt, but keeping the country on the track in the best possible way with limited resources at hand.

    • Muhammad Farooq says:

      I am the person who did MBA in 80s from IBA Karachi. The first and foremost business school of Pakistan and not for single moment thought of joining the “prestigious CSS career” not only myself, I had a whole bunch of friends and classmates and we used to discuss about our future career; none of us ever talked of joining this prestige service; either we were joining a multinational mfg company or a financial institution or carrying on the business inherited from dads. Reason was simple, we were very clear; we saw no charm (in terms of financial benefits) in CSS career and we never took into consideration the ill-gotten wealth. To be honest with you one of us did join Income Tax office and rose to be deputy commissioner or commissioner ( I don’t exactly remember and I don’t care to remember) and finally ended up in jail with corruption charges. Grapes are not sour my friend; however the truth is bitter. Only those looking for false prestige and a desire to control others could think of Civil Service. The concept of civil service is entirely different in the country where I live now and I wont mind my son or daughter joining civil service here.

      • A Pakistani says:

        The mere fact that the Tax person got imprisoned indicates that the system does work, maybe not 100% but it works. However, that bitter experience should not cause you to generalize the whole bureaucracy. In any case, your situation indicates a classical example of “escapism.” You left Pakistan for greener pastures instead of facing up to the challenges and doing your bit for betterment of the country. Sitting in the comforts of a foreign land and rendering a critique sounds very charming and scholarly, but staying put and contributing to the lot is what is required today. It takes a big heart to do that.

        • Muhammad says:

          Dear Pakistani, I dont want to disturb you but let me recall this guy was employed by income tax department from 1982 or 1983 and he was caught in sometimes in 2002. You see the time frame; how much free time he had. And you think the system worked and he was caught. No. you bet. From my experience and from the experience of other Pakistani brothers and sisters I can tell you one thing. He might have not been caught for indulging in corruption; he might have been caught for not sharing the booty. I spent 17 years in Pakistan after my getting my MBA. Always kept my hands clean despite being in an ideal money making environment. Happened to work in both public sector and private sector environment in an executive position and I realized that i was not getting anywhere. When I left the country I still owed five thousand rupees on a credit card that i was able to pay off later on. My leaving the country. It was not a matter of money it was a matter of recognition; my contribution could be recognized as i would always call a spade a spade and i was not a part of corruption mafia led by the president of the bank who with the change of the government escaped the country and re-emerged on Pakistani radar after few years and now heading another financial institution. I could not protect my sanity any longer so i was left with no other choice. Had i cared for greener pastures i would have left country long long ago and i would not be writing here.

  14. Danish says:

    Who said that top notch universities graduates ever joined CSS? I am not saying there weren’t exceptions, but most of the CSP officers usually are the kins of ex or on-duty CSP officer or are the sons and daughters of landlords, politicians who need an agent in the bureaucracy to help them in getting their work done. Exception? Yes the exception is there and such officers are diligently working to serve their dear homeland, trying to survive the pressure from all sides, managing to feed the families in little salary without involving in corruption, and even then at the end of the day they either loose their battle against corruption, or if they survive they may not ask their children to ever join the Civil Service.

  15. Purab Sarhan says:

    This is ironic to see how youth of this country thinks. The system is corrupt, run from it. There is no “learning curve” in CSS exam, we are worth doing something else. We can earn more in corporate sector why join civil serves “???”
    This country needs learners and “brains” like you. If you think system is not good enough get into it and change it. Or at least stop talking out of ignorance.

    • Muhammad Farooq says:

      Purab, I had a class fellow; he was a Lt. Colonel while he was taking his evening classes (MBA) with me, by the time he completed his MBA studies, he retired from army. because of his being in army he was given the directorship of a government corporation (very big corporation employing more than 20,000 personnel and that cooperation did not enjoy good reputation because of bad management). Once when he was still director of that corp we met at a wedding dinner of a common friend; I asked, “Col. sahib how are you, I hope you are improving the system of your corporation giving new ideas with your newly acquired MBA education.” Col Sahib answered; “yes I can improve the system, if there is any!” Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. You have to be in it to realize that in Pakistan bureaucracy is a quagmire, once in you cannot get out and you cannot improve the qualmish system. Either you join them or you sink.

    • Saeed says:

      Well said. “The system is corrupt” excuse to justify inaction is old. Besides, the private sector does not consist of saints. It’s just that corporate corruption doesn’t make headlines because news channels are afraid of losing advertising revenue.

  16. Omar says:

    All those praising ‘Pakistani Bureaucracy’ should go in DAWN archives and read the list of NRO beneficiaries. If you still praise these guys and the system then I think you are not loyal to the country.

    The bureaucrats have looted the country more than the corrupt politicians( those who do not agree must read the stats before coming onto discussion) . Its quite stunning you find lots of allegations and finger pointing on politicians in print/electronic media but very seldom you see someone criticising the bureaucrats. Although the stats suggest otherwise.

  17. M. Asghar says:

    A civil servant is meant to be helpful for the society, if the environment around is clean and healthy. However, when the political entity is nothing but a bunch of self-servant feudals living off corruption, the things become very complicated for the hard-working and honest civil servants. As the work of the judiciary shows everyday, Pakistan is a horrendous victim of the deeply en-grained multi-layered endemic corruption. The only hope is that the judiciary with the backing of the civil society, would be able to clean the nauseating stable.

  18. Usman Khan says:

    Avoiding public private comparison we should answer the question…How can nepotism and corruption be eradicated from bureaucracy so that postings and promotions are done on merit basis?
    Please come up with your rational ideas… We have to find solutions, rather crying for help.

  19. Syed says:

    The world is now a global village in the era of internet and technology. Its no longer hard for talented Pakistanis experienced and graduates to gain better employment opportunities overseas then serving the corrupt and dishonest CSS system inside Pakistan. The work culture is better overseas and “Halal” money is easier to earn.

    • Naeem Javid Muhammad Hassani says:

      Well dear to some extent I agree what you have said. But to earn ‘Halal’ is not a matter of CSS or anything else. It is just because of something which is inside us that is called “Emman”

  20. Rameez says:

    The CSS system was designed by the british to rule the massess, not to serve them.
    This is the root cause of the systems inefficiency in curbing poverty, injustice and corruption.
    It doesnt matter who joins the service as long as the system stays in effect.
    Honest CSP officers usually retire at the same grade they were inducted in !!!!

  21. FSAW says:

    Dear Fellows
    The only Purpose to become CSP officer is to grasp the Power and Wealth here in our country. So its time to revamp the system by some revolution and for revolution ,first we have to change the mindset of the people.
    The old and obsolete Bureaucratic civil service system is no more be valid and it only creates a tremendous burden on the Budget of the country.
    There is dire need to overhaul the Civil service system for making a prosperous Pakistan.

  22. Rashid says:

    The way government is run in Pakistan, it leaves no room for bright minds. Bureaucracy/”superior” civil services are nothing but implementation tools of public policy. Since public policy only exists in leadership’s statements or in moth-eaten files rotting somewhere in Pak Secretariat’s basements (if they have them), what we get out of our officialdom is what we put in: nothing.
    The role of our bureaucracy is, as aptly described recently by a columnist, akin to cogs on wheels. The system puts premium on finding right cogs and seldom cares for what goes through those wheels. The nature of job requires a presence of people with average intellect and high school education. The hype surrounding CSS is a carry over from the past, from the times when the educated lot did not have anything better to do. The way private sector is offering better and better opportunities to our brilliant (and not so brilliant) minds, a time is not far off when government would offer these jobs on first-come-first-serve basis instead of holding an exam.

  23. I feel sorry to state that the persons qualified from the competitive exams who work nationwide on top notch positions are mostly incompetent.
    An exam cannot be considered as the criteria for selection of qualified, responsible, honest and competent lot that will run the future of a under develop country like ours. As most of the appointments today are made on political, family and other grounds as we all know. Having studied for post graduate degrees in Pakistan and abroad, I have seen many Pakistani youth, they have the qualification, ability and passion to serve Pakistan, but they are not even offered a normal job here.
    To my understanding and experience, the CSS is a redundant and obsolete system. The government should not only appoint persons for superior services on passing the exam and interview; but measures should be taken to introduce a system that only persons of highly distinctive personalities are given opportunity to serve Pakistan.
    Moreover the quota from the Armed forces of Pakistan should be abolished, as there is no quota system in the world for appointment of persons from the armed forces on civilian positions. I have seen officers from Pakistan Air force recommended by Air Marshalls to work in the DMG positions. Such persons have no legal right to leave the armed forces and serve in the civil bureaucracy with non standard qualification and poor management experience.
    As Doctor Abdul Qadeer has rightly said, “A good university degree is no substitute for a military training in the academy”.

  24. Adil says:

    The private sector is not half as bad as the CSS. Its at least clear about what it pursues and you make your money honestly. And I won’t even dignify ‘anti interest/capitalist’ charges – intellectually starved. Look no where in the world anymore do the best and brightest join Govt. service anymore. The private sector is better organized and well run as per THEIR OBJECTIVES (Profit for some, NGO style objectives for others, etc.). The CSS fails vs. their objectives – good governance. If the CSS is so great (Or armed forces even) than why are we bottom when it comes to governance?

  25. bilal shafi says:

    I think its just because of one reason and that is political will, they don’t want best people to qualify and choose CSS as an option, they only want those people to be passed who can always say ‘yes sir’ , they already know what steps should be taken in order to get best people on board and that’s why they do exactly opposite to make sure they don’t get any problems,

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