I like reading memoirs of civil servants. These sometimes reveal some of the challenges in formulating and implementing government programmes, and how the gallant, knightly authors overcame them. Such books are invariably written by retired bureaucrats. An exception is B Ashok’s Then Keni, a mid-career memoir of sorts.

In recent years, colleagues and friends have published on other topics. Like K. Sethuraman, on the importance of one’s mother-tongue (Malayalathinte Bhavi). And Hari Kishore (Ningalkkum IAS Nedaam) and B Ashok (How to Tackle Civil Service) in the self-help genre, on how to enter the higher civil service. These are, I would say, in the broad tradition of civil servants writing poems, novels, short stories and satire. The dictum is: write on anything other than governance.

In our country, the popular perception too is that civil servants should not write about governance. This is based on the conduct rule, which states,

13 (2). A member of the Service may, without the previous sanction of the Government,…(b) undertake occasional work of a literary, artistic or scientific character (The All India Service Conduct Rules, 1968)

I too have been diffident, preferring to write thinly-veiled satires rather than studied articles or books on government policies and practices. But are we not carrying the joke too far? Are cynicism and biting anecdotes the best and only way to discuss government policies? If civil servants air their thoughts on governance and interact with the public through mass media, will it strengthen democracy or weaken it?

I feel that civil servants can and should publish on government policy. They can, for instance, place proposals for public discussion, and alert citizens to the potential negative impact of policies. Let there be a few weeks or months of discussion before we finalise policies. That would enhance the legitimacy of government policies, increase the chance of policy effectiveness (when implemented), and strengthen people’s faith in democratic, constitutional government.