A PUBLIC SERVANT’S, WHETHER ELECTED OR APPOINTED, COMMITMENTS TO SOCIETY & HUMANITY AT LARGE.


Rajendra Dhar
POLICE WATCH INDIA (Regd. NGO)

As professionals, public servants play a vital role in society. They are committed to the highest degrees of integrity & to deliver the best administration possible, they are committed to fair and transparent governance, delivering high quality services, a stewardship of government funds that will maximize cost effectiveness and accountability. Public servants are also committed to the improvement of policy making and service delivery abilities of the state.

Public servants are committed for reflecting on their roles and responsibilities. They are also committed to test and measure their values, their ethics, and their actions as they serve the government and the public.

A strong Commitment to Personal Integrity — To maintain and broaden public confidence, public servants are committed to perform all their responsibilities with the highest sense of integrity. Public servants must resolve any conflict between their personal interests and their official duties in favour of public interest.

Conscientiousness — The public servant is committed to exercising conscience in the defence of democracy, peace, order and good governance.

Confidentiality — The public servant is committed to ensuring that sensitive information is treated with discretion and responsibility in order to protect the privacy and security of the public and the efficiency of government.

Fairness — The public servant exercises some level of discretionary authority in the daily course of activities, but is committed to ensuring that discretion never results in discrimination. The public servant is committed to treating all members of the public with equality and fairness.

Courage — The public servant is committed to exercising courage in the fulfillment of duties: the courage to take a position, to speak objectively, and to take responsibility before political authorities.

A strong Commitment to Democratic Governance — Public servants accept the obligation to act to serve the public interest through time, to promote the public trust in the democratic system, and to demonstrate commitment to professionalism.

Non-Partisanship — The public servant is committed to working with the government of the day and to the stewardship of the state.

Ensuring Transparency through Better Reporting — The public servant is committed to reporting accurately, clearly and comprehensively on the activities of their administrative units.

Providing accountability for public consultation — The public servant is committed to the promotion of dialogue, consultation, and engagement of the public.

Public interest — The public servant is committed to understanding the public interest as it is expressed through time. The public servant fulfills the public interest by service to the elected government.

A strong Commitment to Respectfulness — In carrying out their responsibilities as professionals, public servants must exercise sensitive professional and moral judgments in all their activities.

With the public — The public servant is committed to communicating with the public in a respectful manner that acknowledges the centrality of the citizen. The public servant is committed to making the experience of dealing with government as congenial, satisfying and constructive as possible.

With colleagues — Public servants are committed to making the workplace a productive and healthy environment. Fellow civil servants are always treated with respect, tolerance and courtesy.

With fellow Public Servants — The public servant is committed to creating trust and common purpose. The public servant is committed to building strong networks and partnerships with counterparts in other departments, governments, agencies, both at home and around the world.

A strong Commitment to Continual Learning and Innovation — A public servant is committed to monitoring the profession’s evolution and to strive to continually improve competence and the quality of services.

Enhance democratic governance — The public servant is committed to a continual process of learning and innovation through constant study and thoughtful, measured experimentation in order to enhance governance.

Improve performance — The public servant is committed to the learning and innovation necessary to enhance the delivery of policy and service.

Responsible assumption of risk — The public servant is committed to the continual learning and innovation necessary to understand the nature and degree of risk.

Personal improvement — The public servant is committed to a life long pursuit of formal and informal educational endeavours to elevate the overall quality of the public service.

A strong Commitment to Critical Reflection on Ethics and Value — A public servant is committed to observing the highest ethical standards, to maintaining objectivity and be free of conflicts of interest in discharging professional responsibilities.

Critical Reflection on Ethics — The public servant is committed to the process of personally evaluating commitments and whether they are adequate for evolving circumstances.

Critical Reflection on Actions — The public servant is committed to a critical reflection of personal actions in light of past practices, government objectives, and the perspectives of peers.

Critical Reflection through Dialogue — The public servant is committed to cultivating a dialogue among peers and colleagues on values, ethics, actions, and inactions.

Critical Reflection through Reason — The public servant is committed to a continual process of re-evaluation of the existing conditions of democratic governance and the roles and responsibilities of the public service within that context.

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST…….

“A public servant who serves the public, society & humanity with humility, honesty & integrity is in reality a true public servant”.