Tariq Mahmood Awan
COWARDICE means the fear that stops you from doing the right things or the expected lack of courage. A cowardly person’s life philosophy is based on fear, insecurity, and avoidance. They are afraid of facing life’s challenges, risks, and uncertainties. They are insecure about their abilities, worth, and identity. They avoid taking responsibility, making choices, or expressing themselves. They live a life of conformity, complacency, and comfort.
A cowardly person’s life philosophy is shaped by their personal interests, biases, and prejudices. They do not care about the truth, justice, or morality. They only care about their survival, interest, or pleasure. They are selfish, unscrupulous, and manipulative. They exploit others, lie to themselves, and rationalize their actions.
External factors, such as social pressure, political propaganda, or authority figures, influence a coward’s life philosophy. They do not have their own opinions, values, or principles. They follow the crowd, the trends, or the rules. They are easily swayed, persuaded, or coerced. They lack critical thinking, creativity, and independence.
A cowardly person’s philosophy is limited by their thin vision, low expectations, and pessimistic attitude. They do not see the possibilities, opportunities, or potential of life. They only see the concerns, obstacles, or hazards. They are cynical, sceptical, and negative. They do not hope for the best, strive for excellence, or enjoy the journey.
Similarly, a coward civil servant lacks the courage, conviction, and integrity to uphold the public interest, merit and the rule of law. Their philosophy is based on fear, self-preservation, and conformity. They avoid taking risks, making decisions, or expressing opinions that might expose them to criticism, conflict, or accountability. They prefer to follow orders, obey authority, and maintain the status quo. Primarily, they sell their souls to demons and work for them.
A coward civil servant’s ideology is shaped by his personal interests, biases, and predispositions. They do not adhere to any principles or values that transcend their own selfish motives. External factors, such as political pressure, social norms, or propaganda, easily influence them. They are willing to compromise their ethics, morals, and duties for personal gain, favour, or protection. They are indifferent to the rights, necessities, and aspirations of the people they serve.
A cowardly civil servant’s administration is characterized by inefficiency, corruption, and nepotism. They do not perform their functions with competence, diligence, and professionalism. They do not seek to improve their skills, knowledge, or performance. They do not foster a culture of innovation, excellence, or collaboration. They abuse their power, resources, and position for their own benefit or that of their cronies. They neglect their responsibilities, evade their obligations, and shirk their accountability.
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A coward civil servant’s career growth is dependent on their loyalty, obedience, and subservience to their superiors. They do not pursue their own goals, ambitions, or passions. They do not seek to advance their career based on their merit, achievements, or contributions. They do not challenge themselves, learn from others, or grow as professionals. They rely on patronage, favouritism, or manipulation to secure their transfers, postings, promotions, recognition, or rewards. They fear losing their job, status, or privileges more than anything else.
A coward civil servant’s service delivery is poor, ineffective, and insensitive. They do not care about their work’s quality, impact, or outcome. They do not listen to the public’s feedback, complaints, or suggestions. They do not respond to the citizens’ demands, expectations, or rights. They do not strive to meet their profession’s standards, norms, or best practices. They do not respect the dignity, diversity, or participation of the people they serve. Their cowardice prevents them from preserving their moral, administrative and organizational character and value system. Even if they want to practice values, they can not do it out of fear and cowardice. Then, coward civil servants are also hypocrites. They are always with subtle reasons to justify their cowardice.
Civil servants serve the public interest and uphold the rule of law. They are expected to perform their tasks with professionalism, competence, integrity, and loyalty. However, when public officers are cowardly, they may undermine these values and principles and cause harm to the administration and society. How do civil servants destroy professionalism, the rule of law and merit in the administration?
Coward civil servants may fail to act or act improperly when faced with ethical dilemmas, corruption, or misconduct. They may be afraid of the consequences of their actions, such as losing their jobs, facing retaliation, or being ostracized by their peers or superiors. External pressures, such as political interference, personal interests, or bribes, may also influence them. Doing so violates the Code of Conduct and Ethics that requires them to act with responsibility, integrity, justice, and accountability. They also erode the trust and confidence of the public in the administration and the government.
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However, the fundamental question is how to make cowardly civil servants work professionally.
One possible technique to make a coward civil servant strong to work for the rule of law, merit, and transparency is to implement effective ethics standards and codes of conduct in the government and the civil service. This would create a culture of integrity, accountability and professionalism among public officials and civil servants and deter and prevent corruption and unethical practices. Ethics standards and codes of conduct should be clearly documented, readily accessible, and enforced by independent and impartial mechanisms. Administrators and political leaders should also support them through training, education, and leadership.
Another possible technique is to strengthen civil servants’ ethical competence and develop mechanisms to support professional ethics. This would involve enhancing the ability of civil servants to make ethically sound decisions, to provide impartial and objective advice to the government, and to uphold the rule of law and human rights. Professional ethics should be embedded in the core values, norms, and practices of the civil service and reinforced by peer review, mentoring, and recognition. Civil servants should also have access to resources, guidance, and protection when they face ethical dilemmas or challenges.
A third possible technique is to develop administrative practices and processes that promote ethical values and integrity. This would include ensuring that the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures that govern the civil service are transparent, consistent, fair, and efficient. It would also involve improving the performance management, accountability, and oversight systems that monitor and evaluate the work of civil servants. Furthermore, it would require fostering a culture of openness, participation, and collaboration among civil servants, as well as with other stakeholders such as citizens, businesses, and civil society.
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These techniques could make a coward civil servant strong enough to work for the rule of law, merit and transparency. However, these techniques are not easy to implement or sustain, and they may face various challenges or limitations depending on the context. Therefore, they need to be adapted to each department or organization’s specific needs and circumstances. They must also be complemented by other measures that address the root causes and consequences of cowardice, such as fear, insecurity, pressure, or incentives. Ultimately, the success of these techniques depends on the commitment, will, and support of all the actors involved in the public sector.
