Clarity needed on roles of
politicians, civil servants
~ Says Island Councilman Pantophlet ~
PHILIPSBURG--Clear-cut guidelines on the responsibilities of politicians and those of civil servants should be outlined in the constitutional change process. “The role of the civil servants is not to question the political basis of government policies, but to advise on their practicality and to carry them out effectively,” National Alliance (NA) Island Councilman George Pantophlet said in a press release on Sunday.
He believes civil servants should not fear political repercussions from government.
“It’s important to recognise that politicians carry the political responsibility and, for a government to function properly, it needs a qualified and confident civil service that has the freedom to execute the policies of government. This will not happen without trust and a clear distinction between the roles of politicians and civil servants,” he said.
According to Pantophlet, the process towards constitutional change should be used to establish an understanding that there must be trust between politicians, civil servants and, most important, the public.
He also said the relationship between politicians, who are the elected representatives of the people, and civil servants is that politicians should lead and civil servants should follow.
“Politicians are the policymakers and the civil servants are the ones who execute those policies. Politicians should not sit on the seat or assume the responsibilities of the civil servants, nor the other way around.”
It is expected of civil servants, Pantophlet said, that they be loyal to their superiors. This means that they must be neutral and render the same service regardless of who is in office. However, the matter of trust plays a pivotal role.
“Politicians must be able to depend on their civil servants to execute their tasks as presented or outlined. And civil servants should not be victimised because they have openly shown their support for another political party. It is their democratic right.”
