Integrity in Public Services: Difficulties in ensuring it.

Today integrity in Public/Government Service, it appears, has become merely a desirable entity not to be stressed beyond a point. It is simply for reasons of expediency born by near general corruptibility of all institutions of public life. This situation shouldn't surprise us in view of the fact that government or public servants, too, belong to the same society which is impatient to cherish such values as opportunism, utilitarianism and many other subtle forms of unprincipled behaviors serving as mother of corruption. Our social-economic and political transactions happen to be increasingly corruptible before the greed of money and lust for power. Moral turpitude and decay in character have damaged those values which were held dear in the past with passion. Honesty and probity are prominent among them. So it is an over expectation that a government servant should remain honest simply because he gets salary for the service he renders. His honesty cannot compensate for the imbalances created in the society by the corrupt dealings of other members of the society viz powerful but unscrupulous lawyers, doctors, accountants, businessmen, politicians, media persons etc. having clouts and clue to build pressure in their favour. But it is seldom noticed, never discussed and conveniently ignored. The question of integrity revolves only around the government officers. My submission is that it is simply a lapse on part of those who are concerned with setting things right. I firmly believe that these powerful people use officers as a tool to get their otherwise illegal activities legalised while still enjoying the status of prestigious and respectable members of the community. For this they search for a lusty Officer or their sub-ordinates acting as agents of the said unscrupulous officers for the purpose or build pressure of sorts upon the honest ones to give way.
The present discussion is also meant to draw attention to the fact that above non salaried well-off people like unscrupulous lawyers, doctors, builders, contractors, suppliers, businessmen, accountants, politicians etc. should cease to act as inducers if we are concerned with integrity in Public Services. It requires two hands to make a clap. Without weeding out unscrupulous elements together with dishonest public servants an honest administrative machinery cannot be realized in practice. But it is also an irony that responsibility of weeding out these unscrupulous elements also rests with government servants. It is not an uncommon experience for an upright government servant as to how people adopt chequered ways and means to influence them through temptations and when the latter as a strategy fails, pressure from politician and their touts are put in place to make the officers fall in line. The officers remaining still non compliant to such pressure are subjected to intimidation direct or nuanced extending to the point of elimination. Examples are not few and far between. Hence by virtue of being a public or government servant one must have the capacity to resist such temptations at the first place and build the reputation of being honest. The benefit of this is  unscrupulous elements would think twice before even approaching you.
The above depiction is never meant to justify or defend corrupt indulgences of government/public servants. A corrupt officer never earns respect howsoever wealthy or powerful he may have become. He is an object of despise in the eyes of many.
This side of the story is that these government servants treat their jobs as an opportunity to exploit and exact money from those whom they are meant to serve. Their primary motto is to amass wealth and power by whatever means under the garb and protection associated with government service. This is the nasty category of government servants who are simply debouch;their services should be dispensed forthwith. But the  agonizing part is that these types of officers pose themselves as most efficient and meritorious ones. They are seen to gain favour in matters of postings and promotions. Honesty and probity do not materially or decisively act as factors for promotions or postings. What matters is the link of the officers with the powers that may be.
Besides, the above depiction is also intended to emphasize the need for bringing about moral revolution in the society. We have already in place so many revolutions like White Revolution, Green Revolution etc. Then why not Moral Revolution? Is it not feasible? Let those who can bring it about do the needful. We are becoming morally devoured with each passing day before the forces beyond our control.
The remedy lies in enjoying the pleasure of self-denial and contentment vis a vis the temptation of being rich and powerful. After all the pleasure of self denial, simple and austere living based on frugality is far nobler and enduring. It is best appreciated by such public servants as make it a point to practice it to keep professional vices at bay.
The government servants must try this in order to lead a peaceful and happy life without any taint or dent in their image or loss of face and character before their children, relatives, colleagues, neighbours etc. It depends upon what are your priorities and what actually you expect from yourselves. Is not it? It is time to pore over.
R.R.Prabhakar.
23.11.2019.