Editor's Notes
| Date | 01 April 1966 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1966.tb00256.x |
| Published date | 01 April 1966 |
Editor's Notes
THIS
is the first issue
of
the Journal under the new title
of
'Journal of Admini-
Stration
Overseas'.
In
dropping 'Local' from our name we have indeed dropped
the ancient pilot
of
our past policies;
but
in recent years it has become abun-
dantly clear that in almost every new independent country there is no clear
CUt
division between local and central government: the two, in varying de-
grees, are interdependent and many institutions which once tended to con-
centrate on the local aspects
of
governmentnow cover administration generally
and the training
of
administrators at all levels.
Our
pilot henceforth will be
administration and our intention to provide the broadest practicable coverage
within the context
of
current administration in as many overseas countries as
Possible.
The
Right Hon, Anthony Greenwood, M.P., Minister
of
Overseas Develop-
Inent, has welcomed this change
of
name and has sent us a message in which
he says
'Through
the Journal administrators and teachers
of
administration
can
learn
of
the experience
of
their counterparts in other countries.
The
World
is desperately short
of
know-how in this as in so many other fields. By
pooling our knowledge we can all help each other'.
This issue contains an article of particular interest by John D. Chick who
compares the role
of
the former colonial Resident with that
of
the politically-
~Ppointed
Provincial Commissioner who has replaced him. While the context
IS
that
of
Northern Nigeria where
the
Resident exercised, perhaps, rather
Inore political power than his colonial service colleagues in other British
Dependencies, nonetheless he in Nigeria and the Provincial Commissioner in
other parts
of
Africa have now been replaced by a political appointee under a
variety
of
names such as Provincial or Regional Commissioner and Resident
Minister.
The
succession is similar.
Mr.
Chick suggests that the new political
Inantle is not so different from the old as many might suspect.
The
similarity
~y
well be closer in Northern Nigeria than elsewhere;
but
the parallel is
Identical and there is food for thought here which students
of
the transition
period following independence in the former British Dependencies should
find most stimulating. Both in discussing the Resident/Commissioner role and
alsoin considering
the
position
of
the latter's civil service secretary, Mr. Chick
Posesthe question how far political impartiality can be achieved in the public
Service
and suggests
that
the Ghana/Tanzania model
of
one party state with
civil servants encouraged to be active party members, is likely to be the rule
rather than the exception throughout Africa,
Here it may be worth pausing to look for a moment at the civil servant in
any functioning democracy. He is
the
servant
of
the state and he is bound to
fUrther and to execute the policies
of
whatever party happens to form
the
government
of
the day.
In
a sense, therefore, he can never be impartial:
but
be it a western democracy or be it a new-style one-party State, the civil
~ervant
has surely one paramount duty, always to maintain complete moral
IInpartiality so that he acts justly, in good faith and without fear or favour.
OtherArticles include studies
of
Agricultural Progress in Zambia by George
Kay, Basic Democracies in Pakistan by Mrs. Salma Orner and Land Reform
87
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