The Relationship between the Civil Service, Political Parties and Members of Legislative Council
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1961.tb01269.x |
| Date | 01 April 1961 |
| Published date | 01 April 1961 |
| Author | J. K. Nyerere |
The
Relationship
between
the
Civil
Service,
Political
Parties
and
Members
of
Legislative
Council
In the April 1955 issue of the Journal (Vol. VII,
No.2)
we published
Tanganyika Government Circular
NO.7
of1954 relating to the co-ordination
ofwork ofadministrative and departmental staffs. We now publish below the
Chief
Minister's important Circular Letter
No.1
of1960 which deals with a
wider aspect ofrelationships in the light of
recent
constitutionaldevelopments in
Tanganyika.
Now
that
I
have
become
Chief
Minister, I
think
it as well to set
out
some of
the
thoughts
with
which I
am
addressing myself to my new tasks. Before I
became
Chief
Minister I
made
clear to my supporters in
the
Tanganyika
African
National
Union
what
Ibelieve should be
the
proper
relationship between
the
public
at
large,
the
politicians
and
the
civil service. Now, perhaps, I
can
say
the
same
sort of thing, from
the
other
side of
the
fence, to
the
civil service as a
whole,
and
particularly
to
the
Provincial Administration towards
whom
I
have
special responsibilities.
2.
For
astart, let me say
that
I feel sure I
am
justified in
writing
to you in a
cheerful
and
optimistic spirit, because Ifirmly believe
that
the
constitutional
change
which
has
just
come
about
should
make
easier
the
work
of
civil servants
in
the
field.
The
change
should in itself remove
many
former causes
of
friction
and
misunderstanding, because this
Government
will be
carrying
out,
through
its civil service, policies to
which
the
people
have
given almost
unanimous
support
in
the
recent
elections.
In
fact, this is
the
people's
Government
and
there
can
be no future justification for
the
people
at
large laying
at
the
door
of
the
civil service complaints
of
every kind
and
description.
3.
Not
only does
the
constitutional
change
itself seem to be likely to
make
things easier for civil servants,
but
my colleagues
and
I
are
also
determined
actively to do everything we
can
to keep
the
civil service
out
of
the
political
arena.
Indeed,
it is for this reason
that
we
have
warmly
welcomed
the
establish-
ment
ofa
Public Service Commission.
The
proper
person to face political
attack
is
the
politician.
At
higher
levels
the
Ministers (who decide
what
policies should
be
pursued
by
the
Government)
must
give
due
attention
to
the
representations
made
to
them
in
the
legislature by
the
elected
members
from
the
constituencies.
At constituency levels,
and
this
means
in
Tanganyika,
at
district level, it is
up
to
the
elected
member
to be
aware
of
public
demands
and
grievances so
that
he
may
represent
them
to
the
ministries
and
give
them
public
expression
in
the
Legislative Council.
The
elected
member,
then, is
the
proper
recipient
of
local
grumbles;
and
the
sooner we
can
get
away
from
the
old
habit
by
which
every sort of grievance is laid
at
the
district commissioner's
door,
the
better.
In
saying this I
do
not
suggest
that
civil servants should be
the
executives
of
policy
and
nothing
more.
Judging
by experience elsewhere
that
is
what
they
are
likely, in
the
long
run,
to
come
to be,
but
at
the
present
stage
of
our
development
I
trust
that
they
will
continue
to be guides, philoso-
phers
and
friends to all
and
sundry;
they
must
not
now
or in
the
future be
the
targets
of
antagonism.
108
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