Accountability

'Accountability' is one of the most commonly used words in relation to government and governance all over the world today. From the U.S. to Afghanistan, citizens are not satisfied with their governments on account of this one factor: an apparent lack of accountability among persons in power.

With the state assuming more responsibilities replacing the traditional agencies, it has assumed more power too, in order to 'increase efficiency'. All projects are projected to be more or less efficient in the beginning. Then, slowly, they either become inefficient or the problems that were swept under the carpet in the earlier phases slowly come out. In the first case, the people in charge are to be punished. But what happens in the latter case? The current office-holders are held to be accountable for the actions of their predecessors. And the real mischief-makers continue to enjoy their 'efficient' status. The double standards in the treatment meted out to their contemporary officers tend to silence the honest people who want to blow the whistle about their departments.

They are left in a dilemma: to whom are they accountable? To their organisation, to their profession, to the taxpayer or to their conscience. Mind you, in real life, all may have different requirements. And the taxpayer is invisible and has no apparent means of checking what is happening. Blowing the whistle may disrupt the functioning of the organisation which may be trying to return to accountability after a long time of 'making up the stats'. And acting according to your conscience may force one to quit his/her job at a time when s/he desperately needs it. The problem that seems to haunt one person may appear silly to others.

It is very much like the case of a single working mother. By her very nature, she would like to spend her time with the child. But to ensure its survival and future prospects, she has to work. One part of her dies everyday.

The same is the case with an honest worker. The conflict between the various accountabilities may make them look unaccountable. But, in truth, they are as honest as everyone else.

Still, it would be better to make the taxpayer your first priority. Look at what happened in Japan. Someone in the government might have surely known about the danger of having the plant on the fault. But hey, 'an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude is improbable' and it was so till it occurred. Even the smallest mistakes we commit today, knowingly or unknowingly, might have wider ramifications in the future. The only safeguard we can have is to keep the information as open as possible and fix the accountability precisely where it should be.

We cannot and we should not blame people totally innocent of a crime their predecessors had committed. That takes initiative out of the system. And we need to make the invisible taxpayer more visible. Right to information, citizens' charter and social audits are welcome steps but the objective will be achieved only when the organisations themselves provide the information to the public rather than waiting for formal requests.
In this case, the objective and the means to achieve it are the same.