State employees: Sinning and sinned against

Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K. D. Lal Kantha is known for his straight talk—a trait that occasionally gets him into hot water.

- 

He has told state workers some home truths. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the launch of 500 Highland franchise outlets, yesterday, he lashed out at the public service, calling it a den of thieves. State employees had been held in high esteem in the past, but the public had a very low opinion of them at present, he said. It may be wrong to paint all public servants with the same brush; there are some good men and women among them, but Minister Lal Kantha’s sharp rebuke of state employees must have struck a responsive chord with the irate public.

The NPP government has put an end to the culture of corruption in politics, but the state service is still corrupt to the core, according to Minister Lal Kantha. One cannot but agree with him on his criticism of the sorry state of affairs in the public service, which needs to be cleansed urgently. But that task is akin to the cleaning of the Augean Stables and requires a Herculean effort. Successive governments have baulked at giving the public service a radical shake-up as state employees are a decisive factor in electoral politics.