Prof. Mijat Damjanović: Public administration reform in Serbia - DEPOLITICIZATION

Public administration

Among the primary inevitable assumptions of the establishment of successful modern state, sustainable economy and ordered society, are denoted the need for specifying and implementing multidimensional realistic and sustainable development strategy. In the focus of such a complex venture, central position is affianced by setting up fundamental systemic institutes and institutions, so as to undoubtedly presume rational and consensual political consolidation. However, the establishment of high-quality institutional system and its supporting value system for many current transitionally (dis)oriented and fatigued societies had turn into a saddle of Sisyphean proportions. From the result of a such societal ambivalent circumstances, controversial political manifestations are pursued – unrestrained political larpurlartism, frequent indulgence towards counterfeit activism, reconcilability with contradictory and (un)expected outcomes, maintaining stalemate between non-knowledge (insufficient and/or inappropriate competence and limited experiences) and knowledge (high expertise and rich experience). Without competent, career civil servants,, as well as designated representatives, functional stabilization of key system`s institutions is impossible, i.e. it is not possible to create and accomplish developmental goals of the state, economy and society.

The rational politicization in well ordered and successful states and societies, as in systemic institutions, its protagonists as well as in rank and file of citizens, is desirable, expected and affirmativestate of affairs. At one side,, it is an effort to establish consistent political action of competent leadership, with high capacities of knowledge and responsibility for leading public affairs, but on the other, it is also the preparednessof citizens to understand the context of public affairs and numerous challenges faced both by prosperous states and those that aspire to a such prospective. However, in unordered/disordered and abortive societies widespread and dispersive politicization conveyance not only to the structure of government, but also to all other areas of public - political, economic and social - life, under simplified motto “everything is politics”. In such societies a common donominator is absurd, superficial and vulgar politicization of almost all public areas and actors, by the means of unreliable leverages of power and authority – at the forefront – political parties, their rentiers and sympathizers, and zealous support by mass media instrumentalism, that sustain and expand this harsh agony. In other words, the need for consistent diminishing and hygienizing politization is a exclaim for salvation out of degenerated roles of guiding political parties and plutocratic leaderships, which have overflowed into all areas of the state, economy and society.

The society that had once, with a good reason, split from single party system and opted for party plurality , submited gradually and irrationally into caricaturised “methastasis” of party “branch offices” that were opened initially by “politicians” who were disappointed by their party outcomes or their own unfulfilled ambitions, and later by “enthusiastic” newcomers who understood that they could escape from anonymity and even prosper socialy.. Therefore the electorate has problems with post- electoral party positioning (party alliances) and with the answer to the question whether more political parties are better than less. Hence, for them remain a “great mistery” of post-electoral combinatorics, bearing in mind that party executives are unpredictable in lucrative, collective or individual renegade`s adventurism.. Those that have resisted to the seductive challenges of party (re)alignment are those who have different priorities and ambitions, knowledge, wealth and experience to stay aside clear of such senseless and pointless involvement in bold undertaking. Adjacent by them, texists apathic and apolitical, lethargic divided “third”, that lives self isolated in darkness of its deep poverty, general degradation and multiple hopelessness.

As an epilogue to this situation, emerge an urgent need to change political climate, social ambient, consciousness and priorities that instigate way in or way outof “political rodeo”, institutionally divided power but personally, undivided authority of political party. In order to change this situation, transformation of decision-making system and process, complementarities of struggles and cooperations of political actors, several inevitable prerequisites are needed.

  1. To identify and present through objective indicators exit strategies to the public, in order to overcome pointless level of political wheeling and dealing.
  2. To cut the inadequate recruitment of incompetent cadres and consistently discourage “allegiance switchers”, to prevent their employment in public companies and corporations.
  3. It is needed to establish a specialized, highquality education institution for teaching career civil servants..
  4. Thereis an inevitable need for additional training sporadically required by such personnel, so that they could preserve their motivational energy for increasing their competences, and in turn prevent their professional obsolescence.
  5. The change of stimulation and reward mechanisms for those who have intellectual capacities and ambitions to be engaged in the most demanding tasks in the state/public administration.
  6. It is needed to objectivise supervisory and control evaluation mechanisms in order to monitor results of public-administrative institutions, group and individual achievements, which would serve as an unavoidable foundation of their future professional promotion.

Let us summarize – without great reversal in mentioned sectors and areas, there are no serious prerequisites for establishment a competent, efficient and ethical administration that would be socially respectable - respected by its citizens and appreciated on international arena.

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Prof. Mijat Damjanović, Coordinator of Public Administration sector of Public Policy Institute