বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ তৃতীয় পত্র
do it honestly and without any reservation. Various alternative policies will be sorted out on the basis of the facts and their relative strengths and weaknesses must be examined and pointed out honestly and fearlessly to the ministers. The Ministers have right to expect that civil servants will do their utmost to make proposals which will reflect, or at least be compatible with, the political philosophy and the programme of the party in power.
A minister should always consult his senior officials before deciding an important matter of policy, though he is not under a legal or constitutional obligation to do so. One compelling reason is that if he blunders, the department, as well as he personally, will suffer a loss of reputation. The civil servant on his side has a right to put forward what Lord Bridges has called the departmental philosophy'. It is, indeed, his duty to give his minister the quintessence of departmental experience on those large issues of policy which he must decide and thus *to let the waves of the practical philosophy wash against ideas put forward by his Ministerial master'. The civil servant is entitled to advice, to warn, to encourage and to explain-but no more. If a civil servant thinks, a proposal by his minister is misconceived; it is his duty to say so and why. He may if invited to do so, express his opinion as to the relative advantages and disadvantages of alternative courses of action, looked at from the government's standpoint. He must not, however, allow his personal prejudices or his political bias to suppress or distort policies or to denigrate courses of action which are administratively practicable although leading to ends he considers undesirable. Once the policy is decided by the minister, it is the duty of the civil servants to implement it honestly and faithfully as if it is own policy.
A civil servant has no right to be “unhelpful, unconstructive, and negative". He should not be indifferent to the political connection or party pressures which affect the minister he serves. As an official he may not share them, he should nevertheless be aware of their existence and make due allowances for them in his work. Civil servants will be acting without the knowledge or guidance of their political chiefs most of the time: and hence it is important that they should accurately reflect the minister's mind or at least his policy in every aspect of day-to-day administration.
If the departmental administration is accurately to reflect the minister's outlook, civil servants of all ranks must be brought into contact with the Minister and thereby learn his views. This is particularly important when there is change of government or when one minister succeeds another. Talks by the minister to staff gathering, and other methods of achieving personal contact, can bring great advantage which will repay the time and trouble spent for them. Mutual understanding, respect, and confidence between a Minister and his officials should be based on a firm foundation of knowledge: and time occupied in ensuring this is well spent.
There is a sound rule which requires members of parliament to communicate with the Minister-in-Charge of a department and not to be make a direct approach to his officials, except with his knowledge and permission. The dangers of too close a relationship between members of Parliament and civil servants might be considerable. A civil servant might be deflected by the political influence of an M. P. or group of M. Ps. He might be
