Case study: Diasagrees with the Government Policy

The relationship between the senior officials and ministers aim at assuring the various conditions that are important to implement the agenda from the democratic will and to ensure definite management of the machinery of government. A political control might co- exist among the ministers and their senior officials if there is present an elevated form of professional independence between them. However as presented in our current scenario where the senior executive Munir Sheikh expressed his disagreement over the issue of long form census over voluntary survey showed government’s lack of expertise. Such types of circumstances and situations possibly point out about the distinct positions and roles the senior officials possess. These roles can be sometimes mutually supportive, while on the other hand can depict antagonism at other times. For instance, the Harper government did not gain much popularity because of the decisions he made were not supported by the senior officials at his time. This resulted in the failure of his political party and lacked compliance with the senior officials which placed pressure on the civil services to act unethically.

In addition to this the disagreement between the ministers and the senior officials show lack of healthy and productive working relationship that breaks the bond of mutual respect and loyalty. Due to this a natural tension starts to emerge between them that affects the government policy to a great deal. Various sections of the human resource department play an important role in the development of ethics and values. For a productive development it is important that the ministers adhere to mutual understanding with the senior officials to prevent the malpractice. Although the ministers try to enhance the hierarchical decision-making techniques instead of top based decision-making strategies within each sector. Yet it is significant to consider that political control does not only require directing the officials in specific way but should also cooperate effectively with the actors working outside the department. This is also evident from the current case revealing how the long form census was defended by the senior executives and was opposed by the spokesperson of Prime Minister. In such types of encounters, it is important to consider the fact that political craftsmanship might be considered as one of the vital resources a minister can give to a department. Also, the officials should also design such policies and proposals that adhere to the factors highlighted by the ministers. Even though the proposed policies of the senior officials might be adequate in their own standings, yet they cannot have direct access neither to the cabinet nor to the legislative and mass media arenas.

 Thus, there should be neutrality, anonymity, rule based decision making and utilisation of professional expertise that can lead to a successful relationship between the government functionality and senior officials. Also, the capacity of a government to improvise itself in any public performance can be crucial in keeping the communication strategies among different political sectors and departments. It therefore becomes predominantly significant for the government to follow an effective method that can enhance the communication and values among the officials.