by Sarah Tanou, Burkina Faso, February 1998
THEME = POLITICS
Why a complete overhaul of the administration?
What's involved in such an overhaul?
What are the authorities really after?
In 1986 and 1988, general regulations governing the public service were revised. Now the time has come for the public administration to undergo a complete overhaul. National gatherings of over 500 delegates, brought together representatives from every aspect of society - professionals in government ministries and institutions, traditional authorities and religious leaders. They spent four whole days reflecting and discussing "The Role and Purpose of the State". But, why the need for reform? What will it consist in? What's the government going to do?
The necessity for revamping Burkina Faso's state administration is nothing new. People have been concerned with this problem ever since independence (1960), especially since 1966 when action had to be taken to counter an ever-increasing autocratic style of government, increasing disastrous economic maladministration and the current regime's dependence on France. So, if in 1998 the country's administration is to receive a shake-up, it's nothing new for Burkina Faso.
The necessity of reform based on economic social and political considerations, as well as internal factors within the administration itself, is clear. It's even urgent.
On the economic level, the persisting crisis which haunts Burkina Faso and the scarcity of resources, particularly in the public sector, raises doubts about the ability of the state (especially when it is highly centralised) to solve all its problems by itself. One of the results of this situation is the tendency of the state to fall back on the pro-democracy climate of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Since public administration is there to execute assignments given it by the state, the current reform programme is a necessary consequence of the downsizing of the state apparatus.
On the social level, since independence, Burkina Faso's society has undergone profound changes, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The population is increasing; more and more people are now being educated; there's a shift from the rural areas to the towns; Burkina Faso is opening itself up to the rest of the world; public opinion is a force to be reckoned with. All this has resulted in profound changes in the relationship between the administration and the public. For a long time the administration was in a privileged position: it was not accountable to society for its actions.
Nowadays, people increasingly want a quality public service. They call into question the country's present administrative apparatus which should reflect and act as the guarantor of the national interest. Officials themselves want change to bring about better functioning of the service they provide. Hence the risk of a break-down of confidence between the country's central administration and the people of Burkina Faso. The people are asking: "Why should we always have to refer back to a central administration when these very authorities can't justify their place and function in national development?
Faced with this risk of alienation, reform is increasingly desirable and necessary. The country needs to be ruled by a system of government which is more open to the people, closer to them and easily accessible to them. We need administrators who are really concerned with the people's needs rather than their own well-being.
On the political level, Burkina Faso is evolving within an international and national context which is in a state of constant change, and where no government can afford to remain on the sidelines.
On the international level, what do we see? Frontiers are opened up and regionalism becomes an established fact. All this means that our country must have a system of government which is more flexible, efficacious and accountable to the people - with fewer administrative restrictions, less stifling bureaucracy and a complete absence of protectionism.
On the national level, the political context since 1991 (when the new Constitution was approved) is characterised by the restoration of the rule of law and the decentralisation of public administration. Presidential elections in 1991 were followed by multiparty parliamentary elections in 1992.
Parliamentary elections were held again in 1997. In this more open way of governing the country, the administration is at the service of the Executive (and ultimately of the people). Our country's administrators must be men and women possessing a high degree of professionalism and at the same time, prepared to accept criticism whenever necessary.
Also, let it not be forgotten that other influences want to have their say in running the country - the civil society, private enterprise, amongst others. They all claim their right to play a part in Burkina Faso's development, while at the same time insisting on their autonomy. These particular sections of society maintain that personal initiative and responsibility, all contribute positively to the nation's development.
Factors peculiar to the present way of running the country also call for a global reform. Rightly or wrongly, Burkina Faso's population have always been quick to place their administrators in the dock. The administrators are accused of many insufficiencies, preventing them from being catalysts for development. Two conferences on public administration were held in 1993 and 1995. Then during the period June 1994 to July 1995, all the government ministries were closely examined. This particular ministerial inspection clearly identified why things were going wrong in Burkina Faso's public administration. A good look was taken at the aims, areas of responsibility, structures, modus operandi, use of human, material and financial resources.
What was found? Emphasis was placed on organisational or managerial dysfunction; likewise, confusion, duplication of work, conflicts of authority - all resulting in wasted resources.
As regards work methods and practice, it was found that work programmes are not always established, resulting in un-planned work. Activity reports are frequently not completed, so those in charge cannot take appropriate action. A few people decide everything, resulting in a poor use of manpower. All this leads to a certain amount of laxity in the administration, and consequently the lowering of productivity. The absence of a real network of relationships in the administration itself, impedes the circulation of information between central structures and others.
All this means that Burkina Faso's present public administration is bedeviled by small but fatal weaknesses and complicated and intricate problems. From independence right up to the present day, Burkina Faso has done nothing to establish a set of regulations which really take into account the country's national, cultural, social and economic realities. In spite of the 1986 and 1988 reforms, Burkina Faso continues to encourage legal and managerial attitudes among its officials. It's a system characterised by "careerism".
Civil servants (39,091 out of a total of 40,729 state employees, according to the 1995 census) take full advantage of the present system. This includes: Security of employment; various administrative guarantees such as promotion to higher grades and/or scale of pay; guarantees of pension rights. Yet there's not much to be seen by way of better service to the public and greater loyalty to the state and its institutions.
There's also a tremendous amount of "comings and goings" among employees. People are employed under contract for a given job and only for a certain time, and only insiders can differentiate between these and full-time civil servants; the difference in their juridical and administrative situation is marginal.
Deficiencies are also observed in the regulations governing salaries. The system of remuneration remains rigid and unjust, from the fact that individual performances are not taken into account. Besides, more and more salaried people are taken on, which has to be taken into account when budgeting.
The budget for salaries has grown from 33.8 billion CFA francs in 1985 to 61.6 billion CFA francs in 1995, an increase of 82.4%. In 1989 the budget for salaries alone absorbed 82.3% of the income from taxation. Besides, the system of evaluating performance lacks objectivity. Professional formation, far from being a means of strengthening the technical capacity of services, has become merely a way of gaining promotion. The procedures for imposing sanctions are cumbersome and ineffective.
These findings are very serious and there are more and more demands for change in Burkina Faso's current set-up regarding its public administration. At the second session of the country's Economic and Social Council on 27 November last, President Blaise Compaoré said: "We have now begun to see together, how we can reform the country's administration. This should lay the foundations for an administration, capable of mobilising and channelling our collective energies and internal resources for the lasting development of our people. If this is to be achieved, the State must be universally respected and seen to be at the service of all its citizens".
President Compaoré is clear that the administration can only best discharge its functions, if Burkina Faso's citizens agree together on the objectives and aims of development, learning to shoulder together whatever burdens there may be. The same applies to sharing out the benefits of development. A challenge for all of us!
Proposed "remedies", aimed at correcting deficiencies in the functioning of the administration have been thought up. They gravitate round four cardinal points: large organisations, the use of human resources, large institutions and the maximisation of national experience.
A government-organised seminar was held at Tenkodogo from 15-18 October 1996. This resulted in a number of draft legal documents which were completed by taking on board amendments proposed by other interested social partners and groupings.
Meetings in the form of Workshops were organised during the course of 1997: at Goundi from 22-24 January, with the state-run and independent Press; at Koudougou from 5-7 February with workers' trade unions; at Bobo-Dioulasso from 14-16 February with senior officials and mayors; at Ouahigouya from 23-24 June with municipal councillors. Following each meeting, various propositions were submitted to members of the Economic and Social Council for discussion during its meetings held at Ouagadougou from 27 November-5 December 1997.
All these various meetings reached their climax 18-21 December 1997, with the conference on "The Role and Purpose of the State". Nineteen draft propositions were submitted to participants for amendment and to ensure the coherence of the whole. Some texts were scrapped, lacunae in others were completed. Reservations were expressed about some texts. After fruitful exchanges, the delegates decided to add two recommendations: one relating to the granting of administrative evaluation facilities, and another relating to creating a less cumbersome administrative structure.
Even though all these meetings were successfully concluded, it is nonetheless true that no general consensus was reached. Some trade union organisations (particularly Burkina Faso's Congress of Trade Unions and its affiliates) refused to have anything to do with the meetings, branding the reforms as "demagogic" and "anti-worker". Protest demonstrations are bound to take place. But in the meantime, those responsible for the reform are at the stage of "polishing" the texts with a view to submitting them to Parliament to be voted into law. And already some aspects of the reform have begun to be applied in some ministries.
For, even if a general agreement has not yet been reached, it can't be denied that reform is badly needed!
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