The 'Public' in Public Service
For public office holders in a democratic state, it is clear who they are meant to serve and what their audience is: the public!
But in post-colonial ‘democratic’ states that have retained the colonial form of governance, the element of ‘public’ in public service has been non-existent, and the public office holders serve as a colonial bureaucracy to the power elite, whoever that may be.
However, that colonial bureaucracy is withering away, partly driven by institutional erosion and mostly by decentralized technology that has liberated the people to a great extent.
The chaos then we see today across the developing world is driven primarily by this transition from the old colonial-inspired governance model to a push for a decentralized democratic governance where the public is at the heart of governance.
There is a reason why, in the rare instances where public office holders in the developing world do their constitutional job of serving the public interest, they are worshipped as public heroes. Their legacy, rightly so, is built around their service to the public, not to any other “institution,” political party, or business tycoon, as lucrative (or threatening) as it may be.
There is an opportunity for us here to bring the “public” back into public office/service by celebrating and rewarding those who stand by and fight for the public so that there is an incentive for more public office holders to guard and serve the public interest, no matter the pressures, costs, and incentives to do otherwise. Essentially, we need to change the payoff matrix for public office holders to make it easier for them to speak truth to power and fight for public interest as a better alternate to serving oversized institutions, political dynasties, and contractors that have little to offer than service extensions and loot money that comes with a baggage of dishonour and disgrace.
But there is no law that will be able to decolonize the postcolonial developing states—only a handful of individuals in public office with a sense of our colonial past (and present), moral and ethical high standards, and a clear recognition of who they serve in public office.
One of the main issues with Public Service is ethics; this is perhaps more noticeable in underdeveloped countries where citizens resort to bribery and corruption to obtain the benefits of such services, creating a very insidious and toxic culture that permeates the government's legislation. It is very difficult to fight without implementing drastic measures. Moreover, no one in the political spheres would risk their political power in such a gamble because, without solid political support, it is impossible to get rid of it. Some governments fall into narratives that this is the product of colonialism, which is a very reproachable and poor excuse for a lack of national leadership and national character.