A major cause of corruption is the discretionary powers available to our bureaucracy and politicians, which was inherited from colonial rulers.

Bureaucracy is an important part of the government structure and without its reform good governance is not possible.

Most developed countries provide their civil servants some form of protection against the coercive pressures of politicians.

The civil servant should be able to stand up to the political pressure.

The obstacle that they can put up to resist pressure is to delay the implementation of decisions that they disagree with. Also, honest civil servants are reluctant to make decisions or sign documents even where they agree with the content.

Unfortunately the current system works to the advantage of the corrupt. They have the means to plea bargain with for instance, the NAB as well as hire good legal service. I know of more than one honest civil servants who have gone bankrupt defending corruption allegations due to the legal costs.

Not to mention the trauma and strain of persecution and the unduly long judicial process.

Military governments lack political support and tend to destroy any center of resistance/disagreement.

Politicising the police, the bureaucracy and the judiciary has destroyed the system and the rule of law. If we are to improve governance, and we really have no choice, we should create an environment for honest civil servants to be brave, to take the right decisions and to speak up.

This requires changes in the civil service rules whereby, while held accountable, civil servants should have access to quick justice and adequate protection against victimisation. Recruitment and promotion should be on merit and not personal whims.

KHALID IRFAN RAHMAN Lahore