Badrul Huda Sohel :
In recent times, media outlets have brought back a little bit of respite among us on the issue of corruption by publishing astounding information about the ins and outs of high-ranking government officials of different departments.
These horrendous cases of corruption during their holding offices and in retirement are like the flip side of a coin. A private TV channel has recently identified another chapter of PSC, the key gateway to enter those positions, as on the reverse side of it. Before discovering the unseen issues in it, a glimpse at higher educational institutions will ease to reach the crux.
Just when the evidence of corruption in each layer is being exposed one by one, the university teachers’ abstention program rejecting the ‘Prottyo’ pension scheme, monthly financial security under some conditions in retirement, imposed by the government from July 1, arrested the eyes of the government and the mass.
Although the movement cannot shake the government much, just a couple of days later another abrupt movement of university students sparked the furor against the quota system in government jobs, leaving not only the capital, but almost the whole country apparently to a standstill.
As per news reports, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has already arrested 17 people including two deputy directors and an assistant director of PSC. The treachery of Syed Abed Ali, the driver of a PSC chairman, accused and arrested of being one of the masterminds of question leak rackets, has deepened our concern. Merely a driver is not so powerful that he can do the herculean task of leaking questions from tight security without anyone’s help. A confessional video of the driver is now circulating on social media.
The situation now raises some questions- How did he get crores of taka if he was not involved in the business of question leak? Who were the accomplices with him? What steps will the PSC take against those who are now BCS cadres with the unlawful help of these culprits? If the allegations against the PSC are found true, what kind of toll will the institution pay as its liability? Is this the solution to fire anyone from the service? If the virus remains in the antidote, then who will do the task of chasing the virus away?
Bangladesh Public Service Commission is a constitutional entity. Perhaps this is the only institution on which people of all strata of the country including students, teachers and parents have trusts, reliance and confidence as the body is believed to act as a filter for entry into higher government positions.
Till now this is the beacon of hope for the job aspirants. If the question leak goes in the darkness under the lamp, then to whom the unemployed will go? If the untalented, incompetent and dunce are recruited for government jobs keeping the talented ones in fool’s paradise, then good governance will unquestionably remain a far cry. And, if the situation goes unchecked, corruption that we see today, will grasp the country like an octopus from all around. Since the finger of irregularities is pointed at the PSC, the institution now needs to prove itself to be free from taint.
Otherwise, more problems or questions may arise later. For instance, those who are studying burning midnight oil intending to appear at different recruitment tests under PSC may lose their hearts, resulting in producing poor bureaucrats in the days to come. If anyone grabs the government job, a golden deer called by many, in exchange for money, then with whom the government is dreaming of a corruption-free country?
BCS, to many, is the first choice, irrespective of the rich and the poor of the country. Students today consider this very exam to be the definition of success. Even the semi-literate father in the village of a university student knows what BCS is. That is why every day he urges his son to always remain attentive to his studies. No father’s dream can be allowed to get stuck in the malpractice of question racketing.
PSC has now included a chapter on ‘Ethics, Values and Good Governance’ in the BCS preliminary syllabus and questions on this are set in the preliminary test. Now that PSC has stressed ethics, values and good governance, then it should be clarified that PSC itself embodies the qualities mentioned above.
The commission has a long history of conducting recruitment examinations free from any external intervention as transparency and impartiality are always believed here to be maintained.
There is also a latent stipulation among the job aspirants to bring all other government recruitment tests under PSC due to its long reputation of formulating questions and conducting recruitment tests with objectivity and credibility.
Although the PSC has clarified its explanation and stance regarding the complaint through a press release on July 8, still it needs to think more cautiously about the issues so that no one from any corner can tarnish the image of this independent body. It is certainly undesirable to push the educated youths to a dead-end through a gagged quota system and question leaks.
(Mr. Shohel is Assistant Professor and Head Department of English, Ishakha International University, Kishoreganj).