The decision to activate the Goa Staff Selection Commission which has been defunct from its very inception is a step in the right direction and about time too. But it needs to be ensured that Ministers and MLAs should have no role whatsoever directly or indirectly in the recruitment which should be done through a very transparent and meticulous process with merit being the sole guiding criteria in the selection of every government employee to any post. Integrity would also be a very desirable and necessary attribute if people are to have trust in the system and those serving them, something increasingly lacking of late!
As almost the entire senior bureaucracy is bowing and bending to the political bosses, it would be appropriate for this Commission to be headed by a retired High Court Judge to ensure that there is no political interference and manipulation in the selection of staff. Integrity of the selectors and transparency in the process must always be beyond question and doubt.
After the BJP in Goa came to power in 2012, we have seen thousands being brazenly recruited into government service with merit thrown to the winds. All this is reflecting today in the pathetic functioning of the government offices with very incompetent staff having managed to creep in by paying for their jobs or blessings of their political god fathers.
If we are to attract and retain high calibre quality staff and reap the benefits of a successful recruitment process, then it is imperative that we select staff based on merit and integrity and not on any political or financial inducements or any other bias.
The late Nelson Mandela placed great emphasis on these selection criteria with his famous quote’ My respect for human beings is based not on the colour of a man’s skin nor authority he may wield, but purely on merit’.
