On Tuesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant made a startling and bold announcement at the Mega Job Fair at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium. He stated that his government has decided to fill all vacancies through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). Very soon, all Class B and C posts will be under the purview of the SSC, eliminating political interference in the selection process.
This is a significant and challenging decision, given the controversial past attempts to bring in SSC. It may be recalled former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar faced stiff resistance from his ministers after he tried to introduce the Staff Selection Commission in 2016. The SSC has been in and out of the system. Politicians detest such recruitment filtration because it creates a roadblock to their political goals. In the run-up to the 2022 Assembly election, the SSC was again shown the door, and recruitment became a political fiefdom once more.
In the current context, defecting MLAs have used ‘promises of jobs’ to salvage their situation and justify their political switch. At least three of the eight MLAs involved in the mid-September defection have openly admitted that jobs to local youth are one of the primary reasons for joining the BJP bandwagon. Jobs for votes have been the trend, and that’s the brutal reality of political influences.
Sawant has set the tone as he emphasised that a job seeker for recruitment should seek ‘no political’ interference. “It is a wrong concept to go to MLAs seeking government jobs”, he said. Undoubtedly, the decision on Staff Selection Commission will hurt a few in the cabinet who largely rely on ‘job quotas’ to create vote banks, and the scheduled meeting with the CM is a testimony of the discontentment within.
The two quick decisions recently taken on streamlining manpower reflect an acknowledgement of the “grey areas” and an intent to course-correct. The announcement of “forced retirement” to discipline errant and non-performing government staff and enforce a fair and unbiased recruitment system are decisions that must be commended.
Sawant appears to have finally found his mojo. Taking critical decisions in the larger interest of the State by overriding the individual interests of his colleagues in the government are clear indicators that he is not be swayed by “power lobbies” in his dispensation. For a State that has been shamed by numerous controversies and scams of recruitment in departments like Goa Police, PWD, Health Services and others, to the extent that the High Court of Bombay has to intervene and scrap posts, there was a dire need to put a system in place.
It is to be seen whether Sawant walks his talk and passes a strong message to his colleagues in the government or whether he blinks and beats a retreat to appease them. If there is some seriousness in tackling joblessness, streamlining recruitment should be the first step. Let merit prevail over political influences, and no injustice be done to deserving candidates, especially in the grim scenario that we are in. Sawant’s actual test of leadership is here.
