Close on the heels of the recent NPSC selected lecturer’s appointment standoff, wherein the candidates who were selected after going through a competitive examination had to wait for almost three years because ‘contract’ lecturers had taken the matter to court, a similar dilemma is now haunting the LDAs selected through last year’s NPSC examinations. And those stonewalling the move—not surprisingly the Home department’s very own ‘Ad-hoc’ LDA appointees. In all probability, most of these Ad-hoc appointees would have got their jobs from ‘Ministers’ or through that one element, which is a key ingredient for success in Nagaland—political connections. Similar problem exist in regard to the appointment of Undergraduate teachers selected by the NPSC. It is the regularity with which such anomalies have been taking place, which is putting a serious question mark over the legitimacy of those being absorbed into the government system, not on merit but by hook and by crook.
What is equally amusing in all of this is the laxity with which the honorable court is able to grant the legal injunction which all for all intents and purposes has become the much needed tool to prolong the misery of those who are seeking justice. It appears that a ‘stay order’ is today becoming a ‘commodity’ where every Tom, Dick and Harry can get one without even the slightest of deliberation on the part of the court, which grants it. While no one is denying the democratic right of those who want to go to court, the point being raised is whether if it is at all necessary for the court to first deliberate properly before rushing to grant such stay orders, which may only serve the purpose of making a wrong a right and legitimizing the position of those who are using the system to achieve their vested interests.
If reports are indeed true about the NPSC-selected LDA candidates getting barred from receiving formal appointments to the Home department because of a complaint case filed against them by Ad-hoc LDA appointees, such a development is indeed a matter of serious concern. What is remarkable in all of the different episodes involving contract employees is that the battle lines are getting clearly demarcated—between the ‘old and the new’ i.e. those who want to exploit the present system and get away with it using this very system and the growing number of educated youths who are un-spoilt by the hazards of political manipulations and have a sincere desire to compete for public service. It is extremely unfortunate that those who manipulate the system and misuse power and pelf are winning the battle for their unjust cause. The present leadership in politics sadly is not helping the cause of those who are inculcated with the spirit of public service and would like to make a difference to governance, development and public welfare.
And when the government of the day encourages such kind of illegality, it sends out the wrong message for the thousands and thousands of educated unemployed youths—that they should forget about their hard earned qualification as it will not earn them even the opportunity to get employed because there will always be people and politicians who would give a damn care about meritocracy.
