The State government expected to be on a firm footing for the 2022 polls by having recruited 10,000 persons in different departments before the election schedule would be announced and the process abruptly halted. Jobs for youth was the government’s trump card for the elections and it is well on the way to achieving that figure of 10,000 jobs, with the government even doing away with the services of the Staff Selection Commission in order to speed up the process. There was no way it could go wrong in this, but as the date for the elections inches closer, this plan could well get derailed, as there is discontent within the party itself on the manner in which the process is being taken.
When MLAs from the ruling party are making public statements that government jobs are being sold, it means that the recruitment process is flawed. This is not just the opposition making allegations but the ruling party’s own MLAs who are loudly and clearly accusing specific ministers of corruption in the recruitment process. A group of three MLAs from the ruling party even confronted the Dean of the Goa Medical College over reports the 80 per cent of the jobs at the medical institute were going to people of two constituencies. One of the MLAs also levelled allegations that jobs in the PWD were being sold. Denials from the ministers notwithstanding, these are allegations that need to be taken seriously and the government cannot ignore them.
Until now, there appears to be complete unwillingness on the part of the government to take any action on the charges being levelled against the ministers. The party has stayed away from the controversy, stating that it is a matter for the government to decide upon. The latter is mum on the issue, though it is facing a barrage of allegations from the opposition and its own MLAs. Ignoring the problem will not drive it away as political parties are planning to make it an election issue. Some have already said that they will institute in the issue when they come to power. But what about the MLAs from the treasurey benches who have been raising the issue?
The MLAs have options other than merely speaking out to the media. There is a Lokayukta who can be petitioned to adjudicate on the matter. Will the MLAs making the allegations of jobs for cash approach the Lokayukta and get a probe instituted? Or is what they are doing an election gimmick to portray a clean image?
All recruitments in government service must be conducted in an impartial and transparent manner. The government has to come clean on the process. An inquiry is the least it should institute by keeping the appointments in abeyance till the inquiry is complete and if need be it should even cancel all the appointments that have been made. This is a democracy and the practice in such instances is that when there is an allegation of graft, it should lead to the immediate institution of an inquiry and the resignation of the minister. Neither of this has happened in Goa despite the many allegations that have been made in the past days.
Corruption charges lead to a lack of confidence in the government and with elections mere weeks away, this could play a major role in how the people choose who they would like to vote. Should the opposition make capital out of the matter – and currently all parties have got into it – the government could be fighting a major battle in the campaign. If the government has nothing to hide, it should institute an inquiry and let the truth prevail. That is the least expected from the government. It just cannot disregard the allegations which are extremely serious in nature.
