By H H Mohrmen
Government departments in Jowai are famous for nepotism. It is said that almost all local officers posted in the various departments owe their allegiance to whoever is in power. That is the reason why many engineers and officers remains in the same posting for more than three years. In fact it has become a tradition in Jowai that irrespective of their party affiliations MLAs will keep their favourite officers in the most important departments to control what is going on in that department.
The rot has become so familiar that people have become indifferent to nepotism and take it for granted that the MLA has every right to give preferential treatment to anyone be it on allotting contract work, appointing members of the District Selection Committee (DSC) and even ad-hoc appointments in government offices. It is a known secret that no contractor is allotted work if he does not bring a slip from the MLA and no appointment is made without the MLA’s consent. The example is particularly glaring in the PWD. If one cares to file an RTI on works allotted during the tenure of any particular MLA, one will find that works are allotted to the same set of contractors for every tender that is being floated during the tenure of that MLA. So if it is the tenure of a Congress MLA only his supporters are allotted works and if it is during the tenure of the UDP MLA, only his cohorts will benefit from any government contract and supply work.
Currently favouritism has reared its ugly head even more vigorously as the incumbent MLA of Jowai has appointed his relatives and near and dear ones in several departments and particularly those which he is in charge of. The MLA indulges in such practices with the help of many of these weak-kneed officers who have become his ‘Yes men’ and are at his beck and call. It is these officers who have forgotten that their duty is to serve the public and not the MLA. This has emboldened the Jowai MLA to boldly state during his last victory speech in which he publicly read out that he polled 9496 votes and declared openly that these are ‘his people.’
At a tea stall recently the owner (whom I know very well) told me that because of his unceasing support to the MLA of Jowai constituency two of his children had recently cleared the examination conducted by the West Jaintia hills DSC and both of them have a job now. The tea stall owner said he was rewarded because he is an ardent supporter of the MLA and had never switched sides. He proudly boasted that it was the MLA himself who had called to inform him that his children were selected.
Playing with the future of the youth is like playing with fire. In Jowai the DSC Secretary is changed at the whims and fancy of the MLAs and the Committee is treated like the MLAs’ personal fiefdom. It is alleged that only supporters of few MLAs were selected in the last DSC exam and others who showed no allegiance to any political party or politicians were placed on the waiting list. It was some of the young ladies who were placed on the waiting list in the results for the LDA posts who came to meet me and requested help from me. They knew that many offices have vacancies but the officers continue to temporarily fill the posts with their friends and relatives on ad-hoc basis without intimating the vacancies to the DSC. When the young ladies went to enquire they were told that there is no vacancy in their department and the ladies realized that if this is prolonged then in a year’s time their results would lapse. It was then that some of them approached me to file RTI on their behalf.
RTI on LDA posts lying vacant in all the departments in West Jaintia Hills was applied for and it also helped that during the same period the State Information Commissioner came to meet the head of departments in West Jaintia Hills and gave an elaborate power point presentation on the RTI Act at the DC’s Conference room, Jowai where almost all heads of department were present. The office of the Acting Deputy Commissioner also sent letters to all departments enclosing therewith the Government’s order prohibiting ad-hoc appointments and appointments on compassionate grounds. And just before the 30-day time lapsed the LDA posts lying vacant in various departments appeared thick and fast and information was given to the West Jaintia Hills DSC and the entire wait-list is now exhausted. I was told that DSC is planning to advertise for some more LDA posts lying vacant because there are still several posts that need to be filled.
But it was not as easy as it sounds. An officer in a certain department provided me with wrong information. We have evidence that on the same day that he replied to the RTI stating that there is no vacancy in his department he also extended the ad-hoc appointment of one employee. And in spite of giving him the opportunity to correct his mistake, the officer still stuck to his earlier stand and replied that there is no vacant LDA post in the office. It was then that I decided to meet the person in charge of the district administration and informed him that I planned to send a complaint against the officer to the State Information Commissioner. The DC requested me to give him some time to talk to the officer and make him realize the consequences of providing wrong information as per RTI Act. Later I came to know that the lady who was appointed on an ad-hoc basis is a supporter of the MLA of Jowai constituency, but thank to the DC’s intervention the officer later intimated the DSC that there is a vacancy in the department. Till the time of writing this article the District Statistical Officer, West Jaintia Hills continues to harass the candidate recommended by the DSC for appointment in the post as she is yet to be appointed.
A staff of a certain department called me to enquire if RTI was filed to all departments in the West Jaintia Hills District. When I replied in the affirmative she started telling me the truth and admitted that the office where she works also has a vacancy but it was not intimated to the DSC, because her relative was appointed to the post. There were cases where the LDA posts in the offices are lying vacant for over 5 years without informing the DSC and the departments continue with ad-hoc appointments till the RTI is filed. RTI replies also brought to light that there are cases like in the Agriculture Department, Jowai where appointment on compassionate grounds is still entertained in spite of the fact that the same has been done away with by the State Government.
The imbroglio reminds me of the incidents a few years ago when an MLA sent a friend requesting me to accept his recommendation of appointing me as one of the members of the DSC Jaintia Hills to which I humbly declined. And when I told my friends about the offer they all called me a fool for not accepting it. They told me that I should have accepted the offer and got my near and dear ones appointed in government service. My immediate response was that is precisely why I turned down the offer.
Two lessons can be learned from this experience. One that RTI is a very powerful tool to bring change in the society and one must use it at every available opportunity. Second, the government officer should refrain from being a stooge in the hands of politicians but instead act honestly for the welfare and the development of the country. Government agencies are expected to act fairly and in a just manner to instill trust and confidence on the young minds. It is only when we can do away with nepotism that we can expect to see a vibrant democracy.
