Restructuring quota system: A demand of millions

Rampant abuses of the quota system will result in the creation of a generation of disabled high officials

It is neither the demand of a few individuals nor is it the demand of some particular groups, it is virtually the heartfelt demand of each and every sensible individual of Bangladesh to bring about some desirable changes in the existing quota system in government services so that more competent and eligible job-seekers can get some landing space in public services. As a conscious citizen as well as a responsible guardian I unequivocally lend my wholehearted support to   the rightful and just cause of the millions of our prospective nation builders full of vibrant potentialities.

Denying this legitimate demand categorically means that we are ignoring the cause of our own children who are, frankly speaking, the genuine owners of Bangladesh. Their core point is the scraping or revising this quota system in government job distribution and reservation system which has been discriminating innumerable number of genuinely competent job-seekers over the years. Truly, their legitimate right of getting appointed in the government services upon fair competition is being denied by this system. What they really want is either rescinding or restructuring the freedom fighter, tribal, women and zilla quota by bringing about some urgently required changes in the breakdown.

Students and especially the students of DU have been campaigning for quite a long time and as a part of this process organized a rally at Shahbag on March 14. Police used tear shells and picked up some activists and thus dispersed the rally. A peaceful rally or a demonstration for making known the demand cannot be silenced by excessive use of force. In no way, getting impatient and intolerant at the slightest provocation cannot be the language of freedom and an open-ended culture. It is the least minimum civilized norm to listen to as well as to give him/her some space irrespective of his/her identity.

No doubt the use of force becomes inevitable in some unavoidable circumstances but this use of force comes only after the failure of the parties concerned in the negotiation table. Bypassing the culture of negotiation and the tradition of hearing from the counterparts, it has become the reigning practice to silence the voice of opponents. It can be anything but not the democratic reply to a peacefully organized rally for just demands.  

No true freedom fighter fought for the country in our great Liberation War in the hope of getting returns especially the material ones. Actuated and motivated by the fiery sentiments of love for the country, these valiant sons of the soil took arms and trashed their lives for the great cause of independence. This unalloyed patriotism makes up the core spirit of the genuine freedom fighters. The only thing, I firmly believe, the true freedom fighters did actually want was nothing other than true love and respect from their countrymen. Of course, it is our sense of gratitude out of which we will have to do something for them. 30% government job reservation for the freedom fighters is a sort of benefit package which is otherwise called quota system.

Along with freedom fighters, quota system reserves 10% vacancies for women, 10% for district category, 5% for tribal people and 1% for physically and mentally challenged people and thus quota system makes up 56% of the total government appointments. The remaining 44% government job vacancies are filled up from the talent pool on the basis of competitive exams. The driving spirit behind introducing quota system is to help the helpless and to aid the unaided but this package was not at all meant to stay as a sort of permanent settlement to deprive the genuinely deserved rights and shares of competent ones on state benefits and wealth.  

Absorbing the freedom fighters in government jobs through the prevailing quota system is undeniably a welcome decision and a right initiative in the right direction. Obviously, it is a liability of the nation to pay back its valiant sons who have presented us with an independent Bangladesh. But when the benefit package meant to reach out to the genuine freedom fighters falls in the hands of the fake ones then it is a matter of serious concern. The ground realities in this respect project horrifying scenarios of mismanagement and irregularities.

A survey published only recently reports that 70% of the allotted freedom fighters quota goes to the ones who are not actually freedom fighters, their sons or daughters or grandchildren. Freedom fighters and their sons are alright and welcome. But it is ethically unconvincing that the grandchildren of the freedom fighters will enjoy the special state privileges. Third generation entertainment and state patronage in the name of freedom fighter quota is a sheer wastage of national wealth in one hand and disgracing the epic dignity of our freedom fighters on the other. We have no right to tarnish the larger-than-life image of our freedom fighters just for the sake of our own mercenary gains. Similar is the case with other quotas.

Rampant abuses of the quota system will result in the creation of a generation of disabled high officials who lead the country towards an inevitable pandemonium. It is time we took actions before the bubbles snowball into a social catastrophe.

 

 

The writer, Assistant

Professor of English in

Bogra Cantonment Public School & College, is a contributor to

The Independent.

E-mail: [email protected]

Restructuring quota system: A demand of millions

Rampant abuses of the quota system will result in the creation of a generation of disabled high officials

It is neither the demand of a few individuals nor is it the demand of some particular groups, it is virtually the heartfelt demand of each and every sensible individual of Bangladesh to bring about some desirable changes in the existing quota system in government services so that more competent and eligible job-seekers can get some landing space in public services. As a conscious citizen as well as a responsible guardian I unequivocally lend my wholehearted support to the rightful and just cause of the millions of our prospective nation builders full of vibrant potentialities. Denying this legitimate demand categorically means that we are ignoring the cause of our own children who are, frankly speaking, the genuine owners of Bangladesh. Their core point is the scraping or revising this quota system in government job distribution and reservation system which has been discriminating innumerable number of genuinely competent job-seekers over the years. Truly, their legitimate right of getting appointed in the government services upon fair competition is being denied by this system. What they really want is either rescinding or restructuring the freedom fighter, tribal, women and zilla quota by bringing about some urgently required changes in the breakdown. Students and especially the students of DU have been campaigning for quite a long time and as a part of this process organized a rally at Shahbag on March 14. Police used tear shells and picked up some activists and thus dispersed the rally. A peaceful rally or a demonstration for making known the demand cannot be silenced by excessive use of force. In no way, getting impatient and intolerant at the slightest provocation cannot be the language of freedom and an open-ended culture. It is the least minimum civilized norm to listen to as well as to give him/her some space irrespective of his/her identity. No doubt the use of force becomes inevitable in some unavoidable circumstances but this use of force comes only after the failure of the parties concerned in the negotiation table. Bypassing the culture of negotiation and the tradition of hearing from the counterparts, it has become the reigning practice to silence the voice of opponents. It can be anything but not the democratic reply to a peacefully organized rally for just demands. No true freedom fighter fought for the country in our great Liberation War in the hope of getting returns especially the material ones. Actuated and motivated by the fiery sentiments of love for the country, these valiant sons of the soil took arms and trashed their lives for the great cause of independence. This unalloyed patriotism makes up the core spirit of the genuine freedom fighters. The only thing, I firmly believe, the true freedom fighters did actually want was nothing other than true love and respect from their countrymen. Of course, it is our sense of gratitude out of which we will have to do something for them. 30% government job reservation for the freedom fighters is a sort of benefit package which is otherwise called quota system. Along with freedom fighters, quota system reserves 10% vacancies for women, 10% for district category, 5% for tribal people and 1% for physically and mentally challenged people and thus quota system makes up 56% of the total government appointments. The remaining 44% government job vacancies are filled up from the talent pool on the basis of competitive exams. The driving spirit behind introducing quota system is to help the helpless and to aid the unaided but this package was not at all meant to stay as a sort of permanent settlement to deprive the genuinely deserved rights and shares of competent ones on state benefits and wealth. Absorbing the freedom fighters in government jobs through the prevailing quota system is undeniably a welcome decision and a right initiative in the right direction. Obviously, it is a liability of the nation to pay back its valiant sons who have presented us with an independent Bangladesh. But when the benefit package meant to reach out to the genuine freedom fighters falls in the hands of the fake ones then it is a matter of serious concern. The ground realities in this respect project horrifying scenarios of mismanagement and irregularities. A survey published only recently reports that 70% of the allotted freedom fighters quota goes to the ones who are not actually freedom fighters, their sons or daughters or grandchildren. Freedom fighters and their sons are alright and welcome. But it is ethically unconvincing that the grandchildren of the freedom fighters will enjoy the special state privileges. Third generation entertainment and state patronage in the name of freedom fighter quota is a sheer wastage of national wealth in one hand and disgracing the epic dignity of our freedom fighters on the other. We have no right to tarnish the larger-than-life image of our freedom fighters just for the sake of our own mercenary gains. Similar is the case with other quotas. Rampant abuses of the quota system will result in the creation of a generation of disabled high officials who lead the country towards an inevitable pandemonium. It is time we took actions before the bubbles snowball into a social catastrophe. The writer, Assistant Professor of English in Bogra Cantonment Public School College, is a contributor to The Independent. E-mail: [email protected]