Unseemly scenes were witnessed in the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Nongstoin on Tuesday and Wednesday in a row over the hiring process of contractual nurses.
The local MDC, Juristman Iawphniaw, is right as an elected representative to have raised the issue when he came to know about alleged bribery to secure jobs but there is a huge question mark over the way this was done.
On Tuesday Iawphniaw barged into the ongoing interview process for nurses, interrupting it and forcing a suspension. Today, the Voice of the People Party (VPP) MDC and others tried to forcefully gain access to the DC office compound after reportedly being made to wait outside the gates for 2 hours.
All of this could have been avoided.
The district administration reacted surprisingly forcefully yesterday, condemning the unauthorised entry and disruption of Iawphniaw. A press note, signed by the DC, Hema Nayak, did not mince words despite Iawphniaw being an elected official.
Whatever fears the first-time MDC had about the process, his actions would surely have been disturbing and distressing to the interviewees, who would have prepared intensely for the job interview.
Iawphniaw claims to have evidence that the nursing posts can be obtained through bribery and the VPP today said that he had raised the matter earlier in the month but the administration had not acted, which supposedly prompted his attention-grabbing disruption. Somewhat amusingly, today he claimed that the interview process could not have been filmed (as is the case to aid transparency) as Nongstoin had a powercut yesterday – apparently he does not know that video cameras can be powered by battery.
Today, the district administration has decided to constitute an inquiry and everyone will hope it will clear the air on the recruitment process.
Unfortunately, it is not unheard of for bribery being used to secure government posts. It is widely believed (though with little evidence, it has to be said) that government contracts are won through corruption, that those closest to politicians get favoured, that ministers would push for police recruits to be hired from their constituencies, etc etc. New measures are supposed to curb these bad practices but in a state where corruption is often the norm rather than the exception, the public can be forgiven for being cynical.
