PERISCOPE

Quota or Merit In Bangladesh, 56 percent of government jobs are allocated on the quota basis and rest 44 percent on the merits. There is no other country in the world except Bangladesh where the quota is prioritized over the merit? This is a clear discrimination and wastage of merit. There is much logic in favor of keeping quota in public service but the question remains in regard to the quantity. Our constitution advocates for keeping reservations for the backward and disadvantageous section of people in public sphere but these reservations is a mere directory. The government may either can keep quota or abolish it but be guaranteeing non-discrimination is mandatory. Therefore, at first, the government should make sure that there exists no discrimination by any name or disguise. Then it may consider quota for the backward and disadvantageous section. But the descendants of freedom fighters are no longer backward and disadvantageous section. In the second week of April, hundreds of thousands of young people all over the country came out to the movement demanding the reformation of the current quota system. For those quota holders who think that they are the flag of our liberation war, can you tell me how many real freedom fighters have taken the certificate? My father went to the liberation war but he has no certificate. My grandmother cooked for three hundred freedom fighters and did not have the certificate. In 1971, our family gave shelter to many people at risk including Hindus. But there is no certification for this types altruism and service. Hundreds of such examples are available in the country. These fighters, who fought for the independence of the country, did not feel obliged to accept a certificate. The reality is that, apart from a few people in 71 who opposed our liberation, entire Bangladesh was in favor of independence. Many people in rural areas gave shelter to the freedom fighters risking their lives. So why they should not get the quota advantage? In addition, do any of the three million martyrs of the liberation war have the freedom fighter certificate? Do the raped women and children during the liberation war have freedom fighter certificate? That means that those who are seeking freedom fighter quota are actually seeking quotas for certificates. There is no doubt that those who fought for the liberation are the heroes of the nation. I agree that I will gladly accept quota or other benefits for those who are freedom fighters. But what did their children and grandchildren do so that they would have this unevenly distributed benefit? If the children or grandchildren of freedom fighters can be considered beneficial for what their father or grandfather did, why the children or grandchildren of people who opposed the liberation should not be brought to the book for what their father or grandfather did? Md. Shah Alom University of Dhaka