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Making a
mockery of good governance
THE Federal Public Service Commission refused clearance to the Establishment
Division which wanted to give extensions to some retired military officers
serving on re-employment in civilian posts. In one case a retired Major
General had been serving for several years as Director General Post
Offices-a department which had nothing to do with his experience. Another
case in point is that of a retired Brigadier who is serving under the
Federal Education Ministry. The FPSC’s advice was ignored in their cases and
the officers were given extension and they continues to serve in those
positions to date.t Gradually, the Establishment division stopped seeking
FPSC’s mandatory advice as it felt the Commission had become a stumbling
block in its mission to introduce “ good governance”. Suddenly, a week back,
the law regulating terms and conditions of service of Chairman and Members
of the FPSC was amended through an ordinance thereby reducing their tenure
from five to three years. Resultantly three serving Members, Justice
(Retired) Abdul Rahman Khan, Mr. Javed Akram and Mr. Gul Hanif who had
served for more than three years, stood retired with immediate effect. The
tenure of the sitting Member Tariq Saeed Haroon, a former Secretary
Establishment, and Chairman Lt. Gen. (Retired) Jamshed Gilzar Kayani was
also reduced to three years. All these five high- profile individuals have
now challenged the vires of the Presidential Ordinance through a writ
[petition in the High Court alleging among others the manner in which
Establishment Division was violating the law in regard to appointments and
re-employment in senior positions in the Civil Administration. Never in the
history of this country where Governments after Governments have tried to
run the civilian affairs at times according to personal whims a Chairman of
FPSC has challenged Government action on account of ‘maladministration”.
Whatever the merits of the Government’s decision to reduce the tenure of top
FPSC functionaries, one thing is for sure that this action smacks of
malafides. It is generally perceived that the gulf between FPSC and the
powers that be had been widening over time on account of present
Commission’s principled stand on extension in re-employment of retired
military officers. Some senior civil service officers are enquiring as to
the rationale behind induction of retired military officers in civilian
positions, particularly those which have no relevance to their experience in
the armed forces. They are wondering as to why they are given civil
appointments when their bosses in the armed forces did not consider them fit
for further advancement in their own field. One may ask if the armed forces
would consider inducting senior civil officers against armed forces
positions. There are umpteen instances where the Establishment Division
bypassed rules in matter of giving appointments or extension to various
persons only because they had reportedly the right connections. One is
constrained to conclude that such important issues are being handled
according to personal likes and dislikes. This surely is not good
governance.
Encouraged by the wayward conduct of the Establishment Division various
ministries are also not lagging behind. For instance, in order to
accommodate a favourite with domicile of another province , the Federal
Health Ministry recently appointed him against a post advertised for FATA
and ignored a candidate from that area. Intriguingly, the Ministry instead
gave him appointment in a lower grade post with six increments though he had
never applied for that position.
This is indeed a mockery of often trumpeted “good governance”.
Guilty should be punished
Arrests of suspects in Hariri’s
murder should not be a cause for further instability. It is time for calm in
Lebanon. What has been taking place in that country for the past few days is
extraordinary.
The arrest of four prominent figures, including three former security
chiefs, in connection with the investigation into the assassination of
former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, is unprecedented in the history of
Lebanon.
Numerous assassinations and murders of prominent officials, including
presidents and prime ministers, were never solved. The arrests should come
as a sign that the country is on the right track to healing its past wounds
and establishing the rule of law. It should not be a cause for further
instability.
The events of the past few days could be the beginning of justice being done
to Hariri, as his son Sa’ad remarked soon after the three former chiefs were
taken into custody by the Lebanese security officials.
The mystery surrounding the assassination of Hariri, which transformed
Lebanon politically and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops, might
finally be solved. But is Lebanon really ready for the truth? This is the
real question that warrants an answer.
The fallout of the international probe may well affect the Lebanese system
as some MPs have already begun questioning the innocence of President Emile
Lahoud himself.
All along, he defended some of the suspects, especially his trusted chief of
the Republican Guard Mustafa Hamdan. The president is “finished”, boasted an
opposition MP.
The results may also create further divisions in the country. Lebanese
leaders are urged to treat the killing of the Sunni prime minister as a
political crime, which it is.
It should not be played up as a sectarian-motivated assassination. That
would not do well to a country, which has yet to overcome the fallouts of
its bloody civil war.
The guilty party should be punished. Hariri, his family and above all
Lebanon deserve that.
—Arab News
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