APRIL 11, 2019:Â Â DAILY SUN
Once the government was the employment generator. Even at the beginning of the industrial revolution, especially in Europe and consequently all over the world, most of the industries were state-owned. Gradually privatization started at the beginning of 19th century. Most of the attractive, prestigious and charming job is generated by the private sector. Private Job is attractive due to the working environment, handsome salaries unlimited prospects.
In recapping the history of the creation of jobs, nationalization and gradual privatization of industry, business and service sectors in our country we would find that at the time of partition of Bengal in 1947, there were 16,163 registered industrial enterprises in Pakistan. Out of those, only 252 were located in East Pakistan. The government of Pakistan then adopted a policy of promoting private entrepreneurship in industrial development and making the state a catalytic agent in the process. The government also set up industrial units, which it intended to sell to private entrepreneurs under build and transfer, or build, operate and transfer policy.
The government of Bangladesh inherited a private sector dominated industry sector, damaged heavily during the War of Liberation. Private owners, however, were mostly non-locals and abandoned enterprises leaving them in an unprotected environment. The government of Bangladesh promulgated Abandoned Properties Ordinance and Nationalization Order in 1972, took over all medium and large abandoned enterprises and had nationalized banks, insurance companies, big import houses and mills and factories in sectors such as chemical industries, sugar and food, shipbuilding and engineering, forest, jute and textile industries.
If we try to evaluate the status of government jobs, we would find that despite poor quality of facilities there is no malfunction until and unless a person change the job, less competitive environment, reservation system, poor technology and work ethics government job has a high security, more facilities, guaranteed monthly salary, lifelong pension, less workload, inevitable salary increment, more holidays, government quarters, free medical facilities, ration facilities, free allowances, more money from under the table, getting marriage proposal easily and greater social acceptability.
On the other hand- in the private sector there has been the pool of opportunities, one can always jump to the better company if a person is smart and a hard worker, there has been an opportunity for working abroad, application of cutting edge technologies and entrepreneurship. But the private job is, at the same time, full of insecurity, less payment for more holidays, autocratic and dictated administration/ownership, more competitiveness, more stress.
Nevertheless, if anyone would like to take challenges each and every day, want to really learn new things in a competitive environment and think of starting a company of his or her won one can certainly join the private sector.
But it always depends on social classes. If anyone is a lower level employee, he or she has a preference for government sector with better salaries and little work. Teachers, clerks, drivers, enjoy a far better life than their private sector counterparts. Imagine being a teacher in a government school. You start at 40,000 per month and retire at 1.2 lakh per month. Take 4 classes every day and enjoy numerous paid holidays. At medium levels, the government sector is only slightly better. Pay is comparable, work-life balance better. Job security is 100%. But there are some restrictions as well.
If anyone is looking for money and a fancy lifestyle, he or she would join the private sector. If anybody is a rare talent, job security is not a matter of concern at all. But on the other hand, if anyone is looking for power, recognition and meaningful work, he or she would join the government sector. Here personal greed should be sacrificed enjoying the spiritual part of it. Of course, there have been options and one can choose the darker side to be corrupt as well as to enjoy black money here too.
In our country, the government job was the first preference until the 70s and late 80s. Even during the 90s and the first decade of the 21st century most of the meritorious students would not prefer even BCS cadre jobs. During that period many meritorious job seekers who even got BCS Administration Cadre did quit the job for banks or other multinational companies due to comparatively lower facilities, salaries and lack of charms. But during the last decade, the popularity of the government job has increased.
What were the actual reasons behind this dramatic change? Naturally, human being has an infinite lust for money, powers, fame, and influence. If we look into the facilities, power exercise and lifestyle of the government job holder from top to bottom, we would find an incredible scenario. Civil administration, police department, local government armed forces are given incredible and attractive monetary and other facilities. They have also been given opportunities for exercising multi-dimensional power and influence during the last decade. As a result, many of them have tried to misuse those given power and invisible influences. And this scenario is attracting many ambitious youngsters to government jobs.
But how fair is this scenario? If anyone (not all of them in general) prefers government job for serving his own fortune exercising undue power, increasing wealth and property through various unfair means without serving the nation then what might be the ultimate consequences of the state of public administration? How could they represent the country to the whole world properly?
At the beginning of consecutive third term as head of the government, in a post-election televised speech to the nation, Prime Minister declared zero tolerance against all types of corruptions. If it happens in rarity then it would be a huge breakthrough against deeply rooted corruption, money laundering, bribery, willful bank loan defaulting, bank robbery, reserve robbery that had been taking place during the last decade freely, shamelessly and without facing any trial. This declaration against corruption could also definitely decline in the attraction of government job by a big percentage.
As a matter of fact, more meritorious, honest students should come to higher ranking government jobs as we have been witnessing the same trends during the last couple of years. Whatever might be the reasons behind this uprising popularity of government jobs- the big necessity here is that we must make our public administration smarter, updated, innovative, skillful and free from old fashioned corruptions. We should create an environment for our judges for upholding their honesty and integrity at any cost being foresighted and holder of strong moral principles. We should select those teachers for our colleges and universities who would become the nation builders being the role model for the students. Only then the nation could remain in the right track.
© Copyright: Reserved by the writer (Noore Alam Siddiqui)
