Editorial
Death due to despondency
Shun the culture of OSD
There must be something seriously wrong with a system which compels a public servant to take his own life. Shaidur Rahman, an employee at managerial level of the DCC, was struck off duty more than a year ago on charges of corruption but was neither given the opportunity to defend himself nor was his service terminated. And all this time, while he was paid his salary, he had nothing to do, being on virtual OSD. Being unable to endure the ignominy, he considered death a more preferable option.
The suicide of Shaidur Rahman is a grim reminder of the ill effects of a provision, an expedient that was well-intentioned, but has been abused and misused beyond recognition. One is constrained to ask whether the provision of sending an employee on OSD can be invoked by subordinate bodies of ministries - because it is the cabinet division only that has the authority to make people OSD. It is our understanding that there are a few more in the DCC, and also in other corporations, who are on so-called OSD. Do these have the approval of the government?
As of today more than 200 public servants are suffering the status of OSD, Regrettably, a provision that was meant to cater to a particular situation, this has become a form of punishment. It has become a tradition to send on OSD large number of public servants every time with the change of government, ostensibly because of their 'affiliation' with the erstwhile party-in-power.
Over the years this has become a tool of victimisation, a political weapon against those perceived to have been in the 'good books' of the erstwhile regime. It has nothing to do with competence or performance. On the contrary, competence and good performance have become the undoing of many. In fact, diligence of public servants during the tenure of one party in power has been seen in negative light by the other, and officers have been punished for being 'too closely affiliated' to the erstwhile regime.
When diligence and loyalty to the service turn out to be a bane in ones profession little wonder that there is an attitude of laissez-faire among some public servants; OSD has become a disincentive for honest workers.
We feel that the OSD culture has assumed an odious character apart from the fact that it is a drain on the exchequer. Nobody is apolitical and that includes the public servants too; but they should be judged entirely on their performance and merit. Those found wanting or have specific allegations must be dealt with according to the service rules and the law of the land. Certainly, putting officers as OSD is not an alternative.
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