Inu: 70% of current recruitment is merit-based

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said the quota system was neither sacrosanct nor a permanent system, and it can be reviewed and recast according to the needs of the time. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already asked Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader to review the quota system and he is in dialogue with the agitators about it, Inu said while addressing a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday. Citing data from a number of recent recruitments in the public service sector, the minister said 70% of current public service recruitment is based on merit and not on any quota. "Yes, there is a quota system," the minister said. "But there is also a clear direction that if an adequate number of qualified persons is not found through the quota system the positions would be fulfilled by those recruited on the basis of merit. "This directive has been given by the government of Sheikh Hasina," he said. He also said the prime minister had already directed officials to examine the prevailing quota system and the matter had been publicly disclosed by Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader. He said quotas for disadvantaged people and regions is enshrined in the constitution and it is a form of positive discrimination to promote them. There is nothing wrong with it, he added. Inu criticized those who were taking advantage of the situation and trying to draw political dividends. He condemned the attack on the residence of the Dhaka University vice-chancellor and said BNP and Khaleda Zia had openly supported all forms of subversive activities, including the BDR mutiny, the Hefazat mayhem, and now the anti-quota anarchy. He requested all those involved in the movement to refrain from any violent acts or anything that can disrupt civic life or property. He also condemned the status given in different social media that not only criticized the quota system for freedom fighters but also ridiculed the liberation war. "This is rather unfortunate. And it clearly shows what the real intent of some of the agitators is, "he said. He asked the street agitators to trust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she had entrusted her party's general secretary to engage in a dialogue with them.