A professional, even-handed and efficient public administration greatly depends on the integrity, effectiveness and credibility of the PSC. However, partisan appointment of chairman/members, leakage of question papers over the years, and bribe taking by a few members and officials have contributed to a grave erosion of credibility of the PSC. Transparency International Bangladesh's (TIB) study (March) also reveals that only 1.85% BCS examinees have full trust in the PSC.

The TIB study shows that the effectiveness and independence of the PSC fundamentally depend on two factors: the willingness of the government, and the structural and institutional strength of the PSC.

But during the last 35 years, all successive governments have used the PSC as an institute for partisan recruitment, and also kept it structurally and institutionally dysfunctional. Recently, six members resigned from the PSC.

One of them is absconding, facing allegations of abuse of power. Like the previous governments, the present government has also appointed a new chairman and two new members in the PSC without maintaining transparency.

Removal of the chairman, members and corrupt officials from constitutional bodies like the PSC is not a sustainable remedy. Without bringing reforms in the structural (i.e., legal and official mandates/documents) and institutional areas of the PSC, the recruitment policies of the government, and the examination system, the PSC can never be made free from corruption. But the government has still not touched these fundamental areas of reforms in the PSC. However, the following reform measures may be undertaken.

Transparent appointment
The PSC should be composed of chairperson/member(s) with impeccable professional excellence, knowledge and experience of public administration, political neutrality, moral courage, personality and commitment, and undisputed integrity and credibility. Necessary legal provisions should be made in this regard before appointment of the rest of the members in PSC.

Constitutional search committee
A search committee may be formed for appointment of persons in all constitutional bodies, including PSC, of the republic without controversy. The committee may be comprised of 5-7 members, like the prime minister, chief justice, leader of the opposition in the Parliament, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), an eminent retired civil servant, and a non-partisan and professionally acclaimed educationist/civil society/media person with similar credibility. It should avoid making a partisan search committee again. The experience of Nepal, Sri Lanka and South Africa may be used here.

Independence and accountability
The PSC must be granted full independence, befitting the challenge facing it. The Commission must have internal self-regulatory and transparency mechanisms in place, and it must report to the Parliament through the Standing Committee on Public Service.

Specific, effective, and transparent accountability measures should be ensured for everyone in the PSC. Statements of income, expenditure and assets of the chairman, all its members and staff, and their immediate family members, must be declared, and regularly updated through website.

Investigation of PSC's corruption
The ACC may be called upon to investigate all sorts of irregularities and corruptions at all levels, including the former and present chairman, members, officers and employees, and their dependents. The investigation should include all recruitments, especially from the 20-27th BCS exams, since 1991.

Status/rank
The status/rank of PSC chairman should be made equivalent to a minister, and members should be equivalent to the judges of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. The secretary of PSC should be made equivalent to the secretary of the government.

Code of ethics
It should introduce an Integrity Statement for PSC. The empirical experience from South Africa and developed nations may be considered in this regard.

Anti-corruption hotline
A hotline (phone number or mail box) may be introduced in the office of the ACC to receive all sorts of complaints related to irregularities and corruption in the PSC. The Special Reform Committee on PSC and ACC may jointly explore the specific structure and working procedure of this hotline.

Initiatives should be taken to assess the assets and liabilities of all the staff, and their dependents, in the PSC through the National Board of Revenue, and to regularly update the same.

Ombudsman
An independent and effective Ombudsman is necessary for settling the disputes, dissatisfactions and allegations.

Citizen's committee on PSC
A committee of concerned citizens, composed of persons with proven integrity, efficiency and commitment, may be constituted to keep watch on the activities and performance of the PSC, and to suggest measures to make it efficient and honest.

Citizen's charter
As per recommendation of the Public Administration Reform Commission (2000), a citizen's charter may be introduced for PSC. This initiative will certainly contribute in restoring the credibility of the PSC.

Review examination system
An examination and recruitment reform committee may be formed immediately to modernise the examination and recruitment system for meeting the challenges for the civil service of the 21st century. The existing generalised exam system should be abolished, and cadre-specific examination should be introduced to ensure efficiency and professionalism in service.

Credible examination system
Measures should be taken to ensure equitable, credible, and merit-based recruitment. There must be complete abolition of partisan, political, or any other influence in the recruitment, and completion of exams within a very short time.

The examination system followed by IBA of Dhaka University, and internationally reputed exams like GRE, Gmet, Sat etc., may be considered in this regard. A set of transparent guidelines, consisting of the examination rules and the recruitment process, should be prepared and made available to the public.

It should ensure a transparent and effective guideline/manual for the viva-voce. The examination system should ensure evaluation of all exams and tests by relevant, skilled and credible examiners.

Quota system
The existing quota system for freedom fighters and districts should be reviewed to conform to new realities. At least 75% of places should be on purely merit basis, while the remaining may be distributed for action on the basis of gender, and ethnic and religious identity.

Access to information
The result sheets of all examinees (both successful and unsuccessful) must be published on the website. The existing restrictions against challenging the result of examinations should be abolished.

Institutional reforms

• The secretariat should be re-arranged, with competent persons in the appropriate positions. A human resource unit should be established at PSC, with special emphasis on training and capacity building of the staff. Necessary legal provisions should be made to ensure non-partisan appointments, postings, rewards and punishments in PSC.
• The staff should be recruited through an independent and credible institution, like IBA of Dhaka University. Recruitments, postings and incentives -- both negative and positive -- of the PSC staff should be purely on the basis of competence and integrity. The corrupt officials should be put on trial.
• A website should be set up, containing all the information that the citizens should have, in order to restore the Commission's credibility and public trust. Initiative should also be taken to modernize the exiting office management.
• There should be a complaint box to receive all complaints and suggestions from its service recipients. All complaints and suggestions should be duly addressed, and the results made public.

A special reform committee on PSC may be formed to accomplish the above recommendations, with special emphasis on neutrality, independence and effectiveness of the PSC, rather than replacement of its members only.

Md. Rezaul Karim is Researcher, Transparency International, Bangladesh.