Cronism and Nepotism

One day, I was asked by our former Administrative Officer to be a member of a committee in recruiting some new officers for our office. Just before the interview, I was told that it was not necessary for me to be there . Later I came to know that one of the officers being selected was related to my former boss and the interviewer replacing me was his crony in the office. It’s a hypocrisy that my former boss is a part of team who tries to fight corruption in Bhutan today. He is one man that Bhutan should consider studying upon as a very flourishing specimen. A crony himself, he likes people to crony him. He is a successful man today and I am very jealous of him. I marvelled at the way he kept on extending contract of his class ten passed nephew in the office and later employed him permanently.The nephew has become a fishbone inside the neck. He can neither be swallowed nor can be taken out.

Nepotism has been there in our system for ages and it would continue to be there. Many people do not have faith in the kind of job interviews that are being carried out today in Bhutan. Many feel that the the candidates would have already been pre-selected.

It would take another 45 years for Bhutan to be corruption free. By that time all the seasoned bureaucrats that we have today would have died with all the complications. The reason why many young Bhutanese are frustrated, whether working or looking for work is that we have become the victim of the system that has too many flaws. The present system has bred maggots like cronies. If one looks at every ministry, departments and agencies, there are some cronies enjoying favours at the cost of many honest staff and officers.

Its a food for thought on Anti Corruption week. Culture of cronism needs to be studied at depth. It is eating into the morale of every honest workers in the offices.