One of the fundamental prerequisites for good governance is the distinction between the party and the government. This stood blurred and now seems to be totally removed now. We are compelled to come to this conclusion because of the reported verbal rapping the Vice Chancellor (VC) and the Pro-VC of Rajshahi University was administered by Khairuzzaman Liton, the president of Rajshahi City Awami League, for refusing to entertain the list of AL party cadres provided by him for recruitment in the university administration.

The cat is out of the bag regarding the pervasive politicisation of the administration, including public universities, when Liton charged the RU VC and Pro-VC that it was not because of their qualifications but because they were involved in AL politics for which they were made the VC and Pro-VC, and that it would not take the local AL much time to remove them from office.

We are heartened by the VC's stand in this regard and his refusal to violate the recruitment rules. But more than that, the matter reveals the deep malady - that of the insidious politicisation of institutions. It looks as if all government jobs are meant for the AL party men only, fit or unfit - as if it were their right! 

We request the ruling party leader to look beyond the immediate satisfaction of having party cadres employed in various government institutions. The PM should look at the long term harmful consequences that such employment is causing to the institutions. If heads of the public universities are under so much pressure from ruling party leaders, we wonder what sort of pressure other less important or visible institutions of the government are enduring to meet the illegal demands of the party. The long-term cost of destroyed institutions is incalculable.