Editor,
On the occasion of the 77th Republic Day, the people of Arunachal Pradesh witnessed the announcement of state awards honouring various individuals and departments for their service. However, a closer look at the award list reveals a glaring and deeply unsettling contradiction that demands a public explanation.
The state government has rightly conferred the gold medal (posthumously) upon late Gyamar Padang. This is a well-deserved recognition for a brave whistleblower who sacrificed everything to expose the rot within our examination system. He is a hero who stood for transparency and fought against the systemic corruption that was destroying the future of our youths.
However, immediately preceding his name, sits the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) – the very recipient of a gold medal in the same breath.
This juxtaposition is not just surprising; it is baffling to the public conscience.
We are compelled to ask the following questions:
# How can the ‘whistleblower’ and the ‘accused institution’ share the same podium?
By honoring late Gyamar Padang, the government acknowledges that corruption existed and that exposing it was a meritorious act. Yet, by simultaneously awarding the APPSC – an institution currently under the cloud of those very investigations – the government sends a confusing signal. Are we honouring the cure and the disease at the same time?
# What is the metric for the APPSC’s ‘excellence’?
For decades, the commission has faced allegations of incompetence and an inability to conduct fair, transparent competitive examinations. Even today, AE aspirants are in agitation, seeking justice and reforms. In the eyes of the public, the commission is currently in a crisis of credibility. Rewarding an institution that has yet to fully regain the trust of the state’s youths feels premature and insensitive to the thousands of aspirants who have suffered due to its past failures.
# Is this a message of reform or denial?
If the award is meant to acknowledge recent reforms within the APPSC, it stands in stark contrast to the reality on the ground where students are still protesting. To award a gold medal to the commission now appears to gloss over the deep-rooted issues that late Padang fought to expose.
We, the public of Arunachal Pradesh, welcome the recognition of our heroes. But we cannot reconcile how the agency responsible for the very grievances of our youths can be placed on the same pedestal as the martyr who exposed them.
We urge the state government to clarify the rationale behind this decision. To honour the whistle-blower while simultaneously decorating the institution he blew the whistle on is a diplomatic irony that the citizens of this state find difficult to accept.
Musa Bhai