With the Manipur Public Service Commission declaring the results of the State Civil Services (Main) examination, all eyes are now on the highest recruiting body of the State.

We are sure the candidates who cracked the written examination must have burnt the mid-night oil and our best wishes go to them.

Given the past reputation of the MPSC, which has not been healthy at all, the challenge before its Chairman Dr L Amarjeet and his team is all that more significant and it is up to them to decide whether they are ready to win the confidence and faith of the people which in turn means ensuring the credibility of the highest recruiting agency of the State Government.

A cursory look around, interaction with the candidates who are to face the viva-voce and their parents will show in no uncertain terms that there are doubts galore.

Speculations are also rife on the price tag to crack the interview. It is this mindset that the Chairman of the MPSC and his team should work to dispel, for it is not only about ensuring their credibility and by extension the standing of the MPSC, but also about recruiting the best brains around, who will one day become the policy makers as well as the implementers of the State.

The interview carries 300 marks and while we are sure the candidates have already exhibited their knowledge of their chosen subjects as well as their general awareness, the viva voce is the ideal platform to test the personality of the candidate. This is where the composition of the interview panel becomes important.

We really do not know who chooses the interview panel, but we would like it if men and women of proven integrity, those who have excelled in their chosen field are inducted in the panel. Anyone with a dubious past or a mark in his or her professional career should not be included in the panel at any cost, is our suggestion.

The onus before Dr Amarjeet and his men is not only to conduct the interview but to make sure that it is not besmirched by any controversy or talks of corruption.

Over and above this, MPSC also need to convince the people that they are here to do a job and sincerely at that. After all justice is delivered is also as important at making it seem that justice has indeed been delivered.

This may not seem to be such a tall order, but given the past record of the MPSC and the prevailing trend of corruption where everything come with a price tag, the Chairman and his men have their hands full. Protecting the credibility of an institution is the easier task than restoring its credibility.

On the other hand we may say that the MPSC does not have any reputation to protect, but given the fact that this is the highest recruiting agency in the State, there is indeed the strong need to work towards winning the trust and confidence of the people towards the examinations conducted by the Commission.

At the moment, the talk is about the price tag to crack the interview and we hope MPSC treads carefully and sincerely so that in future the talk will about on how to prepare for the interview and not about such things as the price tag. The responsibility is immense and we hope the MPSC team is able to live up to its responsibility.

This indeed is the acid test for the Chairman and his team. We wish them the best.