THREE cheers to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for taking yet another bold step. On Tuesday, he dissolved the Task Force on Employment with strict orders that all appointments in future be made in accordance with the principle of merit. What is heartening is the announcement that a ban on recruitment was also being lifted. This decision would significantly reduce corruption and is therefore commendable. It would also send a strong message to all government departments and ministries to refrain from corrupt practices. The Prime Minister earlier fired Director General of the task force, Ghulam Qadir Jamote, for gross violation of the recruitment policy. The task force having a lot of power, had created a corrupt system of appointments whereby it granted jobs to cronies and PPP loyalists. Cases of corruption and abuse of authority had been rampant. Recently the task force ordered the Public Works Department to recruit a number of people at a time when tests and interviews were being conducted. The good thing is that the Prime Minister, on finding that the department had veered off track and become a tool of corruption, was not perturbed by the political repercussions. The body was formed soon after the elections by President Asif Zardari and party MNAs were offered a quota of 50 federal jobs. The step by the Prime Minister might create bitterness among the party members and put the President in a position of unease. However, it is comforting to know that, despite being aware of the opposition and the consequences the Prime Minister demonstrated the will to call a spade a spade. His decision to sack his Adviser on National Security, Mehmud Ali Durrani, coupled with that of making appointments in federal bureaucracy since they were made in national interest, had earned him applause from various quarters. Likewise, he has been bold enough to respond positively to the calls for the implementation of the Charter of Democracy and the repeal of the 17th Amendment. Now that the Task Force on Employment has been dissolved, the government departments and ministries would make recruitments through open advertisement and fair selection. Of late there had been a lot of resentment especially among the youth on the government's failure to provide new job opportunities. The suicide rate among the jobless has also been very high. But now it seems winds of change have started blowing. In a country that, according to international rating agencies, is one of the world's most corrupt nations, it would be a comfort for many to know that the country's chief executive has stood up to ensure transparency.