Turmoil in admin, contractual appointment as before

No discipline has come to the administration not has it picked up pace in the three months of the interim government. The incumbent government continues to make contractual appointments one after another despite removing the officials appointed on contract during the ousted Awami League government.

The post of secretary to the local government ministry remains vacant for a month. Three more ministries are still without a secretary. People concerned said no big decision is taken by the administration and it just does routine work.

After taking office, the interim government announced the removal the officials appointed on contract. A total of 101 officials from the Sheikh Hasina government have had their contractual appointment cancelled over the past three months while 65 officials were appointed on contract during this period.

Secretaries were appointed on a two-year contract at 11 important ministries including cabinet division, prime minister’s office and public administration. Senior officials also posted on contractual appointments at police, agriculture ministry, BTRC and city corporations. A total of 80 officials with the rank of assistant secretary to senior secretary were made OSD (officer on special deputy).

Officials concerned at the public administration ministry said the officers who retired from government jobs 6-8 years ago are being appointed as secretaries on contract. Many of them have old-age complications. Many have no interaction with the current officials. They know little about the current administration and hardly know any of the officials either. This is causing a delay in decision making.

Experts said the interim government cancelled the contractual appointments and appointed new officials on contract at the same time. The government can appoint officials on contract, but the interim government is doing it randomly. Officials having the blessings of certain people are also getting important posts. That is unwarranted and disrupts the administrative organogram.

According to the public administration ministry, 501 officials were promoted to various ranks over the last three months with 12 officials becoming secretary, three to grade 1, 135 to the additional secretary, 225 to the joint secretary and 125 officials being promoted to the rank of deputy secretary.

Several officials who were the beneficiaries of the past governments in the last 15 years also secured promotion. Some of the promoted officials face departmental cases on allegations of involvement in crimes or cases with the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Cabinet secretary is the top post of the administration. The interim government on 8 October appointed Sheikh Abdur Rashid in the post for two years on contractual basis. Abdur Rashid was the top on merit list of BCS-82 batch.

Awami League government made him Officer on Special Duty (OSD) after assuming power in 2009. He went to retirement as additional secretary in 2016. He was brought in the administration eight years after retirement.

Md Mokhles Ur Rahman was appointed as senior secretary of public administration ministry on contract. This officer belonging to BCS-82 batch was also made OSD in 2009. He was retired as additional secretary in 2015. He has been brought to service after nine years.

Md Nasimul Ghani, another officer of BCS-82 batch, has been made senior secretary of public division of the President’s office. He was also OSD after Awami League came to power in 2009 and went to retirement as additional secretary in 2016.

MA Akmall Hossain Azad of BCS-82 batch has been made senior secretary of health services division on contract. He was also OSD after Awami League came to power in 2009 and went to retirement as additional secretary in 2017. He made a comeback to the job after seven years.

Momtaz Ahmed has been appointed senior secretary of women and children affairs ministry on two years contract. This officer of BCS-82 batch was also made OSD in 2009. He went to retirement in 2014 as joint secretary. He has returned to administration after a decade.

Md Niamat Ullah Bhuiyan of BCS-84 batch has been appointed a member of planning commission on two years contract. He was retired as deputy secretary in 2017. Siddique Zobair, another officer of BCS-84 batch has been appointed on contract for two years in secondary and higher education division. He went to retirement in 2019 as additional secretary.

ASM Saleh Ahmed of BCS-85 batch has been made senior secretary of land ministry on contract. The officer was made OSD in 2014. He went to retirement as joint secretary in 2019. Besides, Mohammad Yusuf of BCS-86 batch has been appointed senior secretary of shipping ministry for two years on contract. He went to retirement as additional secretary.

This correspondent talked with three additional secretaries about contractual appointments. They told Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity that 12 posts have become blocked for two years due to appointment on contractual basis.

As a result those competent of being secretary would get deprived. Moreover, the administration went through many changes including initiation of e-nothi (digitization).The contractual officers are to get used to these changes.

Officials say that people after a certain age don’t have the appetite for work anymore. They lose the capability of creative thinking and follow a set pattern. So, it’s not appropriate to appoint elderly people in vital positions on contracts.

Apart from that the interim government gave appointed ABM Aminul Haque in the post of court keeper at the High Court Division of the Supreme Court for one year on contractual basis.

Plus, journalist Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan has been made the first ever secretary of the press wing in India for one year, Brigadier Genera (retd) Iqbal Ahmed has been made commissioner of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for three years, Mohammad Abdul Mannan have been made chairman of Gazipur Development Authority for three years, AKM Shahidur Rahman has been made additional inspector general of police for one year, and M Asaduzzaman has been made chairman of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority for two years.

Local government secretary Abu Hena Morshed Zaman was made officer on special duty (OSD) on last 6 October. Although a month has passed, no secretary has been appointed in this ministry yet. Additional secretary of the ministry, Nazrul Islam has been carrying out the regular (routine) duties.

People concerned say that activities of the local government ministry are expanded throughout the country. The project of repairing rural roads has remained almost halted for three months. As many as 1,416 union parishad chairmen from across the country are on the run.

There has been no decision yet on the issue, how will the 4,580 union parishads in the country will operate. Apart from that the post of secretaries in the ministry of cultural affairs, rural development and co-operatives division, as well as the ministry of fisheries and livestock are also vacant.

Decisions of a significant ministry like education are coming in late. There’s a lot left to do in the nationalised educational institutes. There are about 15,000 members in the education cadre category. The procedure of transfer is running sluggishly there. Every day there’s a crowd of teachers in front of the education ministry at the secretariat.

There has arisen a concern also regarding the fact whether it will be possible to provide all the students with new books in January of the next year. While it was possible to fill up most of the vice-chancellor posts in public and private universities, other vital posts including the posts of pro vice-chancellor remain vacant.

It’s the same picture in health ministry as well. Matters like promotions of physicians, purchase of medical items and tender calls are being delayed in this ministry. This has caused dormancy in activities there.

Officials of the public administration ministry say that earlier when the caretaker government took charge in 2001 and 2007, they carried out major alterations in the administration right away. In order to ensure that there’s no dormancy in activities of the administration and to bring the activities to speed. However, the interim government this time failed to bring major changes in the administration right after they took charge.  

Former secretary and Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) rector AKM Abdul Awal Mazumder told Prothom Alo that the current government is appointing those as secretaries on contractual basis, who were neglected during the last government’s regime. Some of them could have become secretaries a decade ago already. A few of them are becoming secretaries now based on their qualifications.

However, it can be noticed that the interim government is appointing secretaries on contractual basis indiscriminately. These contractual appointments are faulty and don’t adhere to rules. Some people are being appointed by recommendations of their relatives. If the government wants to approve contractual appointment, it can come up with a formula and appoint people according to that, he added.

*This report appeared in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Galib Ashraf, Hasanul Banna and Nourin Ahmed Monisha