Bad news BSS
It's bad news for BSS. Surplus appointments, random promotions, party politics and administrative irregularities have made it a sinking ship.
The government news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha or BSS is in a pitiful state. It has 338 persons on its staff and 165 approved personnel. For six months now 75 of its part-time district correspondents haven't been paid. Payment of salaries and benefits at its head office is somehow being met in fits and starts. It has an annual income of Tk 15 million. The government has provided over Tk 170 million this year.
It can no longer carry out without special allocation. Even after receiving regular funds from the government, it has debts of about Tk 65 million.
From BSS' annual report and various documents it is learnt that the administration often has to dip into the provident fund to pay the journalists and employees their regular wages. They are unable to replenish this fund. Medical allowance has been stopped for about a year now.
BSS is unable to pay its subscription fees to AFP, Xinhua and other foreign news agencies. Reuters has already stopped providing news to BSS due to non-payment of fees.
Investigations reveal that other than political affiliation, appointments to senior posts with high salaries are being given on age considerations too. Over 100 journalists and employees have taken grades beyond their qualifications.
Despite not being able to utilise the personnel that they have, BSS has been trying to appoint more persons over the past few years. The information minister and the public administration ministry have approved the appointment of another 105 persons. BSS managing director (MD) Abul Kalam Azad has said this manpower is essential and the matter is being forwarded to the finance ministry.
Using past irregularities as an example, the pro-government journalists unit in BSS had drawn up a list of 40 journalists and is insisting that they be given grade-1 and special grade. And the anti-government unit is demanding everyone to be promoted, saying that no one can be deprived. The MD has told Prothom Alo that he will not bow to such pressure.
The 11-member board of directors is just a silent onlooker. The board has become inactive due to conflict between Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, chairman of the board and the prime minister's special adviser, and Abul Kalam Azad, the prime minister's former press secretary and BSS MD. The board members would receive Tk 3000 honorarium to attend the board meeting. This has now been increased to 5000 taka. This has been questioned.
Despite the agency's crisis, it has not had a board meeting in the past four months. Even if the chairman wants it, the MD does not summon a meeting. The board's tenure will end next September and the MD just wants to bide time till then.
The MD says he does not want to unnecessarily hold board meetings. It costs around Tk 80 thousand to hold each meeting.
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury says that it is unfortunate that certain unilateral decisions have been taken without consulting the board.
Board member Mushtaque Mobaraki says that the board meeting is not being summoned as the MD's corruption and irregularities will be exposed. He says, the district correspondents haven't been paid for a year or a year and a half. Yet as soon as the MD joined in February, he appointed two of his nephews at the same time to the agency. Their jobs were made permanent before even six months could pass. One is a reference assistant and the other is a systems supervisor.
A number of journalists and employees of BSS says that there is a sense of unrest in the agency due to the conflict between the chairman and the MD, the reinstatement of five part-time journalists after they had been dismissed, two nephews of the MD being given jobs and appointing a managing editor without consulting the board.
A particular appointment causes unrest: Recently a managing editor was appointed to BSS, skipping over 25 persons. The employees union protested and an inquiry committee has been formed. But a no-confidence move was arranged and the employees' union committee was dissolved.
Mohammed Kamaluddin, president of the BSS officers and employees union, said, "We have protested against one person who has always been against the officers and employees and has deprived them. But we are being called anti-government. We have been threatened and our committee dissolved. There is total anarchy here."
The MD claims that there was no irregularity in this appointment. He says he understands who is suitable for the job and he has the authority to take action in keeping with the rules.
The chairman, on the other hand, says that it is unexpected that such an appointment will be made without consulting the chairman and the other board members. A case has been filed against him, the information secretary and some others due to this decision.
The MD says that the case didn't hold. And the plaintiff Abul Kalam Manik says that the court did not suspend the appointment, but has given a date for hearing.
Pointing fingers: When the Awami League government came to power, it made an inquiry in 2009 into the irregularities within BSS. Its inquiry report stated, "Persons appointed to various posts during the alliance government's tenure would draw their salaries and benefits without even coming to office or working. BSS made no progress whatsoever from 2001 to 2008. On the contrary, its standard dropped,"
In response, several journalists and employees have said the same picture would emerge if an inquiry was made from 2009 till now.
The MD says he is striving to restore order to BSS.