Minister and MP's 'lobbying' to promote official to secretary questioned

Minister for liberation war affairs, AKM Mozammel Haque and member of the parliamentary standing committee on the same ministry, Shahjahan Khan, both have sent demi official (DO) letters requesting promotion of SM Mahbubur Rahman, managing director of the freedom fighters welfare trust, to the post of secretary.

Mozammael Haque sent the letter to state minister for public administration Farhad Hossain on 6 June while Shahjahan Khan sent his letter on 4 July. Both of them acclaimed Mahbubur Rahman in their letters.

Shahjahan khan wrote that Mahbubur Rahman has done unprecedented development of the freedom fighters welfare trust.

Eradicating irregularities from every single industrial/commercial establishment of the trust, he has restored order in them and has turned them profitable. Mahbubur Rahman is a member of a freedom fighter family.

Mahbubur Rahman is an additional secretary of the government.

Questions have been raised for sending DO letters by a minister and an MP to promote an official to the rank of secretaries.

Former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder told Prothom Alo that whether it is a minister or an MP, sending DO letters recommending promotion to the post of secretary like this is unconstitutional.

Some of the ministers and parliament members at different times had sent demi official (DO) letters recommending promotion to the post of secretary. Recently, a letter sent by state minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has also been found where he has requested to promote an official to the post of secretary.

Regarding the matter of sending DO letter recommending Mahbubur Rahman to be promoted in the post of secretary, minister for liberation war affairs AKM Mozammel Haque told Prothom Alo, “I, on my own initiative have sent the DO letter to the state minister for public administration to promote him in the post of secretary. He worked well there (freedom fighters welfare trust) and that’s why I have recommended his name. But, it’s not that the promotion is a must.”

When tried to contact Shahjahan Khan over the phone to know his stand on this matter, there was no response. Mahbubur Rahman couldn’t be contacted either.

State minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury sent the DO letter requesting Moinul Hoque Anshary, additional secretary of the statistics and informatics division to be promoted to the post of secretary. He had sent the letter on 5 June and the letter reached the office of the state minister for public administration on 17 July.

The letter stated that additional secretary Moinul Hoque Anshary is a resident of Dinajpur’s Khanshama upazila. He’s honest, skilled and ready-witted official, who’s in favour of the liberation war from his family background. The letter also stated the many of Moinul Haque’s batch mates have already been promoted to the post of secretary.

When asked Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury to know about the matter, he told Prothom Alo that he didn’t send any DO letter recommending anyone to be promoted to the post of secretary. He even claimed that he doesn’t know Moinul Hoque Anshary.

He said, “I just heard the name for the first time. This is the first time I have learnt of an official from Dinajpur working in the statistics and informatics division.” The state minister claimed the DO letter to be forged.

Moinul Hoque Anshary’s permanent address is in Jowar village under Khanshama upazila of Dinajpur. Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury is from Dinajpur as well. Regarding the DO letter, Moinul Hoque Anshary commented that he doesn’t want to talk about the issue.

It’s stated in the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules that government servants cannot directly or indirectly approach any member of the parliament or any other non-government person with a request or proposal to intervene on his behalf.

Former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder told Prothom Alo that the officers on whose behalf ministers and parliament members send letters should be penalized.

He added that ministers and parliament members should be prohibited to send DO letters like this. This tarnishes the image of the administration.