What message do party appointments to state institutions send?

The government has appointed leaders of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to the top positions of 11 government institutions on one-year contractual terms.

Never before have so many politicians been appointed simultaneously to senior positions in government agencies, boards and corporations.

The law does not prevent the government from appointing individuals from outside the civil service to the top positions of state-owned institutions.

However, appointing civil servants to these posts had long become the established practice. Following independence, in 1972 the government appointed politicians to the top positions of several state-owned organisations, including the Bangladesh Rural Development Board.

Although successive governments later made similar appointments, they remained limited in scope.

Public administration experts believe that previous appointments of politicians to such positions did not produce significant benefits.

They say it remains to be seen how the newly appointed individuals perform in their respective roles. They also warn that the law's broad provisions allowing such appointments carry a risk of misuse.

Several of the newly appointed officials joined their respective offices yesterday, Sunday. According to sources at the Ministry of Public Administration, the government is also considering appointing politicians to senior positions at several other state-owned organisations, including Bangladesh Chemical Industries Limited.

On Thursday night, the Ministry of Public Administration issued separate notifications appointing BNP leaders on one-year contractual terms to the top positions of 11 government agencies, boards and corporations. All of them have received appointments at Grade-2 status.

Party sources said that many of these leaders played active roles in political movements and campaigns during the previous government's tenure and had sought the BNP's nomination for the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

Some did not receive nominations, while others withdrew from the election in line with the party's decision. The party has now recognised their contributions through these appointments.

The government appointed Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul, BNP secretary for Forest and Environment Affairs and former Mayor of Rajshahi, as chairman of the Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation.

It appointed Abdul Bari, the party's Secretary for Religious Affairs, as chairman of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC).

The government also appointed Kazi Rawnakul Islam, BNP joint secretary for Forest and Environment Affairs, as managing director of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT).

Zakir Hossain, former central vice-president of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, has become chairman of the Bangladesh Handloom Board, while Mamun Hasan, a member of the BNP National Executive Committee, has taken charge as chairman of the Bangladesh Jute Corporation.

The government appointed Salahuddin Sarkar, executive president of the Central Committee of the Bangladesh Jatiyotabadi Sramik Dal, as director general of the Bangladesh Sramik Kallyan Federation.

It appointed Mohammad Rashedul Haque, BNP secretary for International Affairs, as managing director of Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL).

Md Kamruzzaman, former central vice-president of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, has become executive secretary of the National Social Welfare Council.

The government appointed Abdul Khaleq, BNP assistant organising secretary for Rangpur Division, as chairman of the Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation.

It appointed Shamsuzzaman, a member of the BNP National Executive Committee, as Chairman of the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation.

Benazir Ahmed, BNP assistant organising secretary for Dhaka Division, has become chairman of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).

In addition, Shamsul Alam has received a one-year appointment as additional secretary to the Election Commission Secretariat. He previously retired from the Election Commission Secretariat.

Many people have questioned why the government is appointing politicians on contractual terms to senior positions in various state-owned institutions instead of selecting civil servants.

Discussions with BNP leaders and individuals familiar with the administration indicate three main reasons.

First, many of these leaders played active roles in political movements and campaigns during the previous government's tenure and sought the BNP's nomination for the 13th National Election.

Some did not receive nominations, while others withdrew from the election in line with the party's decision. The government has now recognised their contributions by appointing them to senior positions in state-owned institutions.

Second, the current government has reportedly been unable to identify sufficiently trusted civil servants to fill the top positions in these organisations.

Third, although civil servants managed these institutions in recent years, the government believes they failed to deliver the desired results.

Attempts to contact Abdul Bari, the state minister for Public Administration, by telephone for comment were unsuccessful.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, an official at the Ministry of Public Administration said the government believes the administration has not achieved the level of momentum it had expected.

The official also said the government has been unable to find sufficiently trusted civil servants to fill these important positions and has therefore departed from the long-established practice of making such appointments.

Officials within the administration believe appointing politicians to the top positions of state-owned institutions does not set a positive precedent. They argue that the move could increase political influence and lobbying within government organisations.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one official said that Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul had previously served as Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation.

Although he did not enjoy the rank of a state minister during his tenure, the government later granted that status to the office of the Rajshahi City Mayor. He has now received an appointment carrying the rank of an additional secretary.

Administrative officials have also questioned how accountability will be ensured. They point out that civil servants who commit irregularities can be held accountable, including through the suspension of pension benefits.

They ask how similar accountability mechanisms will apply to politicians appointed to these positions.

Benazir Ahmed has received a one-year contractual appointment as chairman of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).

The government appointed him under Section 12(2) of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation Act, 2013, which authorises the government to appoint the chairman. Under the Act, the chairman also serves as the Corporation's chief executive officer.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Benazir Ahmed said, "Although BSCIC was established many years ago, it has not made significant progress. The government has established many BSCIC industrial estates across the country, but many have not become operational. In many cases, people have taken plots and left them vacant. The government now wants BSCIC to become effective. That is why it appointed me."

The newly appointed managing director of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT), Kazi Rawnakul Islam, told Prothom Alo, "I have heard that this government organisation, which works on climate issues, is not in good condition.

I have also heard that civil servants achieved very little here and left the organisation with substantial debts. Civil servants are often reluctant to take risks and sometimes lack the courage to pursue new initiatives. I want to serve the people. I want to revive this struggling organisation and take it to a better stage."

The law gives the government broad discretion to appoint the heads of these state-owned institutions. For example, the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) Act states that the government will appoint the chairman and determine the terms and conditions of the appointment.

Under the Act, the government may appoint any individual as chairman, except a person convicted by a court of an offence involving moral turpitude, declared bankrupt by a court, or dismissed from service.

The laws governing other organisations where politicians have recently received appointments, including the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT) and the Bangladesh Handloom Board, contain similar provisions.

For that reason, AKM Abdul Awal Mazumder, former Secretary and former rector of the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), believes there is little scope to question these appointments on legal grounds.

He told Prothom Alo, "The government that took office after independence also appointed politicians to state-owned institutions. However, it did not appoint so many at the same time. Since the law does not prohibit these appointments, there is no scope to challenge them on legal grounds."

However, questions remain about whether such broad powers are appropriate. Experts argue that if the objective is to make an institution more dynamic and effective, it is difficult to expect positive results by appointing individuals without relevant experience.

Likewise, if the law intends to allow the appointment of subject-matter experts to strengthen these organisations, they question why the legislation does not specify appropriate qualification requirements.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, a former Finance Secretary said, "Only the government knows why it has appointed politicians despite their lack of sector-specific expertise. However, even when additional secretaries were previously appointed to these organisations, the government did not always consider relevant professional expertise."

Public administration expert AKM Abdul Awal Majumder said, "It now remains to be seen whether civil servants or politicians can manage state-owned institutions more effectively. The government will be able to assess the outcome. The key question is whether politicians can reduce corruption in their organisations, improve efficiency and save public funds."