A major shake-up has taken place in the top tier of the public administration.
Yesterday, thirteen secretaries, including the secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, were removed from their posts. As of 10:45pm, when this report was filed, no official notifications regarding the new appointments to the vacant posts were released.
Eight of them were appointed on a contractual basis by the interim government.
The secretaries whose contracts were cancelled are SM Akmal Hossain, Mokhles-ur-Rahman, and Kaiyum Ara Begum, who were members of the Planning Commission as senior secretary; Saidur Rahman of the Health Services Division, Shish Haider Chowdhury of the Information and Communication Technology Division, Siddique Zobair, director general of the National Academy for Planning and Development; Mohammad Yusuf, chairman of the Land Appeal Board; and Mumtaz Ahmed, secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.
Besides, the contract of Sharifa Khan, the alternate executive director of the World Bank, was cancelled. Her appointment was made during the Awami League tenure.
Meanwhile, three other secretaries, who were promoted during the interim government, have been attached to the public administration ministry.
The ministry officials said the cancellation of contractual appointments was expected once the new government took office, adding that some reshuffling of regular secretaries was also on the cards.
According to another source from the Cabinet Division, Public Administration Adviser Ismail Zabiullah, Minister of State for Public Administration Abdul Bari, and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar met Tarique Rahman yesterday afternoon. Immediately after that meeting, a significant directive was sent to the public administration ministry’s APD (Appointment, Promotion, and Deputation) wing. Afterwards, the ministry began issuing a series of official orders.
In another development, the government removed former secretary AHM Nurul Islam from his position as chairman of the Board of Directors of Eastern Lubricants Blenders PLC (ELBPLC), according to an official memorandum sent by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to the chairman of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation.
Secretariat sources indicate that the prime minister aims to restructure the administration to make it more efficient by implementing necessary changes. For this reason, he has been working from the Secretariat since his first day in office.
According to sources close to the head of government, the premier does not wish to see the traditional, stagnant atmosphere in government offices, inside or outside the Secretariat. He is also regularly monitoring the attendance of ministers and secretaries.
In light of the developments, various ministries and divisions have begun to take precautions.
Yesterday, the law ministry took a strict stance against irregularities in office attendance. Officers and employees were warned that they would face disciplinary action under existing laws and regulations if they failed to reach the office by 9:00am or leave the workplace early without permission.
Requesting anonymity, a joint secretary of the Cabinet Division told The Daily Star, “The changes in the administration have only just begun. The bigger changes lie ahead.”
