The BNP-led government appears to be continuing the controversial practice of placing retired officials in key administrative positions -- a policy widely followed by the previous interim government -- which, according to many bureaucrats, is stoking frustration within the civil service.
Moreover, the government has drawn criticism over the recent appointments of two controversial officials to key deputy commissioner-level posts.
Bureaucrats expected that the elected government would overhaul the administration by removing contractual officials from top positions, but they are now witnessing the opposite.
According to the public administration ministry’s data, all eight senior secretaries, aged between 65 and 75, are contractual appointees, most of whom had been out of administrative roles for over a decade. They include the cabinet secretary, the principal secretary to the prime minister, and the secretaries for public administration and land.
Ministry sources said that during the interim government’s tenure, at least 18 secretaries were appointed on a contractual basis for one to two years, while the BNP‑led government appointed 19 secretaries on contract, cancelling more than a dozen such appointments.
“Signs of indecision and instability are visible in selecting top officials. Sudden decisions should not be made regarding senior posts. Unexpectedly, this is happening during the tenure of an elected government,” public administration expert Firoz Mia told The Daily Star.
Ministry officials said that in the past, about 10 percent of the total number of secretaries were appointed on a contractual basis, but the number now stands at 25 out of a total of 85 secretaries.
One of them is Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, who was made an officer on special duty (OSD) in 2009 and retired in 2016.
About a decade after his retirement, Nasimul was appointed secretary of the President’s Office and later home secretary during the interim government’s tenure.
Just a day before the current government took office on February 17, he received a contractual appointment as cabinet secretary -- an instance many experts and bureaucrats described as unprecedented in Bangladesh’s administrative history.
Officials at the public administration ministry could not say anything about the tenure of his contractual appointment.
When asked, Nasimul said, “I don’t know how long I’m going to hold this post... I will leave the day the government wants me to. If it directs me not to come to office from tomorrow, I won’t.”
A new precedent was also set through the appointment of ABM Abdus Sattar, a former private secretary to the BNP chairperson, as the principal secretary to the PM.
According to sources at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), this was the first time a party chief’s private secretary was given the post of principal secretary.
When a secretary is appointed on a contractual basis, it impacts the promotion and placement cycles of three to four regular officers. Currently, more than a hundred officers are missing out on their due promotions and roles because of these contractual appointments. Consequently, this is causing frustration within the administration, said a joint secretary on the condition of anonymity.
CONTROVERSIAL APPOINTMENTS
The recent government decision to appoint two controversial officials to key deputy commissioner‑level posts came as a shock to many bureaucrats. The two were on the list of 17 officials against whom a probe committee recommended punitive action for their involvement in scuffles at the public administration ministry on September 10, 2024, over appointments of DCs.
One of the two was appointed as the deputy commissioner of a district and the other was given a key post at the PMO.
Several pro-BNP officials told this newspaper that they are frustrated by the appointments. They fear that if those involved in scuffles at the Secretariat are given key posts, junior officers may feel encouraged to use force to secure promotions or desired postings.
Former secretary Badiur Rahman said officials capable of engaging in tussles at the Secretariat are unfit for public service.
“It’s not possible for the prime minister to know every officer personally. The problem lies with those who recommended the appointment of these questionable officials,” said Badiur, a former chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
Meanwhile, the sudden withdrawal of the secretaries of three vital divisions under finance and planning ministries exposed a lack of cohesion within the administration.
On March 25, Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary at Economic Relations Division (ERD); Nazma Mobarek, secretary at Financial Institutions Division (FID); and Shirajun Noor Chowdhury, secretary at Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) were removed from their posts.
According to several finance ministry officials, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury was unaware of such a decision. Soon after the minister learnt about it, he gave directives to reinstate all three.
Seeking anonymity, one of the ministry officials said that making such a decision without the knowledge of the finance minister reflects internal weakness in the administration.
Regarding this, Firoz Mia said, “Withdrawing and then reinstating officers in a top position like secretary creates a negative impact on others. This casts a shadow over the image of not only the administration, but also the government.”
WITHDRAWAL OF 6 SECRETARIES
Between February and March, the public administration ministry withdrew six serving secretaries from various ministries and divisions and attached them to it without mentioning any specific reason.
Seeking anonymity, one of them told The Daily Star, “I was labelled as a pro-BNP official and denied promotions during the tenure of the Awami League government. But at least I was able to work. Now, I’m not allowed to function even after being promoted to secretary. I cannot describe how humiliating this is.”
The official termed their withdrawal and attachment to the ministry “motivated and whimsical” and blamed a state minister and a senior secretary appointed on a contractual basis for such a decision.
THE WAY FORWARD
To gather perspectives on restoring administrative discipline, this correspondent spoke with two secretaries and six additional and joint secretaries. Most of them said that cancelling contractual appointments to top posts would address half the problem, while assigning qualified officers to appropriate positions would resolve the rest.
A secretary currently on Post-Retirement Leave (PRL) said, “The prime minister has received praise for his speeches and actions. However, it is nearly impossible to maintain professionalism with the individuals picked for vital positions in the administration.
“Effective communication among secretaries must be ensured to make the administration dynamic. This is not possible with officers from a bygone era, as the administration has already entered an advanced stage. If the government fails to realise this, the situation will worsen day by day,” observed the official.
When contacted, Ehsanul Hoque, senior secretary at the public administration ministry, declined to comment on the overall situation of the administration.
“I have nothing to say about it,” he told The Daily Star.
