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Promotion, Posting, Contract

Administration cringes at lobbying

M Abul Kalam Azad
The government officials, including those who were 'deprived of due promotion and postings' during the BNP-led coalition government are now lobbying frantically at the secretariat for getting better po$tings and promotion in the administration.
Some retired bureaucrats, who maintained close contacts with Awami League (AL) president Sheikh Hasina and other AL leaders in the last seven years, are also in the frantic race of getting contractual appointments, sources at die secretariat said.
A group comprised of both serving and retired officers, is involved in the overall reshuffling process and is influencing the administrative shake-up, according to the sources.
The lobbyists are seen maintaining liaison widi some influential secretaries at their offices, including at establishment and food and disaster management ministries, to achieve their targets.
The lobbying at the secretariat is increasing gradually as the AL government has started rearranging the administration by giving promotions, postings and making many officer on special duty (OSD) in the last two weeks.
The administrative shake-ups are being implemented without following due process rather reshuffling is taking place based on die political consideration and on the plea that a number of officials were deprived of due promotion and postings during the BNP regime, many officers at the secretariat alleged.
Establishment Secretary ASM Ali Kabir said "It is not possible for us to be cent
percent fair in giving promotion and postings as many officials were forced into retirement and a large number of them were made OSD by the previous (BNP) government," ,
He said the new government wanted to put an end to the deprivation in giving promotion to officials. "We must give priority to the deprived officers first," said Kabir, claiming that he didn't see any apprehension in die administration due to the reshuffle.
But the AL government is following the previous tradition making so far 23 officials OSD. More than a dozen officers have been made secretaries, the highest rank in bureaucracy, on the plea of their deprivation during the four-party coalition regime.
In the latest move, the government yesterday promoted 72 joint secretaries to the rank of additional secretaries and attached them with the establishmentministry.
Fourteen officials who were deputed to the Bangladesh missions abroad have been attached to the establishment ministry. The government also gave contractual appointments to the post of director general (DG) and deputy director general of BTV More such appointments are likely in the administration, sources said.
"The bureaucrats don't like two things - one is making OSD and the other is contractual appointment, bypassing the serving officers. Unfortunately, the present government is doing both," a senior officer told The Daily Star yesterday.
"We expected that the AL government would break the tradition without interfering in bureaucracy as the party in its manifesto for the December 29 polls had pledged to keep bureaucracy free from political interference," he said.
He said a sense of apprehension has been prevailing in the entire administration since die reshuffling began.
In her first meeting with top bureaucrats, the prime minister asked the government officials to perform their duties neutrally and confidently for the welfare of the country.
Meanwhile, a good number officials emerged as the loyalists to the new government are trying to achieve better positions and postings after taking the opportunity of the transitional period.
But officials enjoyed perks and positions during the previous BNP-Jamaat regime seem to be in deep trouble.
"The AL government should not consider the opportunists while giving promotion and posting. It should be done based on merits not on political consideration,” said another official at the secretariat.
The superior selection board (SSB) held a meeting Thursday with Cabinet Secretary Md Abdul Aziz in the chair to take decisions regarding the promotion.
It will hold several other meetings to give promotion to joint secretary, additional secretary and secretary ranks.
Sources at the establishment ministry said reshuffle in the field level administration would start soon.