Strong lobbying on for good positions
Staff Correspondent
The government plans large-scale reshuffle in bureaucracy with some bureaucrats at various levels in a hectic lobbying for good positions.
Some officials, especially the beneficiaries of the BNP-led government, are in fear either of being dumped as officers on special duty or being forced into retirement as the Awami League assumed office in the past week, said official sources.
‘There will a massive shake-up in the administration as the government of Fakhruddin Ahmed had not brought about any major changes in top bureaucracy,’ said an official concerned, adding some high officials being in touch with the Awami League for long started lobbying for good positions in the administration.
A number of officials known as loyal to the BNP-Jamaat alliance might be forced into retirement as the BNP-led government had taken similar action against the people loyal to its archrival Awami League during its 2001–2006, he said, adding the officials who were beneficiaries of the previous government were likely to be made officers on special duty or be dumped in less important areas.
Around a hundred officials in civil and police administration were forced to retire and more than 400 were made officers on special duty after the BNP-led alliance government had assumed office in 2001. All the officials are alleged to have close link with the preceding Awami League government.
‘We expect the government will consider merit and efficiency of officers in rearranging the bureaucracy… I cannot make any comment in advance as the government has not taken any move for the purpose,’ former adviser to the caretaker government and also former cabinet secretary Akbar Ali Khan told New Age on Saturday.
Although the Awami League which assumed office with a three-fourths majority in the parliament on January 6 has pledged to keep bureaucracy free of political interference, a large number of public servants including senior officials were seen busy showing off their loyalty to the party as the new ministers assumed offices on Wednesday.
On taking charge as the LGRD and cooperatives minister, Awami League’s spokesman Syed Ashraful Islam said his government would keep bureaucracy free of political interference.
The cabinet led by Sheikh Hasina was sworn in on Tuesday after the party had a landslide victory in the December 29 elections defeating the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance.
The Awami League won 228 out of 299 constituencies. The alliance led by the party won 258 constituencies.
A number of officials and employees in the secretariat observed some bureaucrats and employees, known loyal to the Awami League, have now become active to rein in bureaucracy as the party formed the government Tuesday evening.
They said some officials had closely worked with the ministers of the Awami League-led government and were dumped as officers on special duty for a long period during the BNP government.
Many mid-level officials from the field, meanwhile, have also started communicating with the top bureaucrats most whom are keeping close contact with the former ministers of the Awami League-led government which had been in power between 1996 and 2001. They are holding informal meetings in the offices of a number of top officials in the secretariat.
A group of employees congratulated in advance the members of the newly formed government of Sheikh Hasina, addressing the newly appointed prime minister as ‘desh-ratna’ and ‘jananetri’ in banners hung on buildings inside the administrative headquarters — Bangladesh Secretariat.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
