Tuesday's major shuffle of the civil administration has been welcomed by many bureaucrats as the first instance of prioritising professionalism over political affiliation by the Awami League-led government in matters of administrative postings.
Talking to The Daily Star, a number of bureaucrats yesterday said the latest shake-up has also been the most crucial one so far by the present government. They think the changes will help infuse dynamism in administrative work, and help establish firmer government control over the bureaucracy.
The government on Tuesday shuffled 21 of its secretaries, four of whom were made officers on special duties (OSD).
One of the reasons the bureaucrats seem happy with the new postings is that the changes were not recommended by Prime Minister's Establishment and Administrative Affairs Adviser HT Imam, but by a small group of officers at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). There has been widespread dissatisfaction among the bureaucrats about transfers and promotions designed by Imam.
Ideally, such changes should be recommended by the establishment ministry.
A PMO source said more similar changes in the civil administration, including some promotions, are in the pipeline.
The shuffle came in the wake of non-cooperation by a section of top bureaucrats, and their increasing distance from the ministers. The situation seriously hampered routine activities of the administration, and implementation of development projects.
Tuesday's shuffle duly placed competent officers in some important ministries, said the bureaucrats. They are seeing the move as vital, considering the upcoming local government polls.
"For the first time the shuffle has been well thought out," a top bureaucrat told The Daily Star, on condition of anonymity.
Transfers of Information Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury to the education ministry, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Abu Alam Md Shaheed Khan to the Local Government Division, and Disaster Management and Relief Division Secretary Moklesur Rahman to the land ministry are the most crucial ones, he added.
"These three ministries play vital roles in local government elections, and field level affairs of the government. So the government should put trusted officers there," said a PMO official.
Sources in Bangladesh Secretariat said many ministers were pressing for changing their secretaries. They also informed the PMO that they were unhappy with the performances of the secretaries.
Some bureaucrats, however, alleged that the ministers themselves are not competent, so changing their secretaries will hardly bring any good result. The ministers wanted to shift the blame of incompetence on to the secretaries just to cover up their own failures, they said adding, the latest shuffle elicited mixed reaction within the administration.
PM'S PRIVATE SECRETARY
The post of the private secretary-1 to the prime minister was upgraded to the rank of a secretary.
Nazrul Islam Khan, private secretary-1 to the prime minister, will from now on enjoy the status of a secretary.
The move, however, surprised many in the PMO and the secretariat, as there are already two other officials of the rank of secretary at the PMO. They are prime minister's principal secretary and secretary to the PMO.
When Khan had first become the private secretary-1 to the prime minister, he had been a joint secretary, later he was promoted to the rank of an additional secretary, and then on Tuesday came the latest upgrade.
OSD DILEMMA
Four top bureaucrats were made officers on special duties, irking many in the secretariat.
With the latest 4, around 240 civil servants including 7 secretaries and more than 30 additional secretaries are now posted to the establishment ministry as OSDs, according to official records of the ministry.
PMO sources said the government was not happy with the performance of the four officers, as they had failed to work in coordination with their ministers.