Still clueless why I’ve been sent into retirement
Clueless about the reasons behind his forced retirement, the immediate past information secretary, Mokbul Hossain, said he was not given any chance to defend himself.
"Even a death row convict gets an opportunity to defend himself … I would have been happy if I had known the reasons for my forced retirement," he said in an emotion-choked voice, wiping away tears with a paper napkin.
While working in his office at the Secretariat on Sunday, Mokbul learnt that he had been sent into retirement in "public interest". Yesterday, he came to the office to collect his personal belongings.
"There must be some reasons. The state might have the answers," said Mokbul, adding that he conveyed the matter to Information Minister Hasan Mahmud the same day.
The public administration ministry issued a circular saying Mokbul was sent into retirement under Section 45 of Bangladesh Service Rules 2018.
Upon the president's approval, the government can send an employee, who has completed 25 years of service, into retirement in public interest, without showing any reasons, according to the section.
Mokbul said, "Parents admonish their children first and then punish them. If I had been involved in any wrongdoing, I should have been cautioned for that. I would have corrected myself … the decision could have been taken if I had failed to rectify myself.
"Some day you will learn why the decision was taken."
Seeking anonymity, an information ministry official told The Daily Star that the minister and the secretary have not been on good terms lately.
"The minister was unhappy. But I cannot say for sure whether the minister's unhappiness led to the forced retirement of Mokbul Hossain," said the official, adding that the decision would create a bad precedent in the civil service.
Mokbul observed the government made the decision within the legal framework, and that he was not considering taking any legal steps.
"I have served the country enough. I respect the decision of the government," he said.
There has been an allegation that the action was taken against him as he met BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London.
About the allegation, Mokbul said, "I went to London with a team in March. Ashequn Nabi Chowdhury [press minister at Bangladesh High Commission in London] was in-charge of the press wing. If you [journalists] ask him, you will get to know the facts.
"If the allegation is true, it [the meeting with Tarique] happened in March. This is October. Why this question wasn't asked all these months?
"I don't remember whether I have ever seen Tarique Rahman in person … I have no wish to meet him either."
Asked if he had met Tarique during the BNP government's tenures, he said they never met. "He was neither a minister nor a lawmaker. I saw him only on television …
He added, "Until today [Monday], I was not aware of any allegations against me. Now, all these allegations are surfacing."
Moments before Mokbul talked to the media, the information minister said he was still unaware of the reasons behind the secretary's forced retirement.
"I don't know the underlying reasons behind it. Since the public administration ministry issued the circular, it can explain better,"he said, skirting a direct answer.
Earlier in 2009, the government sent the then information secretary ATM Fazlul Karim into forced retirement for writing a poem demeaning Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members.
Mokbul joined as the secretary of the information and broadcasting ministry on May 31, 2021.
Earlier, he had worked as a registrar at the office of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms. He also worked as an additional secretary at the textiles and jute ministry.
He joined Bangladesh Civil Service in 1991 as an officer of the 10th batch of the BCS (administration) cadre. He worked in administration for most of his career.
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