Overseas trade wings sputter

Operations of about 50 per cent commercial wings of Bangladesh missions abroad have almost come to a halt, as posts of trade officials remain vacant.

Official sources said 10 posts of trade officials, who include economic minister, commercial councilor and first secretary (commercial), have been lying vacant for about a year against 20 designated posts.

In London, Beijing, Brussels and Los Angels, Washington and Moscow posts of commercial councilors are lying vacant. Posts of first secretary (commercial) are vacant in London, Kuala Lumpur and Ottawa while the post of economic minister in New York is also lying vacant.

Sources said the vacant posts are not filled due to lack of cooperation from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). There is also an acute shortage of efficient officials in the Ministry of Commerce, resulting in delay of appointment, the sources added.

They said Bangladeshi envoys have made several requests for appointment of officials in the vacant posts. Bangladesh has 20 commercial wings.

A high-powered committee headed by the Commerce Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury recently recommended names of commercial councilors for the commercial wings in Brussels and Beijing, but it was rejected by the PMO without assigning any reason, sources said.

The committee included Commerce Secretary Suhel Ahmad, Foreign Secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury and Establishment Secretary AB Chowdhury.

In November last year, the committee nominated two persons who secured highest score out of 44 applicants for Beijing and Brussels. The committee had sent its nominations to the PMO, which asked the commerce ministry to propose a total of three names for each mission.

As per the instruction, the commerce ministry again sent fresh proposals to the PMO at the end of December 2002, which were also rejected by the PMO in March this year, saying the candidates were not qualified.

The PMO also directed the commerce ministry to nominate fresh officials in place of previously short listed ones.

As per the fresh instructions the commerce ministry through newspaper advertisements sought applications for appointment of commercial councilors for missions in Brussels and Beijing. Previous applicants were barred from applying.

Talking to The Daily Star, one of the disgruntled applicant, who was short listed as per the recommendations of the high-powered committee, said it is a sheer injustice to bar previously qualified applicants from applying them again.

The delay in appointment of the key position in the commercial wings is hurting the country since 85 per cent export destinations of Bangladesh fall in the European Union (EU) and USA. Besides, early appointment is deemed important as the post-MFA (multi fibre arrangement) regime draws near.

Many fear situations in the trade wings will worsen in near future, as the tenures of commercial councilors in Canberra, Tehran and Moscow expired about a year back. The formalities of the new recruitment for the posts have not been completed yet, sources said.

"Any further delay in filling the posts may hit Bangladesh export hard," a top frozen food exporter said.

In the absence of adequate and qualified officials in the commercial wings in Brussels where the European Commission (EC) and the World Customs Organization headquarters are located, the Bangladeshi mission there is failing to cope with the work pressure, sources said.