The political changeover following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government has triggered a wave of changes at the Secretariat, where Bangladesh's bureaucracy sits. Long-overdue promotions have sparked protests and gatherings, with sidelined officials now seeking better positions.
Since the interim government assumed office on Aug 8, the scene at the Secretariat has been marked by intense discussions about transfers and promotions.
The corridors of the public administration ministry have been buzzing with groups of officials, a trend that has only intensified throughout the week.
Following the Awami League government's ouster, the number of officers visiting the ministry's Appointment Promotion and Deputation Wing has steadily increased.
An administrative officer from this wing said around 400 promotion applications have been submitted daily since Sunday.
The ministry handles the transfer and promotion process after receiving the green light from the government's top policymakers.
It's not just the officers; second- and third-grade employees are also voicing their demands.
Taking advantage of the government change, they have been regularly organising processions and gatherings within the office premises to convey their messages to the new administration.
This wave of change has spread beyond the Secretariat to various departments and agencies under the ministries.
In several offices across Dhaka, officials and employees are actively pursuing transfers and promotions.
The quota reform movement, which saw massive participation from students and the public, escalated into a mass movement that led to the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5.
After over 15 years in power, the government's collapse paved the way for a shift in power dynamics, prompting many influential officials who had been dominant within the administration to stop coming to the Secretariat.
Conversely, officials who had long felt sidelined began flocking to the Secretariat even before the interim government was formed, actively pushing for their demands.
Following the assumption of office by the new Advisory Council, changes at the top levels of the administration began.
Senior officials appointed during the Awami League's tenure started to step down, and numerous positions have already been reshuffled.
Facing pressure from the ongoing movement, many top officials from various departments, agencies, and directorates have been forced to resign.
The wave of resignations, reshuffles, and changes has grown longer over the past few days, with new faces assuming leadership roles.
In addition to dismissals, there have been transfers of responsibilities.
This wave of change has also impacted mid-level officials.
In one move, 117 senior assistant secretaries who had been stuck at the same rank for years were retrospectively promoted to deputy secretary, from the 11th to 29th batches of the Bangladesh Civil Service, or BCS, exams.
In another announcement, the ministry's new appointments branch issued a gazette notification for the recruitment of 259 officers from the 28th to 42nd BCS batches, asking them to join by Sept 1.
Officials who had long been sidelined allege that they were denied promotions for 17 years for not complying with the unjust orders of the previous government.
Now, they claim that despite the impartial stance of the interim government, some "Awami League loyalists" are still receiving promotions.
According to them, they are facing backlash from the top administrative officials, who benefited from the AL's rule, for demanding their rightful claims.
Many of the disgruntled officials complain that those who were neglected during the Awami League's tenure are still not being recognised under the new administration.
As a result, the ongoing promotion process is failing to alleviate the frustration of these long-overlooked officials.
Nazmul Amin Majumder, a Monash University graduate, was appointed a civil servant after he cleared the 13th Bangladesh Civil Service exam.
During the BNP-led coalition government from 2001 to 2006, he was made the personal secretary to Khaleda Zia's principal secretary.
According to a few close acquaintances of his batch, he was not promoted afterwards when the new government came into power.
One of those acquaintances told bdnews24.com: "He spent his days writing books during unfavourable postings. All of his batch mates have been promoted to additional secretary or secretary-level posts. Last May, he was picked up and tortured by a law-enforcing agency. At one point, he was forced to retire."
However, after the fall of the Awami League government, Nazmul's name did not appear on the promotion list.
Deputy Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, an officer from the 24th BCS batch, was actively involved in unionising those who felt deprived of promotions within the administration.
He was transferred from the local government Water Supply-2 department to work with the chief executive officer of Lakshmipur District Council.
The order, issued on Aug 14, instructed him to join his new workplace the following day.
While standing before the public administration ministry, Abul told bdnews24.com: "The devils of Awami League are still active in the administration. Abu Hena Morshed Zaman, a powerful secretary of the previous government, transferred me out of spite. Because I was standing beside those who were deprived of promotions."
According to Dilip Kumar Saha, the deputy director of the fisheries ministry, at least 40 officers from the 6th to 9th grade have been transferred from the department recently.
Dilip said at least 17 more officers below the 6th grade have also been sent to the ministry for a transfer.
"After the fall of the Awami League government, some pro-BNP people handed over a list to the DG. He is acting accordingly."
bdnews24.com contacted Syed Md Alamgir, the director-general of the fisheries ministry. However, he did not pick up any calls.
An official of the public administration ministry's recruitment, promotion and posting department told bdnews24.com: "We don't understand how the transfers and promotions are being made by some invisible force."
However, civil servants who have been deprived of promotions are not the only ones getting elevated for political reasons. People who are incompetent and inefficient are also taking this opportunity to be promoted.
bdnews24.com could not contact Abdur Rouf, the new additional secretary of the APD Branch, due to his busy schedule. He did not receive phone calls either.
Another joint secretary, Mizanur Rahman, was also contacted for a comment on the situation. However, he told bdnews24.com that he did not want to comment publicly. —bdnews24.com
