Quota issue in promotions sparks outrage among admin cadres

The Public Administration Reform Commission has recommended that 50% of promotions to the rank of deputy secretary be allocated to officers from the administration cadre, and the another 50% to officers from other cadres.
This proposal has triggered strong reactions among junior officials of the administration cadre, who fear that such a move would weaken their cadre strength.
Currently, there are 26 cadre services in the country. At present, 75% of deputy secretary posta are filled by administration cadre officers, while the remaining 25% are filled by officers from other cadres.
Speaking to journalists yesterday at the Secretariat, Public Administration Reform Commission Chairman Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury stated that the commission would propose a 50:50 promotion ratio.
Following this announcement, the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association (BASA) called an emergency meeting at the BIAM office in the capital last night. Representatives from various batches of the admin cadre were present.
Commenting on the meeting, BASA Secretary-General Mahbubur Rahman told The Daily Star that officials of the administration cadre were disheartened by the reform commission's announcement.
"Field-level junior officials have expressed their anger and frustration. We convened the meeting to decide on the next steps. Details will soon be shared with the media," he said.
In conversations with The Daily Star late last night, three officials who attended the meeting conveyed their concerns.
One of them said, "There has been a long-standing conspiracy to weaken the administration cadre, and this is unacceptable. If this proposal is implemented, the state itself will be weakened."
Another official added, "The reform commission seems to be on a mission to eliminate cadre-based discrimination rather than pursuing genuine reform. This will place the government in an awkward situation, which is in no way desirable. The 75:25 ratio has already been settled in higher court, and the reform commission cannot overstep its boundaries."
It should be noted that officials from cadres others than the administration cadre have long argued that promotions to deputy secretary and higher ranks should be merit-based and decided through competitive examinations.
Their rationale was that these positions were government posts and all cadres should have equal opportunity to compete.
On the other hand, administration cadre officials believe that the post of deputy secretary and higher belong to their cadre. They argue that reserving 25% of the positions for others cadres already puts them at a disadvantage. If the quota is increased to 50%, they will not accept it.
Officials from other cadres, however, have no objection to promotions through examinations.
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