Coveted promotions only to be short-lived

Raisul Alam Mondal, secretary at the fisheries and livestock ministry, will serve as a senior secretary just for a day. 

Strange as it may sound, but that is what a government gazette notification says.

The public administration ministry issued the notification on Monday night, stating that Raisul was promoted to one of the most-coveted administrative posts.

The order said his promotion will take effect on December 30. Interestingly, Raisul will go on post retirement leave (PRL) the following day.

Public Administration Ministry Secretary Faiz Ahmed, who also got promoted that night, will have a few more days to serve.

Faiz was elevated to the rank of senior secretary. But his promotion order came into effect immediately.

Like Raisul, he is going on PRL on the last day of the year. The ministry was quick to change his designation as senior secretary on its website.

Five more secretary-level officials were promoted to senior secretaries that night. They are Md Anwar Hossain, secretary at the science and technology ministry; Mofazzel Hossain, secretary at the railways ministry; Shahin Ahamed Choudhury, member at the Planning Commission; Sajjadul Hassan, secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office; and Mohibul Haque, secretary at the civil aviation and tourism ministry.

The promotion orders of all but three -- Raisul, Faiz and Anwar -- will take effect on December 31.

Mohibul will go on PRL on January 5, Sajjadul on January 10, Mofazzel on May 4, and Shahin on June 1 next year. Anwar’s PRL starts on June 30, 2021.

The public administration ministry’s move raised eyebrows of many in the bureaucracy.

A number of former bureaucrats say this will result in a significant rise in the top officials’ post-retirement benefits though they will not have much time to serve.

M Hafiz Uddin Khan, a former bureaucrat, said, “Giving promotion just days before their retirement was nothing but a move to provide them with more financial benefits.

“They will get the benefits from the taxpayers’ money but will not serve the country and the people for long.”

“Why should a secretary be promoted to senior secretary? I find no justification here,” said Hafiz, also former adviser to a caretaker government.

He pointed out that the post of senior secretary was created only to make bureaucrats happy and increase their financial benefits.

Former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder too said he didn’t find any rationale behind the promotion.

“A promoted official should be given a considerable time to hold his or her new post to serve the people,” he said.

Referring to the promotion order which said it was issued in public interest, he asked, “How will they serve the people when they are to retire immediately after getting promotion?”

According to the last pay scale announced in 2015, the basic salary for the highest grade is Tk 78,000 (fixed).

A senior secretary gets Tk 82,000 (fixed). The cabinet secretary and the principal secretary or those in equivalent posts enjoy special grade and get Tk 86,000 (fixed).

The retirement age of government officials is 59. But those who fought in the Liberation War retire at 60. The Awami League government raised the retirement age limit to 59 years from 57 in 2011.

The post of senior secretary, created in 2012, is one notch higher than that of secretary and one notch below that of the cabinet secretary.

However, the post of senior secretary does not exist in bureaucracy in neighbouring countries like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

In the existing structure of bureaucracy in Bangladesh, the cabinet secretary sits at the top.

According to the warrant of precedence, the cabinet secretary is ranked 12th and holds the same position as the principal secretary, and chiefs of the army, the air and the navy.

But there is no mention of the post of senior secretary in it.

A case over the matter is still pending with the Supreme Court.