Tension runs high in admin over rumour of forced retirement

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Tension Runs High in Admin Over Rumour of Forced Retirement

By Rezaul Karim, The Daily Star

September 3, 2003

Bangladesh: Tension runs high in the civil administration over speculations that officials of a particular batch, who were already discriminated against in promotion and superseded by their juniors, would be given forced retirement.

The situation worsened as four joint secretaries and one deputy secretary were forced into retirement on Sunday.

The joint secretaries belonged to 1973 batch and the deputy secretary to 1977 batch and they had been placed as officers on special duty at the Ministry of Establishment for long.

Official sources said there is a plan to send on forced retirement a good number of officials, mostly from 1973 batch, for their alleged allegiance to opposition Awami League (AL) and 'inefficiency, bad service record and various other charges'.

They mentioned that nearly 100 officials were given forced retirement in the last 23 months of the BNP-led alliance government and 100 more are likely to get kicked prematurely.

Article 9 (2) of the Public Servant Act, 1974, empowers the government to force into retirement any government servant on completion of his 25 years of service.

Sources at the establishment ministry mentioned that nearly 300 officials of 1973 batch are now in service and all of them will retire by 2008. Of them, 57 will retire next year, 75 in 2005, 98 in 2006, 40 in 2007 and 15 in 2008.

Seeking anonymity, the sources said there is a plan to send all of them into retirement before the present government hands over power to a caretaker administration in October 2006. The BNP-led ruling coalition does not want to see them on polls duty during the next general election.

Officials of 1973 batch completed 25 years of service in 1998 and they would be sent into premature retirement in phases, said a high official, who did not want to be named.

BNP sources said the party has a bitter experience of the role of majority of the 1973 batch officials as they had played highly biased role in the past general elections and created unrest during BNP's previous tenure, particularly in 1996 through the 'Janatar Mancha'.

However, an influential official close to the BNP policymakers, said there are intelligence reports that they might create trouble in the administration in future.

Several officials, who held important positions during the previous AL rule, are now organising like-minded officials and those 'deprived' of promotions, to act against the present government, he added.

But some sources in the BNP said there are also officials in 1973 batch who are qualified and not biased to any quarters. So it will not be wise to give retirement to all because many of them are not pro-AL and cooperated with the BNP during the last general election, the sources noted.

When contacted, an influential official at the Prime Minister's Office said there is a decision to give forced retirement to those officials who 'nakedly' worked in favour of AL in the past and those charged with various irregularities, corruption and violation of service rule.

He, however, dismissed speculations that all officials of 1973 batch would be forced into retirement.