Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Administrative cadre officers staged a protest at the Secretariat on Sunday, opposing a proposed plan that they said would diminish their opportunities for promotion to the post of deputy secretary by increasing the allocation for non-administrative cadre officers.
Hundreds of them gathered at the Ministry of Public Administration, Bangladesh Secretariat, in the morning, where a delegation met Senior Secretary Dr Md Mokhles ur Rahman, who is also member secretary of the Public Administration Reform Commission, to present their demands.
Currently, the promotion ratio for deputy secretary positions is 3:1 in favour of administrative cadres. The reform commission has proposed changing this ratio to 1:1, prompting discontent among administrative cadre officers.
The demonstrators expressed their concerns to Mokhles and warned of potential legal action if their demands were ignored.
Key arguments
One protester, Dhaka Deputy Commissioner Tanvir Ahmed, said many capable officers had been unable to join the administrative cadre due to the former 56% quota system.
He added that while a 25% allocation for non-administrative cadres had once been justifiable, it no longer held relevance.
The DC said most appointments were now merit-based, calling for the abolishment of the 25% allocation. “Otherwise, this plan will discriminate against us.”
Opposition from non-administrative cadres
In response, officials from other cadres announced a one-hour strike across government offices on Monday to protest the commission’s proposal.
They advocated a promotion system based entirely on exams and merit, irrespective of cadre affiliation.
Muhammad Mofijur Rahman, a leader of a group named Discrimination Eradication Council representing 25 cadres, reiterated that they wanted promotions to be solely merit-based.
He noted that the interim government had come to power through an anti-quota movement, “and we do not want another movement over this issue.”
Earlier, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association also rejected the reform commission’s recommendations, arguing that the proposed changes would fail to create a “people-oriented, efficient, impartial and modern administration.”
Meanwhile, Senior Secretary Mokhles Ur Rahman assured the protesters that the commission would present balanced recommendations to the government.
He also emphasized the need for further discussions to address any confusion surrounding the issue.
