The military-controlled interim government has failed to infuse dynamism in the bureaucracy since its assumption of office on January 12, 2007, a day after the president, Iajuddin Ahmed, declared a state of emergency, according to a number of retired and serving bureaucrats. 
On the contrary, they say, the civil administration is getting weaker by the day, as a sense of panic has set in among bureaucrats over the ongoing drive against serious crime and corruption by the army-led joint forces.
Posting of army officers to key administrative posts on deputation has also stirred discontent among bureaucrats, they believe.
At the field level, most officials refuse to take any initiative for fear of being misunderstood and thereby harassed by the law-enforcement agencies, a senior bureaucrat tells New Age.
'I have noticed that most of my officials are not interested in doing anything other than routine work,' he says. 'They seem to believe any initiative they take could be misinterpreted and they could be harassed by the law enforcers.'
A sense of panic seems to have set in among the officials, which has adversely affected the overall development activities of the government, he adds.
According to a secretary to the government, some officials, who have already completed 25 years in service, are now planning early retirement to avoid persecution over suspected involvement in corruption.
Meanwhile, many deputy commissioners, along with several upazila nirbahi officers, have informed the authorities that they are facing problems in discharging their duties, senior officials at the Cabinet Division and the establishment ministry say.
Their request for withdrawal from the field level followed the drive against crime and corruption by the joint forces, which, they claim, interferes with their administrative work, the officials add.
'Decision making in the administration has now become subject to anxiety because of the countrywide drives against corruption,' said Mohammad Zamir, a former secretary to the government.
Ever since the declaration of the state of emergency and subsequent installation of the interim government, nearly 100 army officers have been posted to different administrative posts on deputation, although, according to official statistics, some 100 senior officials remain attached with the establishment ministry as officers on special duty, awaiting postings.
The important positions in the administration held by army officers include, among others, chairman of the Bangladesh Tea Board, directors of the public medial colleges, survey super and surveyor general of the Bangladesh Survey Directorate, director general and directors of the Anti-Corruption Commission, chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board, director of the Chittagong Port Authority, director of the Department of Drug Administration, chief engineer and chief health officer of the Dhaka City Corporation, director general of Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Pratishthan, directors of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, manager of Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority, chairman of the Khulna Development Authority, and chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
Some army officers have also been made ambassadors.
'The army, according to the government, is facilitating the civil administration. But the partnership must be transparent and eventually accountable,' says Zamir.
Mizanur Rahman Shelley, a former bureaucrat and former minister, believes undue interference of one branch of the government in the work of another leads to disparity and discontent. 'Interference of the army will affect the capacity and neutrality of the civil administration,' he says.
The bureaucracy also suffered because each of the ten advisers is overburdened with more portfolios than one, some bureaucrats say.
At one stage, the government decided in principle that it would appoint people to assist the advisers in discharging their duties.
In May, it sought the Law Commission's suggestion on whether there was any option to appoint any other advisers to smoothen government activities. But the commission said the 'constitution permits only 10 advisers to the caretaker government.'
Finally, on January 10, the government appointed three special assistants to the chief adviser to reduce the workload on the council of advisers.The government took a number of reform initiatives in various sectors.
The committee on good governance led by the chief adviser was reconstituted to make recommendations on administrative reforms.
The chief adviser at a meeting with secretaries in May underscored the need for nullifying the unnecessary, old and outdated rules of different ministries to deliver expected service to people.
'Direct communication between the chief adviser and the secretaries have now been established which is a positive development in administration. But administrative reforms have not been made and we are in the dark about the reforms,' the communications secretary, Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, who has also worked as the establishment secretary, tells New Age.
He acknowledges that the field administration did face problems in the early days of the interim government but insists that the problems have been worked out.
Some changes have been made in the chief adviser's office and also in the Cabinet Division on 'experiment basis.'
A secretary can now directly bring files to the chief adviser without putting those on a lengthy process – from director general to the chief adviser's secretary and then to the principal secretary,' a senior official of the Cabinet Division says.
[* Moderator's Note - CHOTTALA is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political and non-discriminatory organization.
* Disclaimer: Any posting to the CHOTTALA are the opinion of the author. Authors of the messages to the CHOTTALA are responsible for the accuracy of their information and the conformance of their material with applicable copyright and other laws. Many people will read your post, and it will be archived for a very long time. The act of posting to the CHOTTALA indicates the subscriber's agreement to accept the adjudications of the moderator]
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
