Monarchs in a republic
Saturday, 30 June 2007
Shamsuddin Ahmed
EVENTS of the past should be recalled by any serious nation in order to avoid repeating mistakes. Let us recall some such events here. An official move was made during the tenure of the first BNP government after 1990 to select officials for posting as commercial counsellors in Bangladesh High Commission in India and South Africa. The official selected for posting in New Delhi was in fact to replace the serving commercial counsellor who had already completed his three-year normal tenure and was to be recalled home. The one to go to Pretoria was to be the first to join such a post there.
An elaborate selection process based on scrutiny of service records, academic qualifications and interview of officials was carried out to prepare a panel. The official who was at number two in the panel was to be posted in New Delhi. But he could not go as Madam Khaleda, then Prime Minister, granted an extension of one year to the counsellor in Delhi, who was her friend's husband. The man prayed for an extension claiming that his wife was sick, an excuse for an extension, which ignored that all human beings fall sick occasionally in their lives.
The AL government that subsequently came to power also chose officials for posting abroad as commercial counsellors. They selected for the posting mostly those officials who had participated in the so-called 'janater monche' in 1996 violating the service rules. One among them, who was consigned to the embassy in an Arab country, knew English too well to confuse any educated English-knowing gentleman with his use of words and awkward grammar.
The BNP during its last tenure in power sent out a few officials as economic ministers in some Bangladesh embassies. One of them posted in the capital of the world's leading economic power is a mechanical engineer who hails from Bogra. He was also sent out to Australia during BNP's first tenure in power after 1990 to act as the commercial counsellor in the Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra.
Another person sent out by the same government to hold the post of embassy economic minister in Geneva was expected to be a master on trade matters for ably representing the country's interest in the global trade talks of the World Trade Organisation. But he had never dealt with trade issues prior to the posting. His English is remarkable for its impurity and obvious obscurity. He was drawn into the then Prime Minister's Secretariat from a department prior to the posting by the then all-powerful top bureaucrat of the secretariat, who posed as a wizard on every serious matter during his hey days, got the record number of service extensions and has lately escaped from the country. His beneficiary belongs to his same district and is said to be his relative. He also jumped on his heels from the same post for running away after BNP had been unseated in the general election following the completion of its first tenure in power.
Many of counsellors and first and second secretaries posted in the labour and commercial wings of Bangladesh embassies were on the personal staff of either ministers or secretaries. Favouritism has polluted the selection process for such postings more or less throughout this poor country's history.
Monarchs in a republic are the real threats to a democratic order. They prove as malignant to the society, rule of law and public welfare as cancer to the human body. The political party reform now being orchestrated by almost the same groups of leaders makes one to think whether black takes any other hue.
EVENTS of the past should be recalled by any serious nation in order to avoid repeating mistakes. Let us recall some such events here. An official move was made during the tenure of the first BNP government after 1990 to select officials for posting as commercial counsellors in Bangladesh High Commission in India and South Africa. The official selected for posting in New Delhi was in fact to replace the serving commercial counsellor who had already completed his three-year normal tenure and was to be recalled home. The one to go to Pretoria was to be the first to join such a post there.
An elaborate selection process based on scrutiny of service records, academic qualifications and interview of officials was carried out to prepare a panel. The official who was at number two in the panel was to be posted in New Delhi. But he could not go as Madam Khaleda, then Prime Minister, granted an extension of one year to the counsellor in Delhi, who was her friend's husband. The man prayed for an extension claiming that his wife was sick, an excuse for an extension, which ignored that all human beings fall sick occasionally in their lives.
The AL government that subsequently came to power also chose officials for posting abroad as commercial counsellors. They selected for the posting mostly those officials who had participated in the so-called 'janater monche' in 1996 violating the service rules. One among them, who was consigned to the embassy in an Arab country, knew English too well to confuse any educated English-knowing gentleman with his use of words and awkward grammar.
The BNP during its last tenure in power sent out a few officials as economic ministers in some Bangladesh embassies. One of them posted in the capital of the world's leading economic power is a mechanical engineer who hails from Bogra. He was also sent out to Australia during BNP's first tenure in power after 1990 to act as the commercial counsellor in the Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra.
Another person sent out by the same government to hold the post of embassy economic minister in Geneva was expected to be a master on trade matters for ably representing the country's interest in the global trade talks of the World Trade Organisation. But he had never dealt with trade issues prior to the posting. His English is remarkable for its impurity and obvious obscurity. He was drawn into the then Prime Minister's Secretariat from a department prior to the posting by the then all-powerful top bureaucrat of the secretariat, who posed as a wizard on every serious matter during his hey days, got the record number of service extensions and has lately escaped from the country. His beneficiary belongs to his same district and is said to be his relative. He also jumped on his heels from the same post for running away after BNP had been unseated in the general election following the completion of its first tenure in power.
Many of counsellors and first and second secretaries posted in the labour and commercial wings of Bangladesh embassies were on the personal staff of either ministers or secretaries. Favouritism has polluted the selection process for such postings more or less throughout this poor country's history.
Monarchs in a republic are the real threats to a democratic order. They prove as malignant to the society, rule of law and public welfare as cancer to the human body. The political party reform now being orchestrated by almost the same groups of leaders makes one to think whether black takes any other hue.