On extension of retirement age

A national daily reported Saturday that the retirement age for public employees is being extended by two years. The report quoting Prime Minister's Adviser on Public Administration said that the government decision in this regard is almost final, and the decision which is looked as 'a gift from the government for the employees of the Republic', is likely to come into effect from December. If things go as per the newspaper report, the public employees will henceforth go on retirement at the age of 59. The earlier retirement age according to the Public Servants' Retirement Act, 1974 is 57. The extension of length of service will directly benefit one million public employees. That means out of a total of almost 30 million families in the country one million families will become direct beneficiaries from the government move. There are many justifications in favour of enhancement of service length of the government employees. The average longevity of the people has increased to a great extent; so has improved the health status of the citizens. Even at the age of 60 and above, one has the ability- both physical and intellectual, to contribute to the nation. It is also said that when a person reaches senior position and attains maturity and wisdom, he is sent back home depriving him from rendering services to the nation on the plea that he is 57. Moreover, the judges of the Supreme Court, university teachers and government college teachers in certain cases go on retirement at a much later time. Employees in the private organisations and multi-national companies remain in service long after they become 57. If they can work remaining in service even after the age of 57, why not let the public employees do so. Moreover, retirement age for government employees in many countries including India and Pakistan is also more than the existing retirement age in our country. The news regarding extension of retirement age of government employees will no doubt be hailed by five million people belonging to one million families. But the country has 149 million more people in 29 million families. This will in no way be good news for the larger number of families almost all of whom have job seekers. Extension of two years for the serving people will block fresh recruitment for two years in the public sector, barring filling up some positions that already lie vacant in different offices. The Bangladesh Government being one of the largest employers in the country, blocking fresh employment in public services will definitely cast a grim shadow in the minds of the youths and will only multiply unemployment. It will also hinder the present government from fulfilling its election pledge of creating more employment for the people. Due to various factors and practical reasons, retirement age for public employees deserves to be given a thought. But two-year extension in one go will result in complicating the prevailing unemployment problem across the country. It will also halt the promotion process of the public servants creating a kind of frustration among the intending candidates. The government in such a situation can consider extension of retirement age by a lesser period- say six months or one year at best. Then after a gap of one year or so, another extension of six months or one year may be considered. That is, enhancement of retirement age can be made in phases. Those already in service know when to retire and must have planned or shaped their post retirement future accordingly. Thus retiring at the age of 57 will have little or no impact on their future. On the other hand it is the children who will get the jobs vacated by their parents. To speak the truth, the nation needs a dynamic set of people capable of meeting the need of the time in the accomplishment of the Vision 2021- a task set for flourishment of Bangladesh when it becomes half a century old. As a nation we are mostly guided by emotion without caring for the difficult challenges that we have to encounter. Only passion or emotion can not help us achieve that. We need a competent and time befitting workforce who will be practical and 'who will be big in action, not in words'. We need to inject fresh blood in the lifeline of the nation. It is time to pose a question, how many among the existing workforce within the government machinery are capable of taking that challenge. It is time to think if it is possible to build a 'Digital Bangladesh' with the obsolete people who prefer to remain at a safer distance from the computer- not to speak of the information technology. The traditional system in our administration refrains its members from breaking the colonial chain, from doing something new, from responding to the need of the time. Mere changing the name from 'Establishment" ministry to "Public Administration' ministry can bring little change, as, even after changing the name, it takes an eight-month time for a file to be sent to Prime Minister's office. Extending their service length will bring no good to the nation; sooner they are extinct in the natural wear and tear process paving the way for injecting young, time befitting and dynamic people in their vacant places is better for the nation. Extension of retirement age will only slow down the cycle of change. There are of course sincere and competent people within the present administration. Should their services be felt required even after their retirement for the greater interest of the Republic, the authority may re-appoint them. In doing so the authority has to be careful about the incompetent party cadres and the sycophants. saleque0707@yahoo.com