On January 2, the government appointed six members to the Public Service Commission (PSC). However, on January 13, their appointments were canceled through a government notification. This came after a similar incident in September, where district commissioner appointments in several districts were made and later revoked. Since the interim government assumed office, there have been several instances of appointments being made and later canceled. This pattern has been repeated in key positions, from the heads of diplomatic missions abroad to senior officials in the office of the Chief Adviser.
Public administration experts believe that these frequent cancellations of appointments are due to a lack of proper information, flaws in the selection process, and rushed decisions. There are also instances where appointments were canceled after certain groups discussed them on social media or were influenced by other factors.
When asked about the reason for the swift cancellation of appointments, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Sheikh Abdur Rashid told Bonik Barta, “Each appointment should be made based on merit. However, if there are any errors in the appointments, they need to be addressed and corrected. That’s why sometimes cancellations occur. But not all of them are canceled. Only a few may be.”
The government appointed six individuals on January 2 to reorganize the PSC. They are Professor Shahnaz Sarkar, Md Munir Hossain, Brigadier General (Retd.) AF Jaglul Ahmed, Md Mizanur Rahman, Sabbir Ahmed Chowdhury, and Professor Syeda Shahina Subhan. On January 9, the date for the oath-taking ceremony for the appointees was set by the High Court Division of the Supreme Court. However, on January 8, a letter was sent to the Supreme Court’s Registrar General’s office, requesting the suspension of their oath-taking. In response, on January 8, the Supreme Court postponed the oath-taking ceremony for the six new members. Subsequently, on January 13, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a new notification canceling the appointments of the six individuals.
According to multiple sources in the PSC, the oath-taking of some members was postponed due to criticism on social media. Allegations were made against them for being close associates of the previous government.
On September 25, the government appointed diplomat Mohammad Khorshed Alam Khastagir as the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Poland. However, just 10 days after the appointment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs canceled it. The Public Diplomacy Department has not yet provided any comment regarding the reason for canceling the appointment of this official, who was from the 20th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service (Foreign) cadre.
This is the first time since 2021 that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revoked an appointment of a diplomat. In that year, Syed Masud Mahmood Khundoker was appointed as the Ambassador to Brazil, but after an investigation into an allegation against him, the appointment was later canceled.
Regarding this cancellation, the Director-General of the Public Diplomacy Department, Toufique Hasan, stated on October 6 that the recent decision to appoint Khorshed Alam Khastegir, Deputy High Commissioner at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, as the Ambassador to Poland, has been canceled following the government’s decision.
Public administration experts argue that such events send a negative message to society. The interim government is being run by a coalition of different parties, ideologies, and groups. Those in charge of running the government lack sufficient experience and preparation, leading to a lack of adequate information when making appointments. As a result, appointments are often made and later canceled. Experts suggest that such cancellations do not send a positive message, and to avoid controversy, the government should make decisions based on careful deliberation and review.
Professor Dr. Sadik Hasan, from the Department of Public Administration at Dhaka University, told Bonik Barta, “One reason for this could be that no specific party or group is running the government right now. The current government is a coalition of several ideologies, groups, and parties. The government may be trying to please or keep everyone happy, which results in one faction being satisfied while another is not. Therefore, whenever a protest or objection arises, decisions are changed. This is what we are seeing with the cancellation of appointments.”
He added, “In a political government, there is usually a specific ideology or vision that guides their work, and changes are less frequent. However, since the interim government is not formed by any single party, but by a mix of various groups and ideologies, each looks at the situation from their perspective. The stronger factions or ideologies seem to be accepted by the government. This does not send a very positive message. Many people think that if they can create a mob or block someone, their concerns will be heard, and that’s what has been happening. In the past five to six months, we have seen many such incidents. For these reasons, caution should be exercised in making such appointments. Making an appointment and then canceling it does not send a positive message. It seems like these appointments are being made in haste, and the cancellations are also happening quickly. To avoid any controversy, the government should take its time.”
On October 22, the government appointed Mohammad Mojammel Haque, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Bangladesh Embassy in China, as the personal secretary to Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus. However, the appointment was canceled just one day later.
Earlier, on September 9 and 10, the government appointed new district commissioners (DCs) in eight districts: Joypurhat, Rajshahi, Rajbari, Sirajganj, Kushtia, Dinajpur, Shariatpur, and Natore. These districts had been without a DC for more than a month. The government canceled these appointments on September 11.
Similarly, on September 9, a new district commissioner was appointed in Sylhet. However, within 24 hours of the appointment, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification withdrawing the appointment.
When asked about the overall issue, former Cabinet Secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told Bonik Barta, “Making an appointment and then canceling it is nothing new. My assumption is that when appointments are made or decisions are taken, the authorities may not have sufficient information at that time. After the appointment, some information may come to the authority’s attention, and they may feel that a reconsideration of the appointment is necessary.”
He added, “This is a completely new government. While those running the government may have experience, they did not have prior preparation. When a government is in power, it has its preparations. They can gather information. Even those who come into power after elections are usually prepared, starting their information gathering well before the elections. The current officials may not know everyone, and that’s not always possible. In such cases, they have to rely on the information available to them. In these types of incidents, it appears that the authorities may not have all the information when making the initial decision, which is why they later change their decision.”