Many people are tensed about political uncertainties in this October ahead of upcoming national election. They think this month could be the ‘Turning Point’ in political fields of Bangladesh. However, the officers of the secretariats aren’t worried about it at all. The government officials are looking forward to the announcement of election cadastre by the election commission. They want to see whether the cadastre is announced properly or not. The above information is revealed after talking to various government officials working in different levels of the administration.
Both the Political parties and the political analysts see the month of October as particularly important in the politics of the country ahead of 12th national election. Awami League and BNP's adamant stance on the government during the election period and the counter-programme of the two parties have increased various kinds of apprehensions in politics. Many analysts have already said they don’t see any sign of any apparent compromise or change in the positions of the political parties. As a result, there is uncertainty about what exactly is going to happen in the end.
Meanwhile, government officials at various levels are busy with office work rather than political discussions. They’re interested about voting but reluctant to discuss issues of political agenda. An additional secretary of the cabinet department said everyone in the field administration is careful about various things before the elections. But no one expressed concern to us in that way. An additional secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture said there is no such thing as Saturday-Sunday for government employees. Many people can talk about the month of October. The officials here have nothing to think about it. Officials are not upset about political issues but there can be discussions about who is promoted and who is not promoted in different batches. But yes, since the upcoming vote, many people can inquire about the process.
A joint secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration said the job of DC-UNO is a bit challenging. The work of many ministries has to be coordinated; many issues have to be looked at. It is an important responsibility to conduct polls properly after the announcement of election cadastre. Everyone is looking for when it will happen. There is no time to think about what political program is in any month. A Deputy Commissioner under Rangpur division said the people of this region are peaceful. There may be various political apprehensions. But we don't get any glimpse of that. I am trying to understand how the situation will be when the polls are scheduled.
Various cadre officers of the Secretariat are keeping track of the upcoming Superior Selection Board (SSB) meeting. Many people have increased their commute to seniors' offices including the Ministry of Public Administration. In particular, the discussion about becoming a deputy secretary is increasing in the secretariat. There was not much political discussion.
A newly promoted joint secretary, a batch 22 official said polls is going to be held after five years. So, its normal to have discussions about it. But after the promotion of our batch no one has any idea about these. If the voting or scheduling is done properly, our regular work will also go on in normal pace. Sayla Farzana, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration's Field Administration/Internal Recruitment and New Recruitment Division, told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “There is no concern in the administration regarding the apprehension that is being heard in various media about October. We haven't heard anything from the field administration yet. But there is a preparation for the election. The Election Commission has started calling field officials. There is a lot of preparation for the national elections, and there may be concerns among officials about how to prepare for that. However, are not tensed over any political issue.
Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping and President of Bangladesh Administrative Service Association, Mustafa Kamal told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “There is no anxiety among government officials, nor should there be. Government servants always have to work under some party government. When the election comes, the election commission works according to the instructions. It should be noted that the election commission will announce the schedule of the next national election at the end of this month or in November. Field administration officials have already started training regarding it.”
(The report was published in Bengali on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on October 3 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque)
