The Daily Star took up the list of changes made in the civil administration during October 30-November 30 after the caretaker government took over and found that the reshuffle was basically a "musical chair" game where the top people who matter most for the election have only gone from one important post to another.

The cumulative result remains the same--they still hold posts that were gravely politicised by the previous four-party coalition government and can pull strings in any election.

As the demand of depoliticisation for the sake of a free and fair parliamentary election grows, the immediate past prime minister attempted to defend the caretaker government saying it brought changes to the posts of 46 secretaries and acting secretaries, 72 additional secretaries, 50 joint secretaries and 87 deputy secretaries.

The officials who enjoyed favour during the five-year rule of the BNP-led four-party coalition government have not been removed from their offices, rather been transferred to other areas with the same rank and, in many cases, to higher offices in ministries involved with the election process, and as deputy commissioners (DCs) and upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) who play the most significant roles in the election process.

DCs: Only districts change

Khaleda Zia said 87 officers of deputy secretary rank were transferred but she did not mention that 64 of them are DCs whose transfers made no difference in terms of affecting the election process. Transfers of the rest and the 72 additional secretaries also have had no effect on the electoral process. All excepting six divisional commissioners of the 50 joint secretary-rank officials also have no role in electoral process.

Of the 64 DCs, who will work as returning officers during the upcoming elections, 30 were transferred from one district to another, 16 as per the list of the previous government, and 18 according to the CG fit-list.

Those who are in the CG fit-list are also among those who enjoyed favour during the previous government's rule. Interestingly, the persons who prepared the fit-list are also well known for being favoured by the previous four-party coalition government. Former cabinet secretary ASM Abdul Halim, who later joined the BNP, is one of them.

Some of the "favoured" DCs are Mohammad Hanif (Dhaka), Abdur Rahim Molla (Thakurgaon), Faizur Reza Noor (Chittagong), Kefayet Ullah (Satkhira)--former Islami Chhatra Shibir president of Chittagong University unit, Jamal Uddin Majumder (Sylhet), Dr Aminul Islam (Rajshahi), Abdul Qaiyum Sarder (Narail), Altaf Hossain (Barguna), Mizanur Rahman (Natore)--former Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader, Khondoker Mokhlesur Rahman (Nilphamari)--former PS to election commissioner SM Zakaria, Ahsan Habib (Narayanganj), Mushfiq Ahmed Shamim (Bagerhat), Abdur Rahim (Sherpur), Shahadat Hossain (Khagrachhari), Golam Mowla (Pabna), Abdul Gani (Bogra), Abdul Mannan (Chuadanga), and KM Kabir Ahmed (Jhalakathi).

UNOS: THEY STILL HOLD THE POSTS
The CG brought changes to only 241 of 480 posts of UNO who will work as assistant returning officers during the elections. Of them, 190 were transferred from one upazila to another.

Among the UNOs--in constituencies of former BNP ministers and MPs--not transferred are those of Moudud Ahmed's constituencies Noakhali Sadar, Kabirhat and Companiganj, Tariqul Islam's constituency Jessore Sadar, Tajumuddin of Bhola in Maj (retd) Hafizuddin's constituency, Altaf Hossain's constituency Mirzaganj of Patuakhali, Morshed Khan's constituency Boalkhali of Chittagong, Asadul Habib Dulu's constituency Lalmonirhat Sadar, Shah Abul Hossain's constituency Mehendiganj of Barisal, Fazlur Rahman Patal's constituency Bagatipara of Natore, Shamsul Alam Pramanik's constituency Naogaon, Jahiruddin Shawpan's constituency Gouranadi-Agailjhara of Barisal, and Sarder Sakhawat Hossain Bakul's constituencies Belabo and Monohordi of Narsingdi.

Establishment ministry officials said these UNOs were not changed as they have not completed two years in their posts.

However, there are a number of instances of transferring DCs and UNOs within a few months of their appointments.

Of the DCs, Shamsul Alam was transferred from Manikganj to Mymensingh and Habibul Kabir from Natore to Noakhali within two months and Mohammad Hanif from Jamalpur to Dhaka within three months of their appointments.

Of the UNOs, Abu Bakr Siddiqui of Panchagarh Sadar was transferred in about one year, Abul Hasnat Lutful Kabir of Abhaynagar in one year and 13 days, and Bishwajit Bhattacharya of Nokla in one year and 10 months.

Sources said 100 senior assistant secretaries who have been kept OSD (officers on special duty) could be tasked with the jobs of UNO.

Sources said the DCs and UNOs who were called for the fit-list interview on November 10 and 11 were promoted during the previous government's rule. Most of these officials failed in previous fit-list interviews.

ELECTION OFFICERS NOT CHANGED
Despite strong demand from different quarters, the CG did not transfer any of the 345 election officers who were appointed reportedly on political ground by the immediate past government.

Leaders and activists of JCD, and BNP lawmakers' relatives have been recruited to district- and upazila-level election offices through the Public Service Commission. Out of 328 posts of upazila election officer, at least 150 were filled with candidates from a list prepared by JCD top brass, according to sources.

One hundred and eighty-four upazila education officers (UEOs), 217 assistant UEOs, 5,378 headmasters and 58,588 assistant teachers--most of whom were appointed for political affiliation during the previous government's tenure--will work as assistant presiding and polling officers.

SERVING OLD TIES
Omar Faruk, additional divisional commissioner of Barisal and returning officer in charge of the Banaripara-Swarupkathi constituency, did not reject the nomination paper of whip in the last parliament Shahidul Huq Jamal although a Bangladesh Bank (BB) report listed him as a loan defaulter.

Faruk, who was also the personal secretary to Jamal during the previous government's rule, defended his action saying he received the BB report after office hours. Newspaper reports, however, contradict it.

SECRETARIES: MUSICAL CHAIR AGAIN
After sending cabinet secretary M Abu Solaiman Chowdhury into forced retirement on December 6, the CG gave him the opportunity to retire on his own.

The key position of home secretary was given to local government division secretary SM Jahurul Islam who got quick promotion during the four-party coalition's rule twice under presidential quota. His closeness to the immediate past government is well known. During his service as an additional secretary to the home ministry, Jahurul is said to have influenced the cancellation of a home ministry initiative to transfer erstwhile Rajshahi Police Super Masud Mia who had been accused of patronising Islamist militant activities in Rajshahi and neighbouring districts. Sources said he also had good relation with former post and telecommunications minister M Aminul Haq who is also accused of patronising Islamist militants.

Home secretary Jahurul Islam and establishment secretary AFM Solaiman Chowdhury were transferred on December 6 under the package proposal in a bid to regain people's confidence in the caretaker government.

Secretaries to home and establishment ministries and the cabinet were given promotion from deputy secretaries in a shortest three-year period under the controversial policy formulated by the immediate past government. Abdur Rashid Sarker who played an important role in formulating the policy is now the secretary of the Election Commission (EC).

Those favoured by the four-party coalition government are also there in the local government, information and education ministries that also play significant role in the electoral process.

While people are well aware of the CG's role to bring transparency and reconstituting the EC, the CG did not heed to bring changes in attorney general's office and public prosecutors and government pleaders who play significant role in legal aspects of the election process.

Most of them were appointed for recommendations from the BNP lawyers' forum, Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum.

INSIGNIFICANT CHANGES
Reshuffle in other ministries and government offices had nothing to do with the electoral process and played almost no role in depoliticisation as most of them were transferred to other offices with the same ranks.

The CG transferred and cancelled contractual jobs of some key officials only after they finished their mission of reshuffling the administration and police department according to the design of the immediate past government. They include the establishment and home secretaries who played a very significant role in the reshuffle of officials who will play major roles at the field level during the election.

The transfers merely increased the figure. Here are some examples.

In his first move after taking the CG office, President Iajuddin Ahmed on October 30 cancelled contractual appointments of nine secretaries some of whom had only a few days in their offices. Termination of contracts of Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, principal secretary to the immediate past prime minister (PM), whose job tenure was extended five times breaking all previous records in the civil administration, and of Khondoker Shahidul Islam, secretary to the immediate past PM, was of little consequence as their contracts were due to expire soon.

A number of officials with reported leanings towards BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, who had got quick and sometimes undue promotions during the immediate past four-party alliance rule on political considerations superseding others, were given charges of different vital positions in the October 30 reshuffle in the civil administration.

The director generals (DGs) of Bangladesh Television and Betar were swapped on November 16, in an instance of several other cases in different offices.

The government reinstated eight officials including the full four-member commission of Securities and Exchange Commission and chairman and two commissioners of Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission on November 19, only three days after cancelling their contractual jobs along with 35 others.

The transfer of 15 information officers of different ministries on November 2 had nothing to do with the electoral process.

Registrar of Directorate of Cooperatives Sheikh Altaf Ali replaced additional secretary to information ministry Maj (retd) M Masud who was made director of National Institute of Population Research and Training, while Planning and Development Academy DG Dr Golam Mostafa Talukder was made chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) on November 8.

Other 44 transfers of November 8 including DG of Bangladesh Academy of Rural Development, Comilla Muhammad Nazrul Islam as DG of Directorate of Youth Development, DG of Jute Directorate MM Iftekhar-e Alam as Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation chairman, and privatisation commission member Azizul Islam's transfer as member to Planning Commission similarly have little effect.

The transfers of Dhaka City Corporation secretary Alamgir Hossain Khan as member secretary to BADC, Prisons Directorate project director KM Mozammel Haq as director of Bangladesh Textile Industries Corporation, post literacy continuing project-1 director Mortuza Ahmad to the land ministry, Land Appeal Board member Golam Mortuza's swapping shipping ministry joint secretary Nepal Chandra Sarker also fall in the same category.

The transfers of 13 assistant secretaries on November 28 including senior assistant secretary Toufiqul Arif of information ministry to women and children affairs, Jahurul Haq and Mohammad Ibrahim from the Secretariat to the health and family planning ministry, Alamgir Hossain, Azizur Rahman and Mohammad Inam Chowdhury from the Secretariat to information, livestock and fisheries, and housing and public works ministries also bear little significance.

Besides, the CG's way of reshuffling in the police department quite evidently shows that the CG implemented the four-party government's plan of politicising the police. Without dismantling the previous government's plot, the CG rather promoted some officers to higher offices as it merely transferred the police officers from one place to another without paying attention to those who were deprived of due promotion since the coalition government's taking office in October 2001.