The reins of Bangladesh’s civil administration are increasingly being controlled by bureaucrats serving on contractual extensions, raising alarm over the erosion of merit-based promotions, growing factionalism, and administrative instability under the interim government of Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
According to an investigation by The Daily Industry, at least 20 secretaries and senior secretaries across vital ministries and divisions are currently serving under contractual appointments. These include the Cabinet Secretary, the Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser, and the Secretaries of the Public Administration, Home, Health, ICT, Women and Children Affairs, and Land Ministries, among others.
Even the Superior Selection Board (SSB) - the body responsible for recommending promotions in the civil service - is heavily dominated by such appointees, with four of its seven members currently on contract. As a result, control over promotions, postings, and policy decisions now rests with officials who are no longer part of the regular service hierarchy.
Discontent and Division in the Bureaucracy: Interviews with several serving and recently retired civil servants reveal widespread frustration within the administration. Over the past five months, at least 24 officers of Grade 1 and Additional Secretary rank have retired, many expressing dismay at being bypassed for promotion by contractual officials.
A senior ministry officer, requesting anonymity, told The Daily Industry, “We are witnessing a bureaucratic oligarchy. Officers who retired years ago are being brought back on contract, while serving officials lose morale and opportunities. This is undermining discipline and meritocracy within the administration.” Many of these contractual officials had been inactive or outside the bureaucracy for more than a decade, creating a severe disconnect between current administrative realities and their outdated approaches.
A Cabinet Dominated by Contractual Appointees: The current list of contractual secretaries includes some of the most powerful figures in government administration: Dr. Sheikh Abdur Rashid, Cabinet Secretary, M. Siraj Uddin Miah, Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser, Ehsanul Haque, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration. Dr. Nasimul Gani, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr. Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, Member (Senior Secretary rank), Planning Commission, M.A. Akmal Hossain Azad, Senior Secretary, Planning Division, Mumtaz Ahmed, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Akhtar Ahmed, Senior Secretary, Election Commission, Dr. Neyamat Ullah Bhuiyan, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, A.S.M. Saleh Ahmed, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Land, Siddiq Zobair, Director General, National Academy for Planning and Development (NAPA), A.J.M. Salahuddin Nagri, Chairman, Land Reform Board, Shish Haidar Chowdhury, Secretary, ICT Division, Md. Saidur Rahman, Secretary, Health Services Division, Dr. Kayum Ara Begum, Member, Planning Commission (Secretary rank), S.M. Moin Uddin, CEO, Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA), Moksumul Hakim Chowdhury, Chairman, National River Conservation Commission.
Additionally, former Senior Secretary of the Shipping Ministry, Mohammad Yusuf, has been made Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at the Ministry of Public Administration, while others - such as Dr. Mahfuzul Haque (Ambassador to Portugal) and Sharifa Khan (Alternate Executive Director at the World Bank) - have also received contractual appointments abroad.
Factional Politics Deepens Bureaucratic Chaos: Sources within the Secretariat describe a climate of deep political and ideological division between officials aligned with different political camps, notably those perceived to have sympathies with the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. Following the July 2024 mass uprising that ousted the previous Awami League government, the administration descended into infighting, with rival groups competing for key positions. Reports suggest that during the reshuffle of Deputy Commissioners (DCs), physical altercations broke out among senior officials vying for preferred postings. “It was a scene of administrative anarchy,” said a senior official who witnessed the incident. “One senior officer was locked in a washroom for an hour by disgruntled colleagues after being denied a DC appointment.”
In one recent instance, the appointments of the Education and Public Administration Secretaries reportedly came under direct political influence from a top leader of a political party aligned with the interim government.
Experts Warn of Systemic Risks: Administrative experts fear that this growing reliance on contractual appointees threatens the integrity and effectiveness of Bangladesh’s civil service. Former Secretary A.K.M. Abdul Awal Majumder told The Daily Industry: “The civil service is now largely driven by contract-based officers. Many of them had been out of administrative practice for over a decade. This creates inefficiency and resentment among career bureaucrats.” “If a contractual officer performs poorly, the government should have the courage to terminate the contract. Otherwise, regular officials lose faith in the system,” he added.
Former Cabinet Division official Dr. Mahfuz Ahmed echoed similar concerns, warning that: “The administrative chain of command has weakened. When the most powerful positions - Cabinet Secretary, Public Administration Secretary, Home Secretary - are held by contractual officers, the line between service and politics becomes blurred.” According to him, the interim government should have focused on stabilizing the administrative structure and ensuring a fair promotion system, not deepening the crisis with ad-hoc reappointments.
Regular Officers Fear Career Stagnation: The discontent runs deep among mid-level officers who see their career paths blocked. Many Additional Secretaries complain that their chances of promotion have evaporated due to the dominance of contract-based senior secretaries. “We’ve spent 30 years in service, and now people who retired ten years ago are back - making decisions for us,” said a serving Additional Secretary. “This situation is unprecedented. It violates the spirit of civil service rules.”
Analysts also point out that the interim government’s mandate is limited to holding elections and maintaining basic administration, not restructuring the bureaucracy or appointing top-level officials on long-term contracts.
Administrative Paralysis and Lack of Direction: Observers note that the rise of contractual bureaucrats has created an atmosphere of administrative confusion. With many of these appointees unfamiliar with current procedures and technologies, several ministries have slowed down policy implementation.
In the Ministry of Health, project approvals under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) have dropped by 18% in the past quarter, according to Planning Commission sources. Similarly, decision-making in the Public Administration Ministry has been delayed as officers await clear direction from the top.
Public Trust and Governance at Stake: Governance analysts warn that the growing dominance of unelected, contract-based officials undermines public accountability.
Dr. Farah Kabir, a governance expert, told The Daily Industry: “The problem is not only inefficiency but legitimacy. The interim government should act within its limited tenure and avoid making permanent administrative changes. Otherwise, it risks overstepping democratic boundaries.” She added that the practice of rewarding retired officials through contracts encourages favoritism and patronage, further eroding the meritocratic foundation of the civil service.
Experts Urge Structural Reform: To restore credibility, experts recommend a transparent and merit-based promotion policy, regularization of top positions, and ending the overuse of contractual appointments. Former Secretary Abdul Awal Majumder concluded: “Bangladesh’s bureaucracy is one of the state’s permanent pillars. Undermining its professionalism for short-term political convenience will damage the foundation of governance for years to come.”
