Making ad hoc appointments
SOME daily national newspapers reported on July 14 that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered appointments on an ad hoc basis to the vacant posts in the public service, skipping the process of the PSC, amid complaints that manpower shortage was hampering works in ministries.
She assigned five of her advisers to prepare a report on vacant posts and suggest ways to fill them. She issued the instruction at a closed-door meeting of ministers after the formal cabinet meeting in the cabinet room of the Secretariat on July 13.
Appointments to posts in the public service on ad hoc basis were made earlier also. In Pakistan days, such appointments were made sparingly. Even the purpose of such ad hoc appointments was mostly misused. A memorandum issued on May 31, 1960 by the central public service commission of Pakistan shows that the CPSC cautioned the ministries to appoint only those candidates on ad hoc basis who possessed all the qualifications laid down by the ministries for those posts. When unqualified persons holding ad hoc appointments applied to the commission in response to the advertisement, they had to be ruled out.
A lot of ad hoc appointments were made in the early days of Bangladesh. Considering the ground realities, the government framed a rule known as "Regularisation of ad hoc Appointment Rules, 1983" to regularise persons appointed on ad hoc basis at any time between the April 9, 1972, and January 24, 1982, either by promotion or by direct appointment under some relaxed conditions.
Records show that the establishment ministry earlier issued a number of office memoranda directing the ministries that the ad hoc appointees should possess the requisite qualification and experience prescribed for the posts. But such requests were not always complied with. As a result, many ad hoc appointees found it difficult when facing competition from outsiders for regular appointment to those posts.
So the government had to swallow the bitter pill by regularising the ad hoc appointments made between January 25, 1982 and December 31,1993 through another rule dated December 3, 1994, and then finally stopping further ad hoc appointment to any post in revenue budget. This is the position that stands at the moment.
It is not known how many posts within the purview of the PSC are lying vacant at the moment. But newspaper reports say that the PSC has expressed its inability to recruit for a large number of posts within a short span of time by observing its normal procedures.
The constitution has made provision for establishing one or more than one PSC. The functions of the existing PSC include, inter alia, conducting tests and examinations for the selection of candidates for appointment to base level Class 1 cadre and ex-cadre posts in the revenue budget; holding examinations for promotion to senior scales of such officers; holding departmental examinations; conducting tests and examinations for recruitment to Class 11 posts in the revenue budget; advising the president on any matter on which the commission is consulted; and performing such other functions as required by law.
As stated above, the government has had a bitter experience with appointments on ad hoc basis.
The government is also well aware of the effects of short-cut method of recruitment of cadre service officers. In 1973, the then AL government recruited a large number of bureaucrats from amongst the freedom fighters without properly going through the PSC's long established procedure of recruitment. During the regime of H. M. Ershad, a large number of magistrates were recruited in 1983 through special examination consisting of only 300 marks -- viva voce test 200 marks and psychological and intelligence test 100 marks -- to man the newly created upazilas and districts.
Some analysts have expressed concern that the open-door policy for recruitment to revenue budget posts on ad hoc basis, by-passing the PSC, may lead to politicisation of bureaucracy along ruling party lines. This may help create vote banks for ruling party for the next general election and other elections.
In view of what has been stated above, the following suggestions are made for consideration of the government:
-There may not be two opinions that public offices are over-staffed. It is high time for rightsizing the manpower in public offices.
-Ad hoc appointment to posts within the jurisdiction of the PSC should be made sparingly and they should be limited primarily to technical posts.
-Only persons having the requisite qualification, experience and age for such technical and sensitive non-technical posts should be appointed on ad hoc basis.
-Out of 28 or so BCS cadre services, the cadre strength of BCS (Education) and BCS (Health) is very large. The government has reportedly decided to establish a separate PSC for recruitment, promotion, etc of teachers at government schools, colleges, institutes, etc. So, the government may consider establishing a separate PSC for BCS (Health) cadre. This will ease the pressure on the present PSC.
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