Officials of the administration cadre have demanded the removal of Muyeed Chowdhury, head of the Public Administration Reforms Commission, within the next 48 hours.
The protest arose following a draft recommendation proposing a restructuring of the promotion quota for the Deputy Secretary post.
The protest meeting, held on Wednesday (December 25) at the BIAM auditorium in the capital, was organised by the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association and the BCS (Administration) Welfare Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.
The gathering was described as a stand against what they termed a “deep conspiracy to destabilize the country through public administration reforms.”
ABM Abdus Sattar, President of the BCS (Administration) Welfare Multipurpose Cooperative Society, criticised Muyeed Chowdhury, labelling him as a "disgraced and controversial figure." Sattar said, “Two poisonous fangs have sprouted, and they must be pulled out. One of them is Muyeed Chowdhury.”
He further alleged that Chowdhury, a former officer of the Pakistan Civil Service, has forgotten his roots and acts against the interests of the cadre.
Sattar warned that if Chowdhury is not removed within 48 hours, stricter measures would be taken. “We know the strategy to remove him if the government does not act,” he said. Suggestions for future protests included mass meetings, hunger strikes, and other measures to intensify the movement.
The protest stems from a draft recommendation by the Public Administration Reforms Commission, led by Chowdhury, which suggests changes to the existing quota system for promotions to Deputy Secretary.
The proposal includes:
A 50% quota for the administration cadre in the Deputy Secretary pool.
Filling the remaining 50% through examinations involving the other 25 cadres.
Separating the education and health cadres from the civil service.
Currently, 75% of the Deputy Secretary posts are reserved for administration cadre officials, with the remaining 25% allocated to other cadres.
What’s next?
The protesters have proposed holding a mass meeting on January 4 to escalate their movement if their demands are not met. Abdus Sattar emphasised the need for unity within the cadre to “save the BCS family” and vowed to continue their fight to protect the interests of administration cadre officials.
Meanwhile, the government has yet to respond to these demands. The standoff highlights a growing tension over public administration reforms and the challenges of balancing merit-based inclusivity with entrenched cadre privileges.