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Frequent reshuffles of deputy commissioners (DCs) just months before the national election have created unease and instability in the field administration. Questions are also being raised over the preparedness and capacity of the system to conduct the polls.
Between 8 and 15 November alone, the government reshuffled DCs in at least 54 districts. Of them, 10 DCs were transferred from one district to another, while 44 districts received new DCs. However, at least six of these transfer or appointment orders were revoked almost immediately after being issued.
Normally, officials of deputy secretary rank serve as DCs and act as returning officers during elections. But a government decision to keep those who served in the last three elections away from election duty has created a shortage of experienced officers. As a result, the government is being forced to rely on comparatively less experienced officials, fuelling doubts about the administration’s ability to conduct a fair and efficient election.
According to officials at the Ministry of Public Administration, even before this major reshuffle at the start of the current month, DCs had already been changed multiple times over the past few months. At the district level, DCs work closely with at least three intelligence agencies. Alongside coordinating development activities and overseeing general administration, they are also responsible for VIP protocol and managing pressure from political parties.
Officials complain that the ministry is appointing DCs without any clear policy and, in many cases, under pressure from various quarters. Several officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that as a result many capable officers are now reluctant to become DCs. On the other hand, those with relatively weaker qualifications are being appointed through lobbying, forcing the government to repeatedly amend or reverse its own posting orders.
The instability is visible in several districts. In Chattogram, for example, on 21 September the then DC Farida Khanam was withdrawn and Naogaon DC Mohammad Abdul Awal was appointed in her place. That order was soon cancelled. Later, on 19 October, Feni DC Saiful Islam took charge as DC of Chattogram, but he was removed after just 24 days and replaced by Zahidul Islam Mia.
A similar pattern has been seen in Chapainawabganj, Madaripur, Noakhali, Barguna, Meherpur, Bhola and Gazipur in recent months, where appointments were followed by withdrawals and re-postings elsewhere.
A joint secretary at the Cabinet Division said that although the DC is a civil servant, the position is “semi-political” in nature. Those with strong field-level experience should be prioritised for this post, he argued. He asked, “Around seven to eight lakh officials are involved in managing an election. Is it really possible to keep all of them away from electoral duties? If not, why should such restrictions apply only to DCs and superintendents of police?”
Public administration expert Firoz Mia said that different districts require officials with different capacities, depending on their relative importance. Proper assessment is crucial before postings are made. “Looking at the recent reshuffles, it seems the ministry did not carry out such an assessment,” said the former DC. “Indecision at the top level is a sign of administrative incompetence. When there is hesitation at the highest level, field-level officials lose confidence.”
Former secretary and public administration specialist Abdul Awal Majumdar said the government’s inability to stand by its own decisions on transfers and postings reflects “incompetence, shortsightedness and lack of capacity.”
“What has happened this time around with DC postings,” he warned, “makes it far from unreasonable to fear that the election itself could be undermined.”
