Secretariat on edge amid reform push
Abu Jakir :
The corridors of Bangladesh’s Secretariat have once again become a flashpoint, as unrest within the civil service threatens to destabilise a government still navigating the complexities of a post-transition landscape.
Barely months after the ousting of the authoritarian Awami League regime in August last year, the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus is now facing growing dissent from the very bureaucratic machinery responsible for maintaining state stability. A controversial new public service ordinance has sparked widespread protests across government ministries, plunging the administrative nerve centre into renewed turmoil.
On Saturday, chants and placards filled the Secretariat grounds as government officials and employees demanded the repeal of the recently enacted Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025. The legislation, which amends a 2018 law, has provoked backlash over clauses that permit the termination of public officials without due process-measures that demonstrators liken to those imposed during a military-backed regime over four decades ago.
Protesters have warned that unless the ordinance is scrapped, an indefinite nationwide strike involving all levels of the civil service will be launched. Already, 25 cadre officers-representing technical and professional groups such as engineers, doctors, and economists-have joined the movement, staging rallies and human chains, and issuing an ultimatum for a total work stoppage. Some officials have reportedly blocked the entry of senior bureaucrats, rekindling memories of past confrontations, including recent disputes over deputy commissioner appointments.
In a tentative step toward compromise, senior secretaries-led by Land Secretary ASM Saleh Ahmed-met with the protestors on Tuesday and pledged to relay their demands to the Cabinet Secretary. In response, the demonstrations have been temporarily suspended.
“We have conveyed the concerns, and now await the government’s response,” said Nurul Islam, co-chair of the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers-Employees Unity Forum.
Outside the bureaucracy, however, public pressure is mounting. On Tuesday afternoon, just beyond the Secretariat’s main entrance, a vociferous demonstration led by the July Revolutionary Student-People’s Movement turned the adjacent streets into a platform of resistance. With slogans such as “Break the Secretariat’s black hand!” and “Fascists shall not find shelter in the Secretariat!” student leaders accused top bureaucrats of attempting to derail government reforms.
“These are the same officials who supported autocracy in July,” said Arif Sohel, a prominent student leader. “Now they obstruct reform under the guise of job rights. We demand their dismissal and prosecution.”
The protests are the latest episode in a long-standing rift between the generalist administration cadre and the 25 cadre officers, many of whom allege systemic discrimination in promotions and postings. Tensions were further inflamed following the Civil Service Reform Commission’s recommendations, which sparked mutual recriminations online and resulted in the suspension of a dozen 25 cadre officers.
“The disciplinary actions were unilateral,” said Mohammad Omar Faruq Dewan, a coordinator of the Inter-Cadre Disparity Elimination Forum. “The government promised a resolution but has yet to deliver.”
Observers suggest that the interim government’s weakening control over the civil service is at the heart of the crisis. “There is a leadership vacuum at the top,” said Mohammad Firoz Mia, a noted public administration expert. “Appointments were made based on political loyalty rather than merit. That misstep is now proving costly.”
Adding fuel to the fire, Hasnat Abdullah, a senior figure in the National Citizen Party (NCP), criticised the protesters on Monday. “You wore black badges in support of Hasina during the July uprising, and now you threaten to paralyse the state?” he said at a press conference in Chittagong. “Where was your conscience before 5 August?”
As the government prepares for a high-stakes meeting on Wednesday to consider the demands, the challenge remains whether the interim leadership can restore stability without alienating either the civil service or the resurgent street movements.
For now, the Secretariat remains tense – its clerks and secretaries caught in a conflict between professional duty, demands for reform, and the lingering shadows of political regimes past.