The BNP on Thursday demanded cancellation of the gazette notification regarding the recruitment of 2,064 officials based on the final results of the 43rd Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination held during the Awami League regime.
The party also called for the scrapping of all the processes for the 44th, 45th, and 46th BCS to ensure that meritorious and deserving candidates are appointed through a fair and transparent process.
“We demand the interim government to immediately revoke the gazette notification on the appointments made based on the 43rd BCS examinations results, which were conducted by a partisan commission during the fascist regime of the Awami League,” said BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed.
Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, he noted that there is a precedent for annulling BCS recruitment, referencing the interim government's actions in 2007 when it scrapped the appointments based on the results of the 27th BCS.
He pointed out that the final results of the 27th BCS were revoked in the same context, and the then government subsequently completed the process issuing the recruitment circular after retaking viva exams.
The BNP leader emphasised that the government could follow the example set by the 27th BCS appointment process regarding the 43rd BCS.
The BNP leader said that the current interim government has recently issued a notification for the appointment of 2,064 candidates recommended by the politically biased Public Service Commission (PSC), which has acted as an ally of the fascist Awami government, for various BCS cadres.
“This decision, made without thorough scrutiny and in the wake of a historic uprising by students and the masses that cost many lives, has left the people of the country stunned and disappointed, fueling widespread anger and concern among the citizens of the country,” he observed.
At a time when there is a strong demand from various segments of the people, to ban the Chhatra League as a terrorist organisation, Salahudin said the subversive decision to rehabilitate members of that organisation into higher positions within the government administration through recruitment from the 43rd BCS is against national interest and security. “This is not acceptable at all.”
A total of 321,650 candidates participated in the preliminary exam of the 43rd BCS on October 29, 2021.
On December 26, 2023, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) announced the final results, recommending the appointment of 2,805 individuals, including both cadre and non-cadre positions.
Among them, 2,163 were awaiting appointment for cadre positions. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification appointing 2,064 candidates to various cadres.
Within just 2 months of the people's bloody mass uprising, Salahuddin said the opportunity to expand the dominance of the Awami ghosts in the administration by appointing deposed Awami party loyalists without any proper scrutiny has become a big question.
“We feel that this appointment is tantamount to deception and betrayal with the unforgettable sacrifices of the students in the anti-fascist movement,” he said.
Salahuddin noted that out of the 9,000 candidates called for the oral examination of the 44th BCS, 3,000 have completed their tests during Sheikh Hasina's administration.
The BNP leader also said the evaluation of written answers for the 45th BCS is nearing completion, while the preliminary exam for the 46th BCS took place three months ago.
“We demand the complete cancellation of the recruitment processes for these three BCS exams to prevent the fascist Awami cliques and the cadre forces of their student organisation, Chhatra League, from infiltrating the state administration,” he said.
He went on to say, "We must remember that there is no room for compromise on this issue. So, we have called for the cancellation of the 44th, 45th, and 46th BCS exams and for new examinations to be conducted.”
He alleged that from 2009 to August 5, 2024, the fascist Awami League government established one-party dominance by appointing loyalists at all levels of administration, sidelining many qualified youth and exacerbating unemployment.
Salahuddin, a former admin cadre, said the PSC was once a prestigious institution for national recruitment and a source of pride, but it has become a subservient party entity under prolonged fascist rule.
“One day the institution which was led by the virtuous intellectuals of the country, became a den of the party cadres when the fascist regime came to power,” he said.
The BNP leader said the blatant politicisation had reached a point where a former PSC chairman was made a dummy MP as a reward, and he is now a fugitive. “What could be more shameful for the nation than this?”
Salahuddin said there have been widespread calls from job seekers and other stakeholders for reforming the PSC.
“In response to these demands, it has been reported that the age limit for public job applications is being increased. We welcome this initiative, as it will provide an opportunity for some deserving candidates who have been left behind to apply for various jobs again,” he observed.
The BNP said a new chairman and some members of the PSC have already been appointed in response to calls for reform. “We believe that PSC reforms should be fully implemented, and all recruitment processes should be conducted anew in a transparent manner, allowing job aspirants to benefit from the changes and restoring the nation's confidence and trust in the government recruitment process.”
Salahuddin said the process of giving new jobs to different non-cadre posts of the 1st class, second, third and fourth classes, was started in various government and semi-government institutions during the Awami League government.
“We believe that individuals who have already applied for these positions should be given the opportunity to continue, alongside an extended application period that allows others who are eligible to apply as well," he said.