Ordinance on Service Age: 'It's all for a few officials'
It was to reward some secretaries due to retire soon that the government recently increased the retirement age of civil servants through a hurriedly promulgated ordinance, alleged some mid-level government officials.
If the government would amend the Public Service Retirement Act-1974 in the parliament first and then increase the retirement age, at least 5 to 10 secretaries, who have close contacts with the government high-ups, would go to retirement by that time, said a deputy secretary of the agriculture ministry.
"If the government would first amend the act and then increase the retirement age, there would be no question about it," another deputy secretary said.
Senior officials of the public administration ministry however said there is nothing wrong in the move, and there was no question of rewarding anyone.
Official sources said the secretaries of Local Government Division and the commerce ministry were supposed to go to retirement early next month while two other secretaries would go to retirement in February, and some others in March, July, September, October, November and December next year.
The cabinet on December 19 approved a proposal for extending the retirement age of civil servants to 59 years, which is an increase of two years from the previous age limit.President Zillur Rahman amended the Public Service Retirement Act 1974 to that effect through promulgating an ordinance on December 26. The ordinance will be placed before the parliament for ratification in the next session to be started at the end of January next year.
Asked about the government's hurried move allegedly to reward some secretaries, a senior minister dismissed the allegation saying the retirement age was increased to get better service from experienced officials."We did not take into consideration who are going to retirement or not," said the minister preferring not to be named.
Public Administration Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder also denied the allegation and said, "But it is true that some of the secretaries would normally go to retirement this month or the next." He said there might be some grievances among 5 to 10 people who were in the pipeline for promotions as secretaries within a few months. But they will also now enjoy the extended retirement age once they are promoted, he added saying, they just have to wait a little longer for the promotions now. "The government increased the retirement age with good intentions, the matter was being discussed for years," he said.
As there is no parliament session right now, the president promulgated an ordinance to amend the act, he added saying, the retirement age was increased in a bid to discourage contractual appointments.He said the retirement age in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and most of the developed countries is 60.
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