New BTV DG appointed under dormant law

Questions have been raised over the legality of appointing the new director general (DG) of Bangladesh Television (BTV).

Although media personality Kazi Jesin was appointed BTV DG last Thursday under the “Bangladesh Television Authority Act, 2001”, neither the Ministry of Information nor the Ministry of Public Administration could provide information on whether the law is actually in effect.

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BTV’s website features at least 22 documents on its rules and regulations but makes no mention of the act, which was passed by parliament during the tenure of the then Awami League government to grant autonomy to BTV, according to sources.

However, no gazette notification to bring the act into force has been issued over the past 25 years, as required by the act itself. This means that although parliament passed the act, it has not yet taken effect. Yet the Ministry of Public Administration appointed the new DG by citing the same law.

Harun-or-Rashid, a former additional secretary who served as BTV director general from 2016 to 2021, told The Daily Star yesterday, “Although the 2001 law was formulated to run BTV, it was not in effect during my tenure. I have not heard of the law being made effective. If it is not in effect, there is no scope to make an appointment under it.”

“If the act has been made effective through the issuance of a gazette notification, then there is no problem with the appointment,” he added.

According to Ministry of Information sources, BTV DGs are appointed on deputation from among government officials of joint secretary or additional secretary rank, or on a contractual basis from outside the government. For contractual appointments, media personalities or professionals are selected under the “Public Service Act, 2018”. Ministry of Public Administration sources said Mahbubul Alam, who was appointed during the interim government, received a contractual appointment under the Public Service Act.

Asked why the new DG was appointed under an inactive law when contractual appointments are possible under the Public Service Act, Golam Robbani, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration who signed the appointment notification, declined to comment and requested that senior officials be contacted.

Contacted, Nilufar Jesmin Khan, joint secretary of the Contract and Foreign Employment Branch of the Ministry of Public Administration, said, “We are discussing the matter. Please speak to our wing chief for comments on this.”

Despite phone calls and text messages, Aknur Rahman, head of the Appointment, Promotion and Deputation Wing, did not respond.

Asked how the appointment happened despite multiple stages of scrutiny for contractual appointments, a senior Cabinet Division official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Officers with the skills and personality required to run the state should be appointed to public administration. Otherwise, such problems will keep occurring.”

“A few days ago, a retired officer was promoted from deputy secretary to joint secretary. This is the state of the Ministry of Public Administration,” the official said, citing an example.