According to media reports, some 40 present and past bureaucrats attended that secret meeting and as the photo-journalists gathered in front of the office, having learned about the nocturnal meeting, Mahmudur Rahman came out and tried to veer them away from the gate of the house.

Meanwhile lights in the building had been turned off and the participating officials were frantically trying to hide their faces with their hands or pulling up jackets, while making their escape. But it did not help the fleeing bureaucrats from the fast clicking cameras of the inquisitive journalists. Next day, the national dailies printed the photographs of fleeing bureaucrats on their front page, creating a commotion across the country.

Mahmudur Rahman, who is now a devoted camp follower of BNP, tried to deny having engaged in any sort of conspiracy. But his waffling failed to satisfy anybody and the people at large took it yet one more brazen attempt to rig the upcoming election.

Some advisers to the caretaker government expressed deep concern over the participation of government officials in such a secret meeting at this crucial moment of the nation. "As a former government employee, I am shocked by their behaviour. Government officers cannot escape like thieves," said Finance Adviser Akbar ali Khan.

"None other than offenders hide their faces the way they did," commented the establishment secretary. Conscious citizens of the country termed this secret meeting to be a part of BNP and its allies' election engineering attempt as the bureaucrats and some UNOs will play important roles during the election scheduled to be held on January 21.

The council of advisers formed a three-member probe committee headed by agriculture secretary on November 27 to investigate the bureaucrats' secret meeting at Uttara. But an establishment ministry circular issued on the same day, said that under presidential directives, the probe committee will not only investigate the incident of Uttara, but also officials' involvement in the 1996 "Janatar Mancha" and similar meeting held at Panda Garden in 2001.

The probe committee has also been asked to identify the government officials who visit Hawa Bhaban of BNP, Sudha Sadhan of AL and other political party offices and submit report by December 3. It appears that this circular has been issued with a view to save the delinquent officials confounding the process of investigation of the Uttara incident.

Meanwhile BNP has also taken steps to save their partisan bureaucrats, arguing that similar events in the past still remained unaccountable. Begum Khaleda Zia spoke on November 29 publicly in favour of the bureaucrats who joined the clandestine meeting at Uttara. BNP also sent a delegation that met two outspoken advisers urging them not to single out the Uttara meeting.

The BNP-led coalition government at the very fag end of its tenure gave mass promotion to civil servants entirely on political considerations, apparently for taking them on its side during the election. According to a source in the Establishment Ministry, a total number of 2,380 officials were promoted in the different tiers of bureaucracy during its tenure, resulting in the record number of officers getting OSD status due to lack of vacancies. Civil bureaucracy has come under keen public scrutiny due to such promotions.

The concept of bureaucracy, which means the rules of the officialdom, came into use shortly before the French Revolution of 1789 and from there rapidly spread to other countries. Bangladesh inherited this bureaucratic system introduced by the British. The civil service in this sub-continent under the British regime was regulated as per the terms and conditions laid down in the India Act, 1935, which contained fair and beneficial provisions aiming to protect the interest of civil servants for performing their duties neutrally.

The bureaucracy in Bangladesh, unlike in the neighbouring countries like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, has failed to maintain the political neutrality, though it is reinforced by rules restricting their political activities. Section 30 of the Government Servants Conduct Rules of 1979 states: "No government servant shall bring, or attempt to bring political or other outside influence, directly or indirectly, to bear on the government or any government servant in support of any claim arising in connection with his employment."

Section 32 of the said rules adds: "Contravention of any of these rules shall be construed as misconduct within the meaning of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal ) Rules, 1985 and a government servant found guilty of such contravention shall render himself liable to disciplinary action under the aforesaid rules."

But sections 30 and 32 of the Government Servants Conduct Rules are honoured more in breach than in observance. Not a single instance, however, can be cited in which a civil servant was awarded punishment for breach of conduct in his involvement in political activities. Many of the high government officers are now found to be engaged in extra-official activities that are quite political in nature and neutrality of bureaucracy is spoiled in these ways.

Bangladesh does not have as yet any civil service act or any other law regulating the civil service. The Government Servants Conduct Rules of 1979, the Government Servants (Special Provisions) Ordinance 1979, the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1985, and the Public Servants Dismissed on Conviction Ordinance 1985 contain the important rules regulating the civil service. But these rules and ordinances do not provide protection to the civil servants from being repressed by the political party in power. This is also a reason of the bureaucrats becoming partisans.

There is a good-enough reason for the nation to be worried with increasing politicization of bureaucracy, as it is the most stable and vital component to good governance. The frequent mass promotion on political consideration has also a demoralizing effect across the tiers of bureaucracy. The system of bureaucracy is bound to be spoiled if the partisan loyalty rather than merit becomes the criteria for promotion.

We deeply feel that the disarrays in our bureaucracy will embolden the caretaker government to take appropriate action against the delinquent government officials involved in Uttara conspiracy, in the line with the code of conduct, at least for setting a precedent for the political governments to follow. The nation should also receive an unambiguous impression on putting bureaucracy to the right track.

The civil servants of all descriptions are the servants of the republic and not of the party in power. They are not expected to be loyal to the party in power but required to serve the government of different political ideology without being partisan. If the unholy process of politicization of bureaucracy continues unabated, its fall-out will be felt for years to come.

ANM Nurul Haque is a columnist of The Daily Star.