A “Public Administration Reform Commission” will be formed soon to restructure the civil service, Prime Minister’s Political Adviser and BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan has said. Meanwhile, government policymakers said the administration will be kept free of the previous government’s partisan influence, and that “mob culture” will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
They made the remarks Monday afternoon in response to reporters’ questions at a briefing held to mark the government’s 180 days, held at the “Shapla” International Convention Center at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, the capital.
Noting that forming the public administration reform commission is taking some time, Nazrul Islam Khan said all relevant stakeholders need to be properly prepared beforehand to make the reform process effective. He said they want to give the reform commission the opportunity to work effectively only after problems within the administration have been identified and addressed. He said the initiative to form the administrative reform commission has been taken, but that those who will assist the commission also require proper vetting and preparation. Once this work is completed, the commission will be formed soon.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public Administration and BNP Standing Committee member Ismail Jabiullah said the government has not strayed from the commitment to public administration reform made in its election manifesto. Rather, he said, some reform work has already begun through the Public Administration Ministry. He said initiatives have been taken to identify officials associated with the previous government’s partisan influence and remove them from various positions within the administration. This process will continue steadily. However, he made clear that no steps will be taken in the name of administrative reform that would harm the country or the nation. He also stressed the need to free the administration from the effects of long-standing politicization.
Ismail Jabiullah further said they have also reviewed the report on public administration reform submitted during the interim government period. A formal commission for public administration reform will be established very soon.
“Mob culture” will not be tolerated
Addressing the topic of “mob culture” at the event, Ismail Jabiullah described it as unwelcome. He said the country will be run according to its laws, and no form of mob culture will be tolerated. He claimed that mob culture is now virtually nonexistent compared to the interim government period. The government wants to reassure the public on this matter.
On this topic, BNP Standing Committee member Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the extent of mob culture has decreased significantly. As the rule of law grows stronger in the country, mob culture will decrease correspondingly.
Media commission formation progressing
Responding to another question at the briefing, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said work on forming a media commission is progressing. He said media representatives, in discussions with the government, have praised the environment free of government control and influence. The government remains committed to formally institutionalizing this arrangement through a media commission. On the prime minister’s directive, a meeting with stakeholders has been arranged, and that work is nearly complete. A working group will be formed in the next phase. The minister said that after drafting a national action plan, it will be presented to the cabinet.
Evaluating the government’s 180 days of activities, the information and broadcasting minister said the government’s initial period was spent more on repairing the “wreckage” left by the previous government and creating an environment suitable for implementing new programs, rather than on implementing new programs themselves. He said the government received a public mandate for 1,825 days, of which the first 180 days were spent repairing that wreckage. He expressed hope that plans could be implemented more effectively during the remainder of the term.
Five local elections within the current fiscal year
On local government elections, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said five local government elections will be held within the current fiscal year. He said organizing these elections will require roughly 60 billion taka, which has been allocated in the current fiscal year’s budget. The Election Commission is also preparing. Once preparations are complete, coordinated field-level election activities will begin.
Before the question-and-answer session at the event marking the government’s 180 days, Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Mahadi Amin presented statistics on the government’s activities and various achievements over the 180 days. The event, moderated by Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli, was also addressed by Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon, among others.
Also present at the event were State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasir Khan Chowdhury, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Health S M Ziauddin Haider, Special Assistant on Environment, Forest, and Climate Saimum Parvez, Prime Minister’s Office Chief Coordinator Professor S M Abdul Awal, and various other government officials.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report