The government is reconstituting every committee formed at ministry, department, directorate, agency and district level under the Awami League government, whose activities are now banned. The move is intended to remove Awami loyalists from these committees and bring in new members. Each reconstituted committee has also been asked to include three respected local figures, one of whom must be a woman.
A letter to that effect was issued by the prime minister’s office on August 18. It asks for all existing committees formed across the government’s ministries, divisions, directorates, agencies and districts to be reconstituted and updated, and separately for 98 committees chaired by deputy commissioners (DCs) to be reconstituted.
The letter, signed by prime minister’s office director Ashraful Islam, says the government has various committees at ministry, division and district level to run and carry out its work. Most were formed several years ago, and for some the gazette notices and records of activity cannot be found. It has therefore become necessary to reconstitute and update all existing committees.
Sources said the process of reconstituting government committees has begun in many places since the letter was received.
Why the committees are being reconstituted
Prothom Alo spoke to a secretary and two deputy commissioners about the letter. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said people sympathetic to the Awami League were placed on government committees during its time in power. After the change of government on August 5, many went into hiding or left the country and cannot attend committee meetings. In some places there are fears of trouble if they are called to a meeting.
Government sources say that for these reasons it has become hard to run government business with the old committees in place, so a move has been made to reconstitute them and get them working again in the new reality.
One deputy commissioner, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave the example of his district’s freedom-fighter verification committee. If the person serving as its chairman were called to a meeting, he said, there could be trouble, so the committee needs reconstituting urgently.
People were also appointed to these committees under the former interim government whose outlook does not match that of the governing BNP government, and they too will now be removed.
The prime minister’s office letter does not directly mention removing supporters of the Awami League or any other political party. It instructs that all existing committees be reconstituted and that the representation of the relevant stakeholders be ensured.
Another deputy commissioner told Prothom Alo, on condition of anonymity, that whenever a government comes to power its supporters are placed on these committees, and that has always been the practice. Because the Awami League was in power continuously for a long time, many committees went unreconstituted for years and representatives of the previous government remained. The decision has now been taken to reconstitute them.
Three respected figures, one of them a woman
Each newly formed committee has been asked to include three respected local figures as members, at least one of whom must be a woman. The chairman or convener of the committee will nominate them. The letter says this is intended to make local participation and representation more effective.
The prime minister’s office instructions also say that when existing committees of ministries, divisions, offices and agencies are reconstituted, the representation of all relevant stakeholders must be ensured.
According to sources, under the previous government district law and order committees had five members besides the government representatives: a freedom fighter, a journalist and three political figures. This time too the committees are to be reconstituted with the same number of representatives.
98 committees led by deputy commissioners
A list attached to the prime minister’s office letter names 98 committees chaired by the deputy commissioners of the districts concerned, which have been ordered to be reconstituted.
Examples include the district fertiliser and seed monitoring committee, the district core committee on agricultural development, the district agricultural rehabilitation implementation committee, the paddy procurement and monitoring committee, the fruit-tree planting fortnight and fruit fair committee, and the committee on mango preservation and marketing, all chaired by deputy commissioners.
Deputy commissioners also chair the freedom-fighter verification committee and the district committee on appointing OMS dealers, as well as the district youth development committee, the committee vetting applications for grants to youth organisations, the committee on allowances for athletes and the district committee for the national youth awards.
A senior government official told Prothom Alo, on condition of anonymity, that no move was made to reconstitute these committees under the interim government. Two things are being prioritised now, the official said: many committees have not met for a long time, and many still include Awami loyalists.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report