Bureaucrats appear before people in many forms, it’s a problem: Debapriya
"A person who is a bureaucrat today turns a politician tomorrow and then a businessman the next day. It has become a problem that they come before us in many forms," says the convenor of Citizen's Platform and distinguished fellow at CPD
Bureaucrats now appear before people in various identities, which has become a major problem for governance, undermining accountability, neutrality, and public service, according to Debapriya Bhattacharya, convenor of the Citizen's Platform and distinguished fellow at CPD.
"A person who is a bureaucrat today may become a politician tomorrow and a businessman the next day. This shifting of roles has become a problem, as they present themselves in many forms," he said at the Citizen's Conference 2024 consolidation session, titled "People-centric Reform for Good Governance: Aspirations of Disadvantaged Communities," in the capital today (9 December).
Citizen's Platform for SDGs Bangladesh, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, arranged the two-day conference on 8 and 9 December at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
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"In many cases, these three identities have become one with the same person," he said, asking participants who are the most powerful — bureaucrats, politicians, or businessmen. They responded, "Bureaucrats."
The noted public policy analyst then pointed out that "bureaucrats" were also identified as the most powerful in discussions held across different parts of Bangladesh.
Turning to the local government issues, Debapriya suggested the formation of an independent commission to strengthen the local government.
"If there is an independent local government commission, the culture of sacking an elected public representative on a simple excuse can be prevented, and it can allocate a budget for the local government bodies," he said.
Addressing the event, Badiul Alam Majumder, chief of the Electoral Reform Commission, emphasised that good governance comes through fair elections.
He also highlighted two proposals from the participants: local elections should be held before the general election, and local government elections should be conducted without party symbols.
In response to a query about reform and subsequent actions, Badiul said that after the reform proposal, the government will engage political parties in discussions. Following that, the long-awaited election roadmap will be created.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, head of the Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, said, "We need reforms for both institutions and individuals."
He said that corrupt individuals should not be accepted in society, adding that they need to be punished so that others are deterred from engaging in corruption. "But we have failed to do that."
"The institutions responsible for addressing corruption have been ineffective, and many have been controlled by the government or political parties," he said.
Pointing out that corruption cannot be tackled by a single commission or reform alone, Iftekharuzzaman stressed that everyone must be aware, speak out, and protest corruption. Young people must take the lead in this effort.
Pointing out that authoritarianism spread due to corruption, he said, "5 August is merely a milestone. While the defeat of authoritarianism has occurred, the vision for a new Bangladesh and reforms has not yet materialised."
He also criticized the reform process for lacking diversity. According to him, more commissions are needed, including a minority commission, a disadvantaged communities commission, and an education system reforms commission.
The programme was chaired by political scientist Prof. Rounaq Jahan, a distinguished fellow at CPD. She said, "Despite good intentions, government commissions are not functioning effectively. We need to consider how new commissions can be made more impactful."
"Politicians, bureaucrats, and businessmen are being blamed for many things. However, the country cannot function without them. It is the responsibility of citizens to hold them accountable and consistently monitor their actions to ensure they work effectively," she added.
Prof. Mustafizur Rahman, another distinguished fellow at CPD, said, "Although some people are pessimistic, change came on 5 August with a significant opportunity, and we must seize it."
Sonali Dayaratne, deputy resident representative of UNDP Bangladesh, was also present at the event, among others.
