Bureaucracy was hostage to politics, bureaucrats tell white paper committee

Bureaucrats had a role in promoting the development narrative that was set by the immediate past government.

They even had transcended the legal structure by doing so. The reality is, the administration was completely held hostage by politics.

Some of the bureaucrats faced the situation with courage. They could implement some deviations from that narrative at the cost of their professional losses. Their stance also cost their professional progression.

Economist and distinguished fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Debapriya Bhattacharya said this while addressing a press conference of the national white paper composition committee at the ECNEC auditorium of the planning commission in Dhaka Sunday.

The white paper composition committee talked to 85 high level officials, including 32 secretaries and senior secretaries, of the government today.

The senior officials took part in the meeting that ran for a long time, which was unforeseen, Debapriya stated.

The officials spoke elaborately about various projects while speaking with the private sector, which hints at changes in attitude, the economist considered.

When the bureaucrats were asked by the white paper composition committee why their associations could not protect them, they said the professional structure of the bureaucrats was shattered. The platforms were politicised and the leaders of the platforms became beneficiaries of the existing politics. As a result they did not have the scope to play any role.

The white paper composition committee also asked the bureaucrats about the role of development administration in looting of the public money through projects. The senior officials said in most of the cases, they had to face political influences in planning a project and its implementation. The tenure and cost of projects increased due to negligence in planning and there were weaknesses in the feasibility studies.

The officials further told the committee that in many cases the weak reports were submitted intentionally and many projects were shown durable in a faulty way.

Debapriya Bhattacharya also stated that in many cases the corruption took place in tripartite collusion among the officials of development administration, politicians and businesspersons.

A few specific projects were also discussed in today’s meeting. Those are the hi-tech park, Karnaphuli tunnel, energy sector, social safety net, revenue collection and the role of Bangladesh Bank.

The role of the government in the banking sector and appointment of the directors of state owned banks were also discussed in the meeting, Debapriya Bhattacharya informed the media.

The bureaucrats think the role of professionally efficient bureaucrats, both centrally and at the local level, is important for the development in future Bangladesh. They demanded scope for working relatively independently.

Emphasis should be given on capacity, goodwill and coordination in the future, think the bureaucrats.

The bureaucrats showed a certain kind of honesty and cordiality, Debapriya Bhattacharya remarked.