Work at the secretariat, the hub of the administration, has slowed down as bureaucrats are unable to take decisions, fearing consequences if there is a change of guard.
Files which could be cleared at deputy or joint secretary levels are being forwarded to secretaries due to lack of confidence among the junior officers in the secretariat.
The officers are also mentioning on the notes of the concerned files the names of ministers, MPs and influential officials, who had issued DO letters to avoid harassment in future. Senior officials are thus unable to expedite the work at the secretariat despite repeated directives, sources said on condition of anonymity.
Former cabinet secretary Dr Akbar Ali Khan said: “It could have been solved had the government been sincere about the administration. It is not a tough job to expedite administrative work. It depends on the willingness and sincerity of the government.”
A senior secretary, preferring not to be named, said: “It is nothing new. Such problems arise among officers at the end of the tenure of every government.”
The situation worsened after results of four City Corporation polls on June 15 went in favour of the Opposition.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had directed senior officials to bring dynamism to the administration immediately after she assumed power. She asked the officials concerned again on September 19 to expedite the pace of the administration at the secretaries meeting and asked officials to clear files as per the “rules of business”.
The PM’s principal secretary also issued directives to expedite official work, which yielded no results, sources said.
The number of lobbyists of ruling party leaders and activists increased at the secretariat. The lobbyists are seen crowding the secretariat, visiting ministers, state ministers and secretaries everyday to get their files cleared as the government completes its term.
Ruling party lawmakers and leaders are now busy getting approval for their “political” projects promised earlier. Government servants, however, are reluctant to shoulder the responsibility for such projects fearing that they might face the wrath of the new government, the sources said.
Junior officials are sending files with notes to secretaries for necessary action to avoid possible harassment in future. A deputy secretary of the home ministry, who did not want to be named, said the administration changes with the change of government. “If any official takes any decision, he or she sometimes faces legal complications in the wake of the change in the government. They are even denied promotion and face harassment. So, I don’t do anything without the secretary’s signature,” he said.
A review committee on finance and administrative power was formed during the last caretaker government, headed by additional secretary of the cabinet division Zahid Hossain. The committee suggested that files be cleared at the junior officers’ level to reduce the pressure on secretaries. The committee found that files of the 47 ministries and departments were not cleared at the proper place. The responsible officers did not perform their duty as per rules and sent the files to their superiors.
It is clearly mentioned in the rules of business for the secretariat which files can be cleared at the junior officers’ level. It is also specifically mentioned how many days an officer can keep the file for taking a decision.
Admitting the situation, cabinet secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told The Independent that the PM had asked the officers to clear the files as per rules. She also directed them to implement top-priority projects immediately, he said.
“Even the secretary of the PMO had sent a written directive to expedite the administrative work. He also directed to take action against those who had failed to perform. But nothing worked,” he added.
Courtesy of The Independent
