CA Yunus calls for an end to 'flattery' in governance

"We have decided to put an end to this practice and establish that praise for the sake of it has no place in meetings," he says

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has urged the nation to move away from the culture of "flattery" and "sycophancy" that prevails across various sectors, including public administration and governance.

The head of the interim government highlighted the immense power and responsibility of public administrators while addressing the Deputy Commissioners' Conference on Sunday.

“What we do, think, and plan—this is what defines the government’s actions and priorities. Our discussion today should focus on what we aim to achieve with this power, what we are prepared for, where we have succeeded, and where we have fallen short,” he said.

Stressing the need to eliminate "unnecessary praise" in official discussions, he said, “There is no room for wasting time with flattery. We have decided to put an end to this practice and establish that praise for the sake of praise has no place in meetings and assemblies.”

Using a sports analogy, he compared governance with a team game, saying, “We all share responsibility for the tasks at hand. Think of it like cricket or football -- we are the players and this gathering is our strategy meeting, where we define objectives and assign roles.”

Emphasising teamwork in government, he continued, “Are we truly functioning as a team? If this is the government of Bangladesh, then it must operate as one. Governance is about teamwork -- it doesn’t work if everyone acts independently without coordination.

“In any game, a single player’s mistake can cost the whole team its victory. Similarly, in governance, if one person’s actions disrupt the system, the entire nation suffers. We must ensure that our actions contribute to progress rather than hinder it. That is what we need to focus on -- what we are doing and how we are doing it.”

Two days after the fall of the Awami League government in the face of a mass uprising, an interim administration led by Nobel Laureate Yunus took office on Aug 7. The government’s primary goal is to implement reforms across state institutions and hold parliamentary elections later this year.

Reflecting on the administration’s progress, Yunus said, “It has been six months since we took charge. Our first phase is now complete. The initial preparation took time and we made mistakes along the way. Now, our focus must be on correcting those mistakes and ensuring we are fully prepared for what lies ahead. If there are gaps, we must identify and address them.”

Using a corporate analogy, he said, “Imagine this were a meeting of executive directors at a company. Would they waste time praising the managing director? Of course not. They would discuss their assigned tasks, share their achievements, and assess their readiness for future challenges.”