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Published : 09 Aug 2025, 12:33 AM
Senior officials in the public administration have urged civil servants to act with integrity and caution, noting that some colleagues are behind bars while others remain fugitives amid corruption charges and mounting public scrutiny.
The call came on Friday at a seminar titled “The Promise of the July Uprising and the Future of Public Administration Reform”, held at the BIAM Foundation auditorium in Dhaka’s Eskaton.
It was organised by the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association.
M Siraj Uddin, principal secretary at the Chief Advisor’s Office, said the spirit of the July Uprising had ushered in the hope of a new Bangladesh -- one where corrupt officials will no longer be able to get away unchallenged.
“Public administration is now at a crossroads,” he added. “We must ask ourselves which direction to take, do we continue on the same path or build a new one through self-examination?
“If we return to the old ways, we risk collapse.”
He added that the recent shift in political circumstances had “removed” pressure to align with ruling powers, allowing institutions to operate “more independently”.
Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmed Khan, the seminar’s keynote speaker, said: “We’ve weakened every institution. People have learned to ask questions. Corruption is no longer easy to hide, even with intent.
“Can we separate politics from administration? Perhaps not entirely. But those in public office must be capable professionals, guided by principle.”
Md Sanwar Jahan Bhuiyan, secretary of the Public Service Commission, urged civil servants to draw a clear line between government service and partisan loyalty.
“We serve the state, not a political party. If something is unlawful, we must have the courage to say so. I fear we have not, and that’s why our institutions became ineffective.”
He also pointed to growing resentment among job seekers, citing one-sided political hiring and quota-based discrimination in government recruitment.
ABM Abdus Sattar, secretary general of the Officers Club and a retired secretary, said public servants must not operate within any political circles.
“Some of our own colleagues who engaged in corruption are now fugitives, some are in jail. We must bear that in mind as we work to preserve our relevance.”
Kaniz Moula, secretary of the parliament Secretariat, stressed the need to build a citizen-focused administration.“The state pays us to serve the people. We must not become tools of any authoritarian force.”
Md Mokhlesur Rahman, senior secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration, said the issue was no longer a lack of legislation but of enforcement.
“We have more than enough laws. What we need is to apply them. If that is done properly, many of our problems will be solved.
“At least four of our colleagues are in jail. They held higher positions than many of us. But were they able to enjoy any of that? These are the realities we must carry with us in our work,” he added.
