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Commentary

Three cheers for Saifur — but it is now time for action

By S.M. Ali
A frank admission by Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman that he is "disgusted- with the way the government offices are run and that this is one of the reasons why development projects fail to meet their targets has grave implications which should be carefully studied by the administration of Begum Khaleda Zia, particularly by the Prime Minister herself.
While we commend Rahman for being so forthright in hts statements during the wide-ranging "Conversation" wfth The Dally Star, published
last Friday, we wonder If the Finance Minister has placed these views, In the same forceful manner, at cabinet meetings and initiated a discussion on a possible reorganisation of the administration.
Three rheers for the Minister if he has done so and got the Prime Minister involved tn a plan to raise the efficiency of the administration, with the active support of the entire cabinet. But If he has not, all one can say Is, for reasons of sensitivity of the subject, he has failed the country and. indeed. the government.
In fact, there are signs that the Finance Minister may well have avoided taking it up before the cabinet or that the administration has no firm plan as such to deal with the situation, beyond the government leader's Issuing “clarion calls" (as the BSS would put ft) to office employees to work harder. One sign that the situation may well have worsened in recent months is provided by the Minister himself during the same Conversation.
When asked if he saw any Improvement in the admlnls-
r mm r tration which he criticised soon after he had become a Minister, the reply from Rahman was categorical. As he put It. 'now. I feel more strongly and worse (about the situation) than I had pointed out last time."
Now. in matching the frankness of the Finance Minister, let us be candid in looking at some of the implications of what Rahman suggests as the declining level of efficiency in the administration.
There is little doubt that It Is the Inefficiency of the administration. with all Its bureaucratic bottlenecks, which causes part of the frustration to the private sector which the Minister has sharply — some would say, urdustly — criticised for Its lack of Initiative. How It affects foreign Investors and multinational companies which deal with more streamlined administrations tn say. Malaysia. Thailand and Srl Lanka Is anybody's guess. And. let's face It. wherever there la an Inefficient administration with too many so-called control points, there is corruption In one form or another.
So. when people In the private sector, say. " Things are not moving", they are not talking only about movement of files and those precious little notes from ministers but also about dismal delays in the- formulation of policies. In the announcement of their details and. finally, about their Implementation.
Hence, there has been much frustration among traders and Industrialists over issues involving the Ministry of Finance and the Bangladesh Bank, such as the recovery of loans from "defaulters", the reopening of BCCI and the mess created by a couple of investment companies. So, the fact there is a lull and a sense of uncertainty in the market place, only partially relieved by the recent reduction of bank rates, should not be denied.
In this context, to suggest as the Minister did during the interview, that private sector had become too used to ways introduced by the past authoritarian regime to change Its approach seems unfair. There is more to the dilemma of the business community than what meets the eye. However, the welcome Initiative taken by Rahman In promoting a dialogue with various trade bodies and even MPs should eventually produce better understanding among all concerned.
The damage done to a country by inefficiency in an administration seldom remains confined to the economy alone. In time, as In Bangladesh, It touches other aspects of national life, especially the law and order situation, education, the labour front and utility services. to name the most important areas of popular con-
Then. someone is bound to ask. "How is the country being
Minister Saifur Rahman has out about the declining efficiency In the administration, even about the failure of various ministries in meeting their development targets. Now, II Is for the Prime Minister and her colleagues tn the cabinet to face the challenge posed by Rahman and start taking firm measures to change the situation.
Several Ideas are being aired by well-meaning experts who may be counted among friends of the present government and admirers of Begum Khaleda 21a.
One strong Impression In the country is that the Prime Minister and her cabinet colleagues are still playing a political role In sustaining the mass support In the countryside rather than In running their ministries. When Begum Zia is out of Dhaka almost every other day. often accompanied by two or more senior ministers. major decisions are either postponed or delayed. In some cases, some ad hoc measures are taken by civil servants, In the name of their absentee ministers.
Again, while they arc In the capital, they attend several functions, some of little relevance to the responsibilities of the ministries concerned. For political reasons, they may be pleased with the media exposure. but work In their ministries remains unfinished and appointments put off.
In this context. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia seems to be the most over burdened person, but over-burdened with avoidable political chores rather than with administrative responsibilities.
How the Prime Minister should cut down on her political activities and shift her attention to administration is for her to decide.
Should she have a Deputy Prime Minister to share her administrative burden? Should she give up the chairmanship of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to a person of her choice, who can manage the affairs of the organisation and ensure Its victory at the next election? And should the office of the Prime Minister and that of the Leader of the House be separated to free Begum Zia from day-to day parliamentary duties?
Prime Minister Begum Zia enjoys a powerful political mandate. She should stop worrying about it. Instead, she should start governing the country by setting up a strong, efficient administration. This is the need of the hour.