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Infighting delays take-off of admin reforms commission

By Shehab Ahmed
Infighting between high officials has slowed down the work of the administrative reforms commission, formed in December last year to ensure efficient, transparent and accountable' administration in the Twenty First Century, according to informed sources. The report is to be prepared within two years.
Despite allocation of nearly 45 lakh taka in this year's budget. the commission is yet to take off for lack of manpower, office space and other support, needed to sift through piles of documents and reports, including now in the cold storage Nu-runnabi Committee Report on administrative reforms, prepared at a huge cost since 1993.
Only the Chairman, former Cabinet Secretary Ayubur Rahman, has been given a
room, a car. chauffeur and personal officer. But others, including mid-ranking officials, who are to do the vital job of scanning the dusty files, are yet to be given proper space to function.
Even out of four senior assistant secretaries, two are yet to be seconded to the commission.
The Chairman, who retired in September last year as cabinet secretary, sent a few names for appointment, considering what he felt their background and training. But his one time junior officer. Shafiur Rahman. Establishment Secretary under whose umbrella the commission is functioning, felt otherwise A difference of opinion has emerged as to the people to lie recruited for the work.
Recently, the two had altercation over the virtual nonfunctioning of the commission. But the retired boss was reportedly given the thumb by the establishment secretary, the sources said.
The commission is yet to have two research officers and a statistical officer apart from the senior assistant secretaries. As a retired secretary and a joint-secretary joined it earlier.
Apart from bickerings, the commission so far had two meetings to outline its methodology of work, but failed to start full fledged business.
It also advertised for office space in central Dhaka. But is yet to select proper sites.
No computer or vehicles have been procured nor visits
organised to gather data and information.
Formation of the commission was announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July last year as per her election commitment to make the administration more dynamic, accountable and pro-people.
When it was formed, the government nominated Prof Na-jumunnessa Mahtab of Public Administration Department. Dhaka University: Prof Nazrul Islam of BUET, Syed Manzoor Elahi. a leading businessman: Khaled Shams, deputy managing director of Grameen Bank; ATM Shamsul Huq, former secretary and AL candidate in the last election, and Hafizuddin Khan. Comptroller of Accounts and Auditor General. But another member could not be accommodated as the government did not agree to a suggestion to have an efficiency unit at the PM's office headed by a secretary. who was to be a member of the commission.
A vast agenda was assigned to the commission to study, among other things, the Public Administration Efficiency Study. 1989; Public Adminis-
tration Sector Study, 1993: Towards Better Government in Bangladesh. 1993; Government that Works Reforming the Public Sector. 1996 and related World Bank report and Administrative Reorganisation Committee report. 1996.
The commission would study these reports and identify the recommendations which could be implemented. Besides, it is to come up with recommendations about improving the current status of transparency, efficiency, accountability and effectiveness of the public administration, suggest ways of streamlining the size of the administration and manpower and review all aspects of the structure of civil sefvice and its system of 'incentives' in order to make it more effective, eontemporary and dynamic’. While recommending changes in the rules and regulations concerned, the commission may suggest decentralization of government activities and reorganisation of the local government system and make specific suggestions to prevent the tendency for corruption at different levels of administration, the sources said.