Swapon urges govt officials to meet public expectations

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon has called upon the government employees to make efforts in building an efficient, accountable, and technology-driven administration to fulfill public expectations and their wellbeing, reports BSS.

"The state is not the personal device of any individual or government; rather, the will of the people is the main driving force behind running the state," he told a views-exchange meeting with officials from different wings of the ministry at its conference room in the city on Thursday.

Swapon said the long-standing tendency to view the government and the state as the same entity must be overcome.

"The collective opinion of the people drives the state. The responsibility of an elected government is to transform that will into welfare-oriented activities," he said.

Emphasising the need to improve administrative effectiveness, the minister said that the scattered capabilities of officials must be focused toward specific goals.

Drawing an example from science, he said, "Just as dispersed light becomes much more powerful when transformed into a laser, similarly, if the combined skills and sincerity of administrative officials are properly utilised, the administration can become far more productive."

He said there is no greater knowledge than collective knowledge.

The minister emphasised ensuring transparency of information, saying that a lack of transparency in administration creates suspicion among ordinary people.

Therefore, full digitalisation must be ensured at all administrative levels as quickly as possible, he mentioned.

Swapon also called for reducing conventional bureaucratic distance and creating a free and participatory work environment for officials.

He encouraged officials to provide creative opinions and constructive suggestions.