PM defends 'changes' in civil service
Monday, 30 March 2009
The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has defended the changes in the civil service as ones necessary for the government to deliver on its promises and priorities, reports bdnews24.com.
She told top media managers Sunday that many of the transfers were necessitated by the officers' failure to carry out government instructions in critical circumstances such as the BDR carnage.
"DMP was ordered to clear up ... so that no one could flee. But there were lapses," she said as she responded to criticism regarding the alleged flight of many perpetrators.
She said she would not go into details at this stage as the criminal inquiries were on.
"In those five years, 1200 officers were OSDs. Many of them (sat idle for years and) retired as deputy secretaries," she said and called for a comparative analysis of the two scenarios-2001 and 2009.
"Please look back and try to recall ... how many were made OSDs, transferred and how fast and under what circumstances.
"Not only in civil administration, but also in the military."
"There were instances when an officer returned from the Bangabhaban (swearing-in) to find his office room locked and was not even allowed to retrieve his personal belongings," she said of the bureaucratic changes when the BNP-led government took over in 2001.
"Nothing of that sort happened this time."
In deliberations lasting two hours and 45 minutes with the editors and senior media executives, the issues ranged from a uniform education system to reforms in administrative systems, from restoring the rivers to review of TV-radio licences, from tackling terrorism to trial of 1971 war criminals.
"Terrorism and militancy have no religion, no national boundaries," the prime minister said.
"We are trying ... you do too. We have to fight (this menace) together," Hasina told the editors in her first such meeting since taking over as head of government 82 days ago with a massive majority in parliament.
Rahat Khan of Ittefaq strongly argued for one integrated system of education, which he said would not allow religious schools or madrasahs to become breeding grounds for militancy.
Inqilab's A M M Bahauddin, who leads a large grouping of madrasah teachers, sought to defend the system saying the madrasahs did not produce all the Islami Chhatra Shibir (student wing of Jama'at e Islami) activists.
"(Osama) bin Laden did not study in a madrasah," Bahauddin said
The prime minister took a middle line. "Madrasahs play a big role in (increasing) the literacy rate," she said. But she added in the same breath: "But this (system) must be modernised and updated."
She said she would not blame the pro-AL students for all ills but admitted that some BCL factions were indeed accepting "new-comers" to strengthen their position within the party.
"There are groups who are always 'government party' ... and some of these incidents were committed by these new-comers to Chhatra League."
ATN Bangla's Saiful Bari suggested a review of roles and responsibility of civil servants, with an view to reducing the decision-making tiers.
NTV's Enayetur Rahman Bappy, who lost a brother to the BDR mutiny, said he would expect a quick, fair and fast trial. He praised the way the prime minister handled the crisis.
The prime minister, once again, gave a detailed account of how events unfolded in that fateful morning of Feb 25.
She said she often wondered why it all happened when she herself had listened to their demands the previous day.
"On Feb 24, I had a darbar with them, and allowed them to talk. I heard them, their demands. The issue of ration was raised. They asked for 80 percent. I said why not 100 percent."
She confirmed that he herself called BDR DG Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed on that morning and had been in constant touch with the three chiefs to devise a quick response as the mutiny unfolded.
"They (military) needed two hours and, meanwhile, we were getting reports of casualties from the surrounding densely populated areas."
She cited one example: "Even as far as inside the central jail two were wounded."
Independent's Mahbubul Alam suggested various long-term reforms.
News Today's Reazuddin Ahmed pressed for an all-party meeting to discuss the post-mutiny situation. He also suggested return to one-day weekend, preferably Sunday.
Shamokal's Muzammil Husein suggested that the prime minister employ "neutral professionals" to run the affairs of the state but take care of the party too. "The party must be politically active, strengthened, organised."
The Shamokal editor, however, warned political activity did not mean allowing partymen invading the corridors of Roads and Highways Department, PWD or Water Board-the big government spenders on projects that contractors find lucrative.
The prime minister said her government inherited a declining economic and social infrastructure, forcing her to "start almost from scratch".
"If you look at the power sector ... nothing has moved in the seven years since we left (in July 2001).
"Mother mortality is up, so are child mortality and school dropout rates," she said.
The Daily Star's Mahfuz Anam spoke on the rivers in and around Dhaka and thanked the prime minister for various steps.
ETV's Abdus Salam demanded the government review the TV licences given by the four-party alliance government.
Comments also came from BSS's Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, Rafiqul Huq of Radio Today, Belayet Hossain of Bhorer Dak, Naimul Islam Khan of Amader Shomoy, RTV's Morshed Alam.
Prothom Alo's Matiur Rahman, UNB's Enayetullah Khan, Jugantor's Saiful Alam, Channel i's Faridur Reza Sagor, Manabzamin's Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, ABC's Sanaullah Lablu, Destiny's Rafiqul Amin, Bangladesh Today's Madmud ur Rahman Chowdhury, bdnews24.com's Toufique Imrose Khalidi also attended.
She told top media managers Sunday that many of the transfers were necessitated by the officers' failure to carry out government instructions in critical circumstances such as the BDR carnage.
"DMP was ordered to clear up ... so that no one could flee. But there were lapses," she said as she responded to criticism regarding the alleged flight of many perpetrators.
She said she would not go into details at this stage as the criminal inquiries were on.
"In those five years, 1200 officers were OSDs. Many of them (sat idle for years and) retired as deputy secretaries," she said and called for a comparative analysis of the two scenarios-2001 and 2009.
"Please look back and try to recall ... how many were made OSDs, transferred and how fast and under what circumstances.
"Not only in civil administration, but also in the military."
"There were instances when an officer returned from the Bangabhaban (swearing-in) to find his office room locked and was not even allowed to retrieve his personal belongings," she said of the bureaucratic changes when the BNP-led government took over in 2001.
"Nothing of that sort happened this time."
In deliberations lasting two hours and 45 minutes with the editors and senior media executives, the issues ranged from a uniform education system to reforms in administrative systems, from restoring the rivers to review of TV-radio licences, from tackling terrorism to trial of 1971 war criminals.
"Terrorism and militancy have no religion, no national boundaries," the prime minister said.
"We are trying ... you do too. We have to fight (this menace) together," Hasina told the editors in her first such meeting since taking over as head of government 82 days ago with a massive majority in parliament.
Rahat Khan of Ittefaq strongly argued for one integrated system of education, which he said would not allow religious schools or madrasahs to become breeding grounds for militancy.
Inqilab's A M M Bahauddin, who leads a large grouping of madrasah teachers, sought to defend the system saying the madrasahs did not produce all the Islami Chhatra Shibir (student wing of Jama'at e Islami) activists.
"(Osama) bin Laden did not study in a madrasah," Bahauddin said
The prime minister took a middle line. "Madrasahs play a big role in (increasing) the literacy rate," she said. But she added in the same breath: "But this (system) must be modernised and updated."
She said she would not blame the pro-AL students for all ills but admitted that some BCL factions were indeed accepting "new-comers" to strengthen their position within the party.
"There are groups who are always 'government party' ... and some of these incidents were committed by these new-comers to Chhatra League."
ATN Bangla's Saiful Bari suggested a review of roles and responsibility of civil servants, with an view to reducing the decision-making tiers.
NTV's Enayetur Rahman Bappy, who lost a brother to the BDR mutiny, said he would expect a quick, fair and fast trial. He praised the way the prime minister handled the crisis.
The prime minister, once again, gave a detailed account of how events unfolded in that fateful morning of Feb 25.
She said she often wondered why it all happened when she herself had listened to their demands the previous day.
"On Feb 24, I had a darbar with them, and allowed them to talk. I heard them, their demands. The issue of ration was raised. They asked for 80 percent. I said why not 100 percent."
She confirmed that he herself called BDR DG Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed on that morning and had been in constant touch with the three chiefs to devise a quick response as the mutiny unfolded.
"They (military) needed two hours and, meanwhile, we were getting reports of casualties from the surrounding densely populated areas."
She cited one example: "Even as far as inside the central jail two were wounded."
Independent's Mahbubul Alam suggested various long-term reforms.
News Today's Reazuddin Ahmed pressed for an all-party meeting to discuss the post-mutiny situation. He also suggested return to one-day weekend, preferably Sunday.
Shamokal's Muzammil Husein suggested that the prime minister employ "neutral professionals" to run the affairs of the state but take care of the party too. "The party must be politically active, strengthened, organised."
The Shamokal editor, however, warned political activity did not mean allowing partymen invading the corridors of Roads and Highways Department, PWD or Water Board-the big government spenders on projects that contractors find lucrative.
The prime minister said her government inherited a declining economic and social infrastructure, forcing her to "start almost from scratch".
"If you look at the power sector ... nothing has moved in the seven years since we left (in July 2001).
"Mother mortality is up, so are child mortality and school dropout rates," she said.
The Daily Star's Mahfuz Anam spoke on the rivers in and around Dhaka and thanked the prime minister for various steps.
ETV's Abdus Salam demanded the government review the TV licences given by the four-party alliance government.
Comments also came from BSS's Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, Rafiqul Huq of Radio Today, Belayet Hossain of Bhorer Dak, Naimul Islam Khan of Amader Shomoy, RTV's Morshed Alam.
Prothom Alo's Matiur Rahman, UNB's Enayetullah Khan, Jugantor's Saiful Alam, Channel i's Faridur Reza Sagor, Manabzamin's Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, ABC's Sanaullah Lablu, Destiny's Rafiqul Amin, Bangladesh Today's Madmud ur Rahman Chowdhury, bdnews24.com's Toufique Imrose Khalidi also attended.