Former civil servants, researchers, teachers and civil society representatives called for a professional and politically neutral bureaucracy, saying it is essential for fair elections, democracy, good governance and sustainable development. The call came at a roundtable titled “State Building and Bureaucracy: Southeast Asian Experiences and Bangladesh’s Reality,” organized by the Center for Policy Analysis and Advocacy at the National Press Club on August 15.

The session was chaired by the organization’s president and former secretary Dr Mohammad Shariful Alam. Rajshahi University public administration professor Dr Shafiul Islam presented a paper written by governance researcher and civil service specialist Dr Yusuf Zarif. Drawing on examples from Japan, China, South Korea and Singapore, the paper said merit is vital to building an effective bureaucracy.

The paper proposed establishing a Civil Service Ombudsman, requiring parliamentary committee approval for appointments of secretaries and agency heads, and publishing clear posting and promotion rules. It also proposed ending reliance on police verification and intelligence reports in recruitment, posting and promotion decisions, informing officers denied promotion of the reasons, and adopting mandatory ethics and accountability rules. Speakers also expressed concern over appointments of political leaders to government corporations.