Hasina asks officials why they commit corruption

Hasina asks officials why they commit corruption

Prothom Alo English Desk |  Jan 17, 2019

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina at a neeting with officials of the public administration ministry in Secretariat on Thursday -- Photo: BSSPrime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday directed the public administration ministry to issue a strong warning against graft committed by field-level officials, report BSS and UNB.

She put her emphasis on establishing good governance and graft-free administration to build a developed and prosperous country

“Establishing good governance and graft-free administration is a must to achieve our goal of building a hunger-and-poverty-free developed and prosperous Bangladesh,” she told officials of the ministry at Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka.

“You’ll have to give specific directives to the grassroots level, if anybody is indulged in corruption, proper action will have to be taken against him or her,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina, who is in-charge of the public administration ministry, paid her first visit to the ministry after she formed the cabinet for the fourth time.

The prime minister wondered why there should be corrupt practices when the government enhanced the salaries, allowances and other privileges of the public servants significantly.

Her government, she added, has raised manifold salaries, allowances and other facilities of the government employees.

“I think there is no need for committing corruption as we’ve fulfilled all their requirements … why the graft will take place? The people will have to change their mentality,” said premier Hasina.

She went on to say: “I can say unhesitatingly that there is no such an instance in any country of the world of the rate we raised the salary of the government employees.”

“We also announced zero-tolerance against corruption as we did so against terrorism, militancy and drug,” she added.

“Since we’ve been elected for five years, our target will be to raise the growth to 10 percent in these five years. And it’s possible to achieve that,” she expressed her determination.

She mentioned that her government has made “all arrangements including housing facilities for them at the upazila level so that they can provide public services in beautiful environment.”

Putting emphasis on giving promotion to the government officials on the basis of efficiency, Sheikh Hasina said
priority will have to be given to efficiency, not only seniority. “I think those who work with honesty and maintain discipline should be considered for promotion,”

The prime minister said the Awami League government has taken necessary steps so that officers and employees of the public administration can accomplish responsibilities peacefully at their work places.

The premier said the government introduced annual performance agreement and integrity strategy so that the officials concerned can know about their responsibilities in advance. Through the programmes, she said, the work of different ministries and divisions are being executed fast.

The prime minister mentioned that the country’s people gave huge mandate to the Awami League through the 30 December elections. “We’ve got an opportunity to serve the people for the third consecutive term… becoming a prime minister is not a big thing. I think it’s a scope for serving the people.”

She expressed her determination to celebrate golden jubilee of the country’s independence in 2021 by establishing Bangladesh as a hunger-and poverty-free country and build Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous one by 2041.

About the BNP-Jamaat debacle in the last general elections, the prime minister said the people fully rejected BNP-Jamaat nexus as the evil forces unleashed mayhem including killing people through arson attacks across the country in 2013, 2014 and 2015 to foil polls and topple the government.

“The BNP-Jamaat harboured terrorism, militancy and corruption, and created Bangla Bhai during their five-year misrule from 2001-2006. That’s why the countrymen rejected them again like the 2008 elections,” she said.

State minister for public administration ministry Farhad Hossain and public administration secretary Faiz Ahmed spoke on the occasion.

The prime minister’s principal secretary Md Nojibur Rahman, principal coordinator (SDG affairs) at the PMO Abul Kalam Azad, PMO secretary Sajjadul Hassan and the prime minister’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim were present.