Appoint national ombudsman to ensure good governance
The people should also be more aware of their rights and be courageous enough to lodge complainants, if any, with the ombudsman for remedy, they said.
Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) jointly organised the seminar on 'Ombudsman needed for good governance: Why and how' at the Brac Centre Inn in the capital.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Khairuzzaman Chowdhury, the first tax ombudsman of the country, said the national ombudsman should be appointed to deal with the issues involving the administration while sector-wise ombudsmen should look into the problems in the respective sectors.
"The ombudsman gives people moral strength, which can help ensure transparency and accountability in the administration," he said.
He also said that the reasons behind the complainants' hesitation to approach the ombudsman should be identified.
Sharing his experiences, the tax ombudsman said the clients' allegations, in most cases, are very wide and that they want to remain anonymous. "But we cannot accept complaints from anonymous complainants."
Khairuzzaman said he is not receiving enough complaints at present, but hoped that the tax ombudsman's office will be more useful once the people become more aware of their rights and the institution receives more publicity.
Presenting the keynote paper, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the present government should establish the office of an ombudsman by issuing an ordinance, as it has already brought about a number of basic reforms, including the separation of judiciary and strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Election Commission.
In the absence of parliament, the ombudsman may be appointed by the president on the recommendation of a committee comprising the chief justice or his nominee, a retired cabinet secretary or secretary of high integrity and credibility, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Council, chairman of the ACC and an eminent citizen, he said.
The ombudsman must have a proven record of being a non-partisan individual of high integrity and credibility and professional experience reputed for commendable contribution in public life, he said, suggesting that the tenure of the ombudsman should be five years instead of three years.
Suggesting amendments to the 1980 Act on Ombudsman, Iftekharuzzaman said the provision under the act that authorises the government to exempt any public officer or class of public officers from the jurisdiction of the ombudsman should be dropped.
"The section of the act that makes the ombudsman operationally dependent upon the government for deploying the staff should be reviewed to give the constitutional body full authority and independence to recruit its staffs," he added.
To ensure transparency and accountability in the ombudsman's activities, internal self-regulatory mechanism should be in place, he said, adding that information about all activities should be made public and regularly updated through website and the media.
Barrister Tanjib-ul Alam said the objective of appointing an ombudsman would be not only to curb corruption but also to look into faults and mistakes in the performance of officials in the administration.
"We realise that the regional and sector-wise ombudsmen are more functional," he said, adding that the ombudsmen should submit annual reports to parliament instead of the president.
MJF Executive Director Shaheen Anam, who moderated the seminar, said many people may not know what ombudsman is but feel that they need to go to somebody for justice when they are denied their rights.
All the institutions should function properly in order to establish good governance and the rule of law and the ombudsman has a complementary role to play in this regard, she said.
Diabetic Association of Bangladesh Ombudsman Prof Wahid Uddin Ahmed and Brac Ombudsman Manzur Ul Karim also spoke.
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