'Political recruitment taints bureaucracy'
They also said the image of public service could be revived through bringing change to the attitude of the bureaucrats, mainly through imparting proper training, as well as ensuring transparent recruitment process.
They were speaking at a seminar organised by Social Science Research Association at the Planning Commission auditorium in the city.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Chairman of Petrobangla Dr SK Abdur Rashid in his paper pointed out that factional feuds among the civil servants along with political pressure on the public servants damage their professionalism.
Dishonest recruitment process of civil servants through Public Service Commission is also a cause for the recent image crisis of bureaucracy.
"It is paradoxical that during the autocratic regimes, recruitment in civil administration was mainly made on the basis of candidate's merit", Rashid said.
Director General of Bangladesh Film Archive Dr Mohammad Jahangir Hossain in his paper titled 'The Communication Pattern of Bureaucracy in Bangladesh: Internal and Public Dealings' said bureaucrats' communication with people is 'unsatisfactory'. Their plea for official secrecy is also a bar for their communication.
Dr Shah Mohammad Sanaul Hoque of Public Administration Training Centre in his paper titled 'E-Governance in Bangladesh: Initiatives and Challenges' said people-centric approaches of the government agencies can be ensured through introduction of e-governance in Bangladesh.
Dr Anisur Rahman in his paper titled 'Election in Bangladesh: Role of the Election Commission' spoke of amendment of electoral laws for ensuring free and fair polls in the country.
Communications Secretary Dr Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman lamented that since independence Bangladesh had 18 to 19 proposals for reform in the civil bureaucracy but none of those was implemented. Some of the proposals were resisted by the bureaucrats themselves while others were resisted by external forces, he said.
Chairman of Jatiya Nirbachan Parjabekkhon Parishad Dr Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah and Eminent political scientist Prof Emajuddin Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.