THE rule of law, accountability, transparency, equality, social justice, etc are key elements of good governance. Previously, even democratically elected governments became unpopular due to a lack of accountability and transparency. However, the common people want the overall success of the interim government, which assumed office after the fall of the authoritarian Awami League regime. And to walk on the path of success, the main elements of good governance must be given due importance.
Earlier, efforts were made to establish digital government with the help of technology in Bangladesh. To be honest, the common people did not get the full benefits due to implementation problems. Public services do not reach the doorsteps of those who need them the most unless they are made accessible. The increased use of information technology can greatly help government initiatives in making governance citizen-friendly.
However, this article will focus on SMART (simple, moral, accountable, responsive and transparent) government. It is a broad but effective acronym that refers to good governance and can be a true guideline for both governments and citizens. It can also be used as a benchmark for measuring performance. Meanwhile, we can get a fair idea of where our administration currently stands on the scale of SMART government.
Let us start with the term, simple. Are the government works in Bangladesh easy enough? Even the language of various government forms is very complex. The interpretation of rules and regulations often becomes a matter of manipulation by the authorities, which proves to be problematic for the common man.
Even in England, efforts were made to simplify the official and legal language as much as possible. Therefore, in order to truly simplify the administrative system in Bangladesh, it is necessary to remove the linguistic and procedural complications.
If sufficient morality is not inculcated in public servants, then they will not be able to serve the public with integrity and devotion. That is why many developed countries in the world provide training on ethical standards for their civil servants.
In Bangladesh, however, there was a need to improve the salary structure of civil servants because half-fed civil servants cannot be expected to have good moral standards. However, despite increasing the pay structure, bribery and corruption in large parts of the administration have greatly dampened the morality issue.
Accountability is the cornerstone of good governance. None is beyond accountability. No system will work well if the accountability process is not effective. It is true that we still have a weak accountability structure. Our parliamentary committees have not been able to deliver on their responsibilities. They even failed to make their presence known in the past.
A tax ombudsman was appointed in 2009, but little is known about its activities. Meanwhile, successive governments have not yet been able to implement the provision of the ombudsman, although there is a provision in the constitution since its inception for the appointment of an ombudsman.
Reform efforts around the world take responsiveness very seriously. Citizen鈥檚 charter and survey processes for public feedback are common in many countries to widen citizens鈥� choices and encourage their participation in providing services to the public. The Public Administration Reforms Commission recommended the introduction of the Citizen鈥檚 Charter in 2000, and the Fakhruddin-led caretaker government implemented it in 2008.
After being neglected for a long time, the bureaucrats were very zealous about it in the last years of the previous government. As a result, many government agencies have published their charters. However, if the application of the charter is not properly monitored, it will not be of any use.
Meanwhile, transparency is key to keeping people informed about what the government is doing on policy issues. Since independence, our political governments have not taken this issue seriously. People have been deprived of their civil rights under the guise of so-called secrecy.
The information they are provided is also inadequate, which leads to delays in and denials of public services and paves the way for bribery and other forms of corruption. In this case, too, the Fakhruddin-led government gave the nation a 鈥楻ight to Information Act鈥�, which the next AL government decided to ratify, the effectiveness of which is still dim.
In fact, our governments tended to keep people in the dark, not only on internal issues but also on important external issues such as agreements with foreign governments and agencies. Some of these agreements, however, were said to be detrimental to the national interest. However, it is the responsibility of the government to inform the people what agreements they want to reach or enter into with various internal or external parties.
The concept of SMART government is not at all lofty rhetoric. It is a combination of the basic requirements of a good enough governance system. The present government has opened up a new horizon. Therefore, efforts should be made to build a strong foundation to provide the nation with a SMART (Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent) governance system.听
To this end, six commissions have also been formed, including one for governance reforms. If the public is not better served, all the technological progress will remain useless at the end of the day. If the present government holds the concept of SMART government tightly, the people and the next governments will get immense benefits.
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Dr Kazi SM Khasrul Alam Quddusi is a professor of public administration, University of Chittagong.
