Speakers at a policy dialogue on Tuesday emphasised restructuring of the public administration to free civil service from inefficiency, corruption and politicisation.
They also advocated for decentralisation, institutional independence and technology-driven reforms to enhance governance and public service delivery.
The Centre for Governance Studies hosted the dialogue, focusing on public administration reform, at the CIRDAP Auditorium in the capital.
Moderated by the organisation鈥檚 executive director Zillur Rahman, the dialogue brought together experts and activists from various fields to discuss the challenges and opportunities in reforming the country鈥檚 public administration.
Economist and former adviser to the caretaker government Hossain Zillur Rahman observed that the public administration lacking autonomy failed to overcome inefficiency. He emphasised decentralisation and local governance strengthening to drive meaningful change.
Muhammad Abdul Mazid, former chairman of National Bureau of Revenue, saying that public administration usually served political agendas, recommended institutional independence and transparency in reforms.
A public administration student at Dhaka University, Eiffah Assariah, demanded that the culture of avoiding responsibility in the ministries must change and the culture of serving vested interests be strictly checked.
One of the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Tahmid Al Mudassir demanded punishment of those in the public administration and the law enforcement forces who facilitated the now ousted Awami League regime in brutally suppressing the July-August uprising.
Electoral Reform Commission chief and secretary of the SHUJAN, Badiul Alam Majumder traced the roots of the current public administration to the British colonial practices, stressing the need for an administration centred on serving the citizens without partisan influence.
Former Border Guard Bangladesh director general retired Major General ALM Fazlur Rahman, also chief of the recently announced BDR Carnage Reinvestigation Commission, said that political reform was the prerequisite for the reforms in public administration and other sectors as well.
Jamal Uddin Ahmed, economist and former general secretary of Bangladesh Orthoniti Samiti, advocated for region-specific administrative structures for making civil service delivery amooth.
Former secretary AKM Abdul Awal Majumdar emphasised accountability and merit-based recruitment.
Chaired my CGS chairperson Munira Khan, Chattogram City Corporation former mayor Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury, Gono Forum executive president Subrata Chowdhury, organiser of Noitik Samaj Bangladesh and retired Major General Amsa Amin, National Democratic Movement chairman Bobby Hajjaj, former vice president of BGMEA Abdullah Hil Rakib, AB Party member secretary Mojibur Rahman Manju, among others, also attended the dialogue.