Bureaucrats and public representatives call for increased coordination among elected representatives and field administrations to further strengthen the implementation of the ongoing development activities.
Sources pointed out that due to lack of proper coordination between the leaders of the ruling party and the local administrations many of the development activities are not progressing as expected.
They also pointed out that the bureaucrats generally wish to dominate exercising power in the administration free from political pressure while public representatives and local political leaders prefer that the affairs of field level administrations would work as per the public demands.
The sources said due to the conflicts with local leaders and workers of the ruling party, including the local member of parliament, the field administration is not as efficient as it is expected.
Abu Alam Shahid Khan, a former senior secretary to the government said, “Criminalization in politics is clearly noticed in many circumstances. Politicians generally exert pressure on the local administrations to get works done in their favour. Such act creates problems when officials decline to comply as per the politicians’ desires.
“Political parties must stop criminalisation in politics. Otherwise, it would bring negative impact for the country,” he said.
Several politicians, however, had different opinions.
They said that there is no reason for any conflict between the field administration and local politicians. Duties and responsibilities of every person from the Members of Parliament (MP) down to the peons of the Upazila Administrations are clearly laid down.
If everybody works according to their own responsibilities, no problems would arise. But the reality is that, in most cases, no one wants to work as per his or her own responsibility, rather there are tendencies of ‘misuse of power,’ which creates conflict.
Ruling Awami League presidium member Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak directly refused to accept the matter of conflict in running the affairs of the field administration among elected or public representatives and local administrative officials.
“Local politicians are not creating any distance with the country's field administrations,” he claimed and continued as saying that activities are going on amid better atmosphere with good relations.
Helaluddin Ahmed, President of the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association (BASA) and also Secretary of the Local Government Department, also said that it is not true that conflict between local politicians and field administrations exist everywhere.
“Conflicts may occur at anytime, anywhere. But I am sure they are resolved immediately,” he said adding that like other democratic countries in the world, the administration in Bangladesh is run in harmony with the politicians.
It should be mentioned that earlier on Thursday Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina advised the officials to work with confidence disregarding criticism. She made the remark at the signing ceremony of the annual performance agreement of the ministries and departments of the government. The Prime Minister advised to work with confidence.