Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu yesterday emphasised enhancement of performance of public servants by building skills and also said they should shun the culture of lobbying.
He said the level of performance of government employees would decline if they were ignorant of the constitution.
“Bangladesh has to gain the ability to stand at the same level as other countries in this region and also the rest of the world. To do so, policies and their implementation need to be adjusted accordingly. The Government Performance Management System (GPMS) can help public servants focus and align their expertise with the right institutions,” Inu said while addressing a seminar arranged by Brac Institute of Governance and Development in partnership with the World Bank Group at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.
The seminar was arranged to help design a plan for performance management system of Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) and Information Commission under phase two of the “Community of Practice”.
Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said civil servants should remain accountable not only personally but also officially.
“A public servant will not only be assessed at the individual level but also based on how much he has contributed to the success and accountability of his institution,” he said.
Dr Sadaat Husain, former chairman of BPSC who delivered the keynote address, said he believes that much of the corruption happens at the top four levels of the government.
“If public servants at those levels remain free from corruption, there will be no corrupt practices at the bottom levels. The Cabinet Division is preparing documents for all other divisions so that their quality of performance can be assessed in relation to a number of indicators,” he said.
“The Community of Practice has been successful so far and the Cabinet Division is working in conjunction with the BPSC. It will be interesting to see how the collaboration plays out in the future,” he added.
Former and incumbent members of the BPSC and Information Commission, experts from different fields, government officials, civil society members, and representatives from different academic and research institutions, NGOs and international organisations were present at the seminar.