Civil Service Code recommended to shield public service against political influence

The Public Administration Reform Commission has recommended the formulation of a Civil Service Code, which would serve as an ethical guideline for public servants to protect the civil service from political influence and unethical inducements.

In its full report published on the website of the Cabinet Division on Saturday (8 February), the commission highlighted the lack of a clearly defined role for the bureaucracy in a democratic system since independence.

While the civil service has at times been overly powerful, ignoring political leaders and citizens, it has also been weakened by political interference, said the report.

"Various laws and regulations have been enacted over time, but they have not been effective in establishing professional values that empower bureaucrats to serve both elected governments and citizens while having the courage to speak the truth," it read.

Corruption key barrier

The report emphasised that corruption has been a key barrier preventing public administration from serving citizens effectively.

"Government officials sometimes wield unchecked power with no system of transparency or accountability," it stated.

It recommended that officials' authority be clearly defined and exercised within a structured accountability framework.

Mentioning that there has been a growing demand for meaningful reforms across state institutions following the fall of the Hasina-regime on 5 August, the commission stressed the need for a governance structure that upholds the fundamental values of the Liberation War, including equality, social justice, and human dignity.

It further noted that prolonged politicisation has eroded the civil service's neutrality, accountability, and public orientation, leading to inefficiency and incompetence.

The report argued that the current system is not suited to fulfilling the expectations of a democratic, welfare-oriented state.

Reform implementation commission

The Public Administration Reform Commission also recommended the formation of a Permanent Reform Implementation Commission to oversee necessary legal and regulatory changes, particularly addressing issues that cause public suffering in service delivery to ensure a citizen-centric administration.

In its full report, the commission said such a commission would strengthen accountability mechanisms in all departments, enhance ethics and efficiency through training, and ensure a politically neutral administration.

It suggested establishing the Permanent Reform Implementation Commission during the interim government's tenure through an official gazette notification.

The Cabinet Division should allocate the necessary budget for its operations, with the Finance Division creating a dedicated budget code for the initiative, read the report.

It said a secretary committee led by the cabinet secretary can be formed to assist with the implementation commission's work.

Other members of this secretary committee will include the finance secretary, law secretary, public administration secretary, and the secretary of the coordination and reform division of the ministerial cabinet, it suggested.