There is now no chance for any public servant to indulge in corruption and escape justice as the government has instructed all its employees to submit their wealth statements as per the existing rules. Under existing laws, every government employee is required to declare their immovable and movable assets at the time of joining service.
Subsequently, they must submit a statement on any changes in their assets every five years through the appointing authority to the government.
Although this procedure is part of the conduct regulations to combat corruption and ensure accountability, compliance has often been lacking. On August 25, Chief Adviser to the interim government, Prof Muhammad Yunus, in his address to the nation said, "Government employees should regularly submit their wealth statements."
Besides, all advisers will have to publish their asset details as soon as possible. Regular asset disclosure will be made mandatory for all government servants. A five-member committee has been established to simplify and standardise the submission of wealth statements by government employees.
According to the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1979, all public servants shall submit a statement of assets showing any increase or decrease of property after every five years to the government through the usual channel.
However, no government officials and employees have submitted their wealth statements before their respective ministries and departments yet. Most of the public servants do not follow the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1979. Even, most of the ministries and divisions are reluctant to put into effect the mandatory provision.
No government officials and employees
have submitted their wealth statements
before their respective ministries
and departments yet.
Besides, there is no proper database system to keep records of the wealth statements of employees. As it is urgently needed to establish good governance and ensure transparency and accountability in all sectors, there is no other option and civil servants must submit their wealth statement immediately.
The ministries and divisions have also been asked to develop a database of government employees’ wealth statements under the Public Service Act, 2018.’ As per the rules, government employees must take prior permission to buy or sell immovable property. It is needless to mention that the submission of wealth statements will reduce corruption and irregularities. We think this drive will continue from now on and regular monitoring will eventually make all government offices corruption-free.
The interim government must compel all ministries and divisions to maintain the provision and implement the rules as it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for corruption in order to establish good governance and root out irregularities, corruption and mismanagement in all sectors.
Apart from the government employees, we think, the public representatives like former lawmakers, upazila chairmen, city and municipality mayors and councilors, and union parishad chairmen and members also must submit their up-to-date wealth statements. We believe that all ministries and divisions must be accountable to the people of the country through transparency and will never tolerate irregularities, corruption, misdeeds, and mismanagement indulged in by some officials and employees.
Corruption and irregularities have already engulfed almost all government offices, institutions, and departments while different organised gangs of thugs in association with a section of officials and staff are engaged in harassing and humiliating the service seekers in many ways ever day.
Report has it that if any service seeker refuses to pay bribe for his or her file processing in government offices, he or she is harassed, humiliated, and even beaten up by the organised brokers, cheat and corrupt officials in and outside office.
Therefore, people were compelled to pay the bribe to get the service. If the service seeker pays a big amount of bribe, the work is done quickly and smoothly as well. Instead of providing services to people in an easier and faster way, by institutionalising irregularities and corruption, all goverrment institutions have deviated from their due role.
