Law Adviser Asif Nazrul on Wednesday asked officials and employees of the judiciary to submit their wealth statements within 10 working days. All judicial officials and their family members must submit statements of their movable and immovable assets located both in the country and abroad.
Apart from the judiciary, 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. Earlier on July 2 the High Court (HC) also asked the authorities concerned to take the necessary steps for submitting wealth statements by government employees. The HC also wanted a progress report in this regard in three months.
The court also issued a rule, asking authorities concerned to reply as to why it shall not pass an order to submit wealth statements by government employees and why digital records shall not be kept in this regard properly. 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.
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. We think all government employees of different offices under all ministries and divisions will submit their wealth statements as early as possible.
Most of the public
servants do not
follow the Government Servants (Conduct)
Rules, 1979
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.
