Open Letter To Finance Minister.

Prof. Mohammed Shamsuddin

Honourable Finance Minister, I am posting this text as an open letter to you. I do not expect that you would see this post but I feel it is my responsibility to stand beside my colleagues who are being badly insulted by your words.

I agree with you that professors of Bangladesh are not as skilled as those of USA, UK, Germany, Australia, etc. but are equally skilled to their counterparts in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Kenya, Argentina, etc. Would you be so kind to name one Secretary from Bangladesh who is as skilled as his/her counterpart from the Central Governments of the developing countries referred to above? I agree most universities in Bangladesh have a higher proportion of professors than many other countries of similar economy but would you be so kind to ask one of your staff to present you information on the number of secretaries Bangladesh has? How many examples of so called 'senior secretaries' would you be able to cite from countries of similar economy like Bangladesh? How many countries in the world have multiple secretaries in one ministry? Professors in Bangladesh have not come from an isolated island, they should have followed the same trend as has been followed by the so called administrative cadre. As a tax payee, I believe I have right to demand your statement on these facts in the Parliament of Bangladesh.

Reading from Abul Monsur Ahmed and addresses made by Bongobondhu and many other politicians from fifties, it is clear that the army and civil bureaucracies were the main hurdles that limited development of the then Pakistan and East Bengal was the worst sufferer. If you look at the great six points movement it had been aimed to restrain the anti-people power of bureaucrats in the then Pakistan. Unfortunately, we have inherited Pakistani army and bureaucracies in the independent Bangladesh who succeed to kill the Father of the Nation within three years of independence and took a U turn towards colonial governments, good governance remained only in our dreams! After the democracy movement in 1990, the Bangladesh Army has taken a good shape and attracted national and global respects. But the civil bureaucracy in Bangladesh has remain the number one hurdle against development and in favour of corruptions.

This is unfortunate for the nation that after 1975' the politics of Bangladesh could not produce a single Finance Minister, the position has always been taken by active/retired bureaucrats! And here remains the route cause of development lacks of Bangladesh. Only politicians whose bodies smell the soil of Bangladesh would know the importance of education not the kind of bureaucrats that carry the legacy from the colonial times. As a man and a senior citizen, I have all respects for you but I am also reminded that you belonged to the bureaucracy that could not take a pro-people shape after 44 years of liberation. And your words have encouraged that inefficient bureaucracy but humiliated the teachers who have been working with difficulties to produce qualified graduates to turn the bureaucracy towards people.

Honourable Minister, I am aware of your honesty and integrity and I join with many others to praise your personal honesty. Would you be so kind to ask your staff to present you a summary of information if personal assets of secretaries of Bangladesh match with their legal incomes? Would you also collect such information for professors? Mr. Minister in your true sense you will feel to apologies to professors since they are not corrupts. Corrupts who made Bangladesh champions five times will be found mostly in government offices. One regime of politicians punishes the former regime but the corrupt bureaucrats protect each other and remain beyond touches by the Anti Corruption Council!

I hope democracy practices in Bangladesh would attract and facilitate development of good politicians from grass route who would have the power and sense to identify the need of strong education to produce qualified graduates to run the country, especially a pro people government. Sooner the change should occur, better would be the fate of the country.

Yours sincerely,
Prof. Dr. M. Shamsuddin
Vienna, Austria

আরো পড়ুনঃ "স্বতন্ত্র স্কেল চাই, অন্য কোন দাবি নাই!!"