The prime minister’s former adviser on public administration affairs HT
Imam on Sunday held an ‘unofficial meeting’ at the secretariat saying
goodbye to ministry officials and employees five days after his
resignation.
He asked the officials to deliver their constitutional responsibilities all the time no matter which party was in power.
The retired bureaucrat-turned-politician called on the civil servants to
work together rising above all differences as the incumbent government
was passing through a transitional period before the next polls
scheduled for January 5.
‘Forget all differences and work together to build the country without
being greedy for power,’ HT Imam, currently coordinating the ruling
Awami League’s election campaign, said as he addressed the gathering of
about 200 officials and employees in the public administration
ministry’s conference room.
He said that the officers on special duty had expressed their resentment but now it was their turn to work.
‘There is nothing to rejoice or resent in the public service. All will
enjoy the facilities already increased for them in the service,’ he told
the officials, reminding them of benefits introduced by the Awami
League-led government in the past five years for public servants.
The five advisers, including HT Imam, resigned on November 26 a day
after the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, asked them to do so amidst
adverse criticism against the growing number of the PM’s advisers as the
polls-time ‘small cabinet’ began to function in the run up to the 10th
parliamentary elections.
HT Imam’s meeting raised eyebrows as the former adviser was now
coordinating the AL’s election campaign. ‘Most of us were not aware of
the unofficial meeting. We were asked by seniors to attend the farewell
this morning,’ a deputy secretary said.
Asked about the meeting with HT Imam, the public administration
ministry’s senior secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder said that it was an
‘informal farewell meeting.’
‘We have worked together for around five years. He is so senior to us
that we cannot expect him to visit every room to say goodbye. So we sat
together to bid him farewell,’ Abdus Sobhan said.
Addressing the meeting, the senior secretary praised the role of HT Imam
in increasing the facilities for government employees, including
extension of retirement age by two years and dearness allowance.
Sobhan also mentioned that HT Imam had contribution to the promotion process of a large number of officials in the bureaucracy.
Additional secretary of the ministry Sohrab Hossain conducted the meeting that continued for more than an hour. (source)