BASA calls for administrative service commission to protect bureaucracy

Bangladesh Administrative Service Association (BASA) has raised concerns over pressures, undue influence and unwanted directives that, it says, are eroding neutrality, efficiency and public trust in the country’s administration.

In a statement issued on Friday, BASA called for the establishment of an independent Administrative Service Commission to ensure a professional and impartial administrative system. 

The statement was signed by BASA President Md Nazrul Islam and General Secretary Sharaf Uddin Ahmad Chowdhury.

Welcoming the government’s recent decision to form a Police Commission to safeguard the force from political interference, BASA highlighted the critical role of administrative cadre members in running state functions. 

The association noted that past governments had often undermined their professionalism through political involvement.

“To ensure accountable governance and good administration, the administration must remain free from political influence, bias and unwanted intervention. Like modern democratic states, Bangladesh needs an efficient, neutral and professional administrative framework,” the statement read.

BASA proposed that the new Administrative Service Commission be modeled after the Police Commission. The independent, law-based body would oversee appointments, promotions and disciplinary matters of administrative officers impartially. 

It would also include members from diverse professional backgrounds to guarantee independence and maintain high professional standards within the bureaucracy.

SH