Bangladesh’s Bureaucracy: A Persistent Legacy of Colonial Rule
Public accountability remains a major issue due to the absence of an Ombudsman, while outdated rules persist due to bureaucratic inertia and a lack of political commitment.
স্বাধীনতার পঞ্চাশ বছরেও বাংলাদেশের পাবলিক সার্ভিস ঔপনিবেশিক আইন-কানুন থেকে বের হতে পারেনি। প্রশাসনকে বিকেন্দ্রীকরণের অনেক উদ্যোগ নিলেও তার তেমন কিছুই বাস্তবায়ন করা যায়নি আমলাদের অনিচ্ছা এবং সরকারের যথাযথ কমিটমেন্টের অভাবে। এছাড়া, সংবিধানের ৭০ নম্বর অনুচ্ছেদে অম্বুডসম্যান প্রতিষ্ঠার বাধ্যবাধকতা থাকলেও তা বাস্তবায়িত না হওয়ায় জনজবাবদিহিতায় বড় ধরনের শূন্যতা রয়ে গেছে।
More than five decades after gaining independence, Bangladesh continues to grapple with a public administration system deeply rooted in its colonial past. Despite numerous reform commissions, promises of decentralization, and shifts in economic policy, systemic issues—such as centralization of power, an elitist bureaucracy, and service inefficiencies—persist, leaving much-needed changes elusive.
The Legacy of Administrative Structures
Following its independence in December 1971, Bangladesh swiftly established the Civil Administration Restoration Committee in March 1972 to restructure its public administration. The committee proposed creating ministries, secretariats, and constitutional entities to fit the country’s democratic aspirations. However, these proposals were undermined by persistent centralization and a lack of proper implementation. Notably, the failure to establish an Ombudsman, despite Article 70 of the Constitution mandating it, left a significant gap in public accountability.
Subsequent reforms, including the 1972 Administrative and Services Reorganization Committee, sought to dismantle colonial remnants by addressing inter-cadre discrimination and professional stagnation. The committee identified that hierarchical divides and a lack of professionalism stemmed from the colonial legacy of British India. Much of the process stalled due to bureaucratic inertia and the absence of sustained political commitment.
Reforming a Centralized Bureaucracy Under Military and Civilian Leaders
During the military leadership of Ziaur Rahman in the late 1970s, Bangladesh shifted from state socialism to a free-market economy. His administration aimed to modernize recruitment and training, streamline public sector pay, and consolidate government services into more efficient cadres. Ziaur Rahman established the 1976 Pay and Services Commission to address salary disparities and structural inefficiencies. The commission proposed reforms to link promotions with performance and rationalize pay scales. However, despite some incremental changes, hierarchical structures and cadre-based discrimination remained deeply embedded.
General Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s rule in the 1980s was characterized by widespread corruption and inefficiency, despite his promises of administrative decentralization. His administration established two commissions, including the Committee for Administrative Reorganization, to address these challenges. However, autocratic decision-making hindered the effective implementation of recommendations. The public administration under Ershad’s rule continued to function as an instrument of political control, with bureaucratic inefficiency becoming a hallmark of governance.
When democracy was restored in the 1990s under prime minister Khaleda Zia, hopes for meaningful reforms were high. Khaleda Zia’s administration reduced the number of ministries and proposed structural adjustments to streamline government functions. The 1993 Administrative Reorganization Committee recommended merging overlapping agencies, closing redundant organizations, and improving the Planning Commission’s role. Despite these proposals, many recommendations were poorly executed, and bureaucratic inertia persisted. Khaleda Zia’s administration implemented some measures, such as reducing the number of ministries and restricting foreign missions, but failed to address the deeper issues of administrative inefficiency and political interference.
Sheikh Hasina’s elected government in the late 1990s introduced further pay increases and structural changes. She established the National Pay Body to address the compensation structure of public officials, with new pay scales aimed at enhancing the financial sustainability of government employees. Despite these efforts, allegations of politicization and partisan favoritism marred progress. Corruption remained pervasive, and government officials often engaged in political activities, undermining public trust in the administration.
Learning From Global Models
Several countries offer valuable lessons that Bangladesh could adopt to improve its public administration:
● Singapore’s Meritocracy: Singapore’s bureaucracy thrives on performance-driven management, competitive salaries, and e-governance solutions. Even though other countries have the meritocracy system, the civil service of Singapore was taken as an instance for two reasons: it is a country of Asia so Bangladesh has some resemblance, and Singapore’s bureaucracy is regarded as the best bureaucracy in the world. The main feature of the Singaporean bureaucracy is emphasising on attracting top talent and preventing brain drain through merit-based recruitment. This feature could be highly beneficial for Bangladesh. Establishing merit as a core principle and digitizing administrative processes would help reduce political interference and improve service delivery.
● South Korea’s Technological Integration: South Korea’s civil service reform highlights the role of technological advancements and decentralization. By blending performance-driven management with local autonomy, South Korea has achieved significant administrative efficiency. Bangladesh could implement similar reforms by modernizing recruitment processes, introducing technology-driven governance tools, and allowing local governments more decision-making authority.
● Malaysia’s Digital Efficiency: Malaysia’s public service reforms, particularly through its Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) and MyProcurement platform, have improved civil service transparency and efficiency. By adopting similar platforms, Bangladesh could reduce bureaucratic delays, ensure fair promotions, and minimize political favoritism.
In this paragraph, we intentionally chose some countries to get the best examples. There are two prime reasons for picking up these countries. The first reason is that these countries' bureaucracy was characterized by the same features that I have now in the past: inefficiency, lack of accountability, lack of transparency, lack of people orientation, and corruption, etc. The second reason is that there is a cultural resemblance between these countries and Bangladesh. Therefore, we can easily adopt this system to the Bangladesh bureaucracy.
Charting a Path Forward: Key Recommendations
Strengthening Oversight and Accountability: Judicial oversight of administrative decisions and the appointment of an Ombudsman should be prioritized. The Ombudsman, envisioned under the 1980 Ombudsman Act but never implemented, would play a crucial role in addressing public grievances and ensuring government accountability.
Merit-Based Recruitment and Promotions: Introducing a distinct examination system for technical cadres and linking promotions to performance evaluations will foster professionalism and reduce cadre-based favoritism. The Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) Rules should be amended to support meritocratic recruitment, with separate examinations for general and technical cadres. Even though a drastic quota reduction was introduced after the mass demonstration in 2018. However, a quota system is still in place for the promotion from deputy secretary to the above administrative posts, which needs to be addressed.
Streamlining Bureaucracy: Revisiting outdated organizational structures and enhancing the Bangladesh Civil Service examination process with case-based questions; many things are tested in the BCS exam that are not necessarily in the line of the bureaucrat's job description. As a result, skills are not tested to prepare bureaucrats to navigate complex policy challenges. Through the introduction of case-based questions, the skills will be tested based on the job descriptions. Additionally, the adoption of digital tools including but not limited to Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and basic knowledge of AI, etc. would help create a more efficient and less politically influenced promotion process.
Ethics and Transparency Training: Senior officials should undergo mandatory ethics training to ensure integrity in decision-making. An independent oversight body should enforce a code of conduct for government officials and empower the Information Commission to promote awareness of citizens’ rights under the Right to Information Act.
Digitization of Service Delivery: Expanding digital governance tools in public service delivery, such as automating human resource operations and digitizing service delivery, would help minimize opportunities for corruption and streamline government functions. Introducing e-governance platforms could enable citizens to access services more efficiently and foster public trust. The public sector mostly depends on the paper-based system. If the e-governance service delivery system can be implemented, the efficiency and effectiveness will increase many fold.
The Way Forward: Breaking Bureaucratic Gridlock
Bangladesh’s history of reform commissions—23 since independence—demonstrates the challenge of effecting lasting change. The 24th Public Administration Reform Commission, expected to recommend more inclusive promotion criteria and new recruitment strategies for key sectors–health, engineering, education, tax, police, and customs– has the potential to lay the groundwork for a more responsive and accountable system.
For these recommendations to succeed, sustained government commitment, political neutrality, and effective oversight will be crucial. Without meaningful action, Bangladesh risks perpetuating a cycle of administrative inefficiency and political manipulation. However, with a renewed focus on accountability, meritocracy, and digitization, the country could foster a public administration system truly "for the people"—a goal that remains overdue but achievable.
About Authors:
Arifur Rahman Bhuiyan is a Ph.D. student at Pennsylvania State University. Previously, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Dhaka. His research interests include community development, economic development, public policy, governance, place-based policy, business improvement districts, and local government. He can be reached at arbhuiyan@du.ac.bd
Rinve Mosharrof was a teaching assistant in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Dhaka and has worked as a research assistant on various projects. His recent work focuses on a policy brief addressing inter-conflict in the Bangladesh Civil Service. He is passionate about administrative reforms, political reforms, digital transformation, and governance. He can be reached at rinve.rivu120@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect The Insighta's editorial stance. However, any errors in the stated facts or figures may be corrected if supported by verifiable evidence.
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