POLITICS-BUREAUCRACY RELATION IN BANGLADESH

Abstract:

Politics and bureaucracy goes hand in hand. The basic relationship between a country’s politics
and bureaucracy aka politicians and bureaucrats shows the administrative and constructive
goodwill of a country. In the case of Bangladesh, the relation between politics and bureaucracy
has emerged in a bittersweet image containing multidimensional challenges and improvement in
its journey.

Introduction :

Politicians and bureaucrats play overlapping but distinct responsibilities in the formulation of
public policy. Despite being a crucial component of public administration, the connection
between members of the civil service and the political executive is not as well understood as it
should be. (Sossin, 2005). If we consider the context of developing countries like Bangladesh,
political- administrative/ bureaucratic relationship and structure is complex and fragile because
of widespread politicization, poor transparency and accountability and so on. In term of
policymaking and administrative decision-making, political authority is much dominant on the
bureaucrats. The role of politicians and bureaucrats are overlapping in relation of policymaking
but in reality everyone wants to distinguish themselves that brings up different spectrum of
challenges in the long run.

Historical Background:

The bureaucracy of Bangladesh is the indentation of the bureaucratic legacy of the British and
Pakistani rule. Bangladesh's whole public administration structure bears the mark of colonialism.
It spent over 200 years as a part of the British Empire. British authority was succeeded by
Pakistani administration in 1947, and Bangladesh became independent after a war in 1971.
(Jahan, 2006) The bureaucratic system of Bangladesh is very similar to the system of ICS (From
the British Rule) and CSP (From the Pakistani Rule). The Bureaucratic system of Bangladesh
evolving through the military regime, semi-military regime and followed by the democratic
change has fallen under criticism on some terms as in, huge corruption, unaccountability, poor
standard and so on.

Present situation of politics-bureaucracy relationship in Bangladesh:

A good adjustment and stable field is necessary in building the relationship between politics and
bureaucracy of a country. In Bangladesh, the political executives hold the higher and ultimate
authority in policymaking and the bureaucrats basically implements those ideas in the country.
The civil service had relatively little control over creating public policy during Bangladesh's
formative years; but, as the bureaucracy has become increasingly politicized, especially at the
highest levels, it has become a key player in the country's policymaking. (Zafarullah and Huque,
2001) Both parties workload divides somewhat in similar grounds. Shaping the public policy is
one of the most important parts of the whole work process of both fields. As Bangladesh follows
a closed system, the political interference is much more seen in every sector of decision making
and overall situation. Though bureaucrats enjoy a good amount of share in the policymaking
process, it is somehow sabotaged in a great amount by the political side.

Challenges in the achievement of a healthy politics- bureaucracy

relation in Bangladesh:

In consideration of the dynamic relationship between politics and bureaucracy, different

perspectives can be addressed on the responsibilities of the politicians and bureaucrats. But
whatever perspective is addressed, if somehow one part sabotage the other then no good can
come from this to the whole process of the administration of a country. Between politics and
administration, there have at various points in Bangladesh's history been antagonistic,
contrasting, and conflicting relationships. The civil service administration has always sought to
have a significant and wide interest in policy processes in order to maintain its power and
influence. However, a variety of circumstances have hampered the quality of its inputs and
weakened its attempt to participate in policymaking. (Rashid, 2014). Politicization being the
most challenging of all the hindrance is really difficult to handle. In the recent decades, due to
political influence, political pressures many decision making process and administrative reforms
are hindered. Politicization of the personnel is another form of political sabotage. The elite
mentality and the unwillingness to engagement with the civil society is another broad issue. The
politicians and bureaucrats intend to ignore the needs of general public. Another and the crucial
problem is the ongoing selecting process of the administrators. The rhetorical BCS exam system
does not measure the collective, functioning, innovative thinking and working process of the
candidates. Also political interference is made in this section. So, the challenge is untamed due to
these practical issues.

Strengthening political-bureaucratic relations in Bangladesh through

reforms:

Adopting changes that increase bureaucratic professionalism and autonomy is crucial for
enhancing ties between the political and administrative spheres in Bangladesh. These changes
might entail the creation of independent organizations to protect bureaucratic autonomy, the
implementation of anti-corruption policies, and the provision of chances for government officials
to further their careers.(Khan, 2014) . Strengthening the political- bureaucratic relation is
improving the administrative and constructive system of a country. In terms of Bangladesh,
much reform in the base is needed as in, exact intellectual exam process, less on the
politicization terms, mitigation of corruption, bringing accountability and transparency in the
system, the vicious elitism must end, a clear recruitment and promotion process is much needed.
Reforms are not reached overnight, but one step at a time can lead to a great future.

Conclusion:

Politics- bureaucracy relationship is the base of all other fragments of a country. Political
executives and bureaucrats both must indulge in the system with same effort to make the system
work. No party can ignore the other in this path. Bangladesh has come a long way since the
independence. The micro level changes in the organizational mechanism can really upgrade the
core of the administration. Though the relationship between politics and bureaucracy is a bit on
the rough patch in our country, if the reform measures are taken properly and both parties
cooperate without sabotaging each other then we can assume in the long run, we will witness a
well improved administrative system of Bangladesh.
References:
Jahan, F. (2006). Public Administration In Bangladesh. Dhaka: BRAC University

Khan, M. M. (2014). Politics and Bureaucracy in Bangladesh. Palgrave Macmillan

Rashid AT. The role of the bureaucracy in policymaking in Bangladesh. The Asian Pacific
Journal of Public Administration. 2014;36(2):150-161. doi:10.1080/23276665.2014.911491

Sossin, Lorne. (2005). Speaking truth to power? The search for bureaucratic
independence in Canada. University of Toronto Law Journal. 55. 1-59.
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Zafarullah, H., & Huque, A. S. (2001). Public management for good governance: Reforms,

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