HT Imam’s meeting sparks controversy

Former public administration affairs adviser to the prime minister HT Imam yesterday held an “informal meeting” with the officials and employees of the public administration ministry, sparking controversy.
Imam is the co-chairman of Awami League Election Steering Committee and, according to the election commission rules, cannot hold such a meeting with civil bureaucrats after the announcement of the election schedule. The EC rules do not permit civil servants either to arrange such a meeting.
Sources in the ministry said Imam requested some ministry officials to arrange the meeting as he could not bid farewell to the ministry staff before his resignation.
“We did not know anything about the meeting until this morning when we were informed about this over phone and asked to attend it,” said a senior official of the ministry, wishing anonymity.
Asked whether such a meeting could be arranged, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Abdus Sobhan Sikder termed the event as an informal meeting, one to bid farewell to the former adviser.
“He worked with the officials and employees of this ministry for five years. He is an elderly person and cannot go to everyone’s room to say goodbye. So, we all gathered at one place to say goodbye to him. I don’t find anything wrong in this,” he told The Daily Star.
Additional Secretary Sohrab Hossain moderated the meeting attended by around 250 staffs of the ministry. Sweets were distributed after the 45-minute meeting held at the ministry’s library room.
Addressing the meeting, Imam asked the officials and employees of the ministry to work together, forgetting their differences.
“No matter who forms the government, you should keep yourselves above politics and work for the country,” he urged them.
He also said that the AL government brought many of the ministry officials who earlier were officers on special duty (OSD) back to service.
He made the comment at a time when more than 650 civil administration officials were kept as OSDs who have no other duty except for attending office, signing the attendance register and drawing salary.
Imam could not be reached for his comments on the meeting despite repeated phone calls last night.