A foreign trip okayed quizzically
The public administration ministry has changed the category of a trip to allow 25 officials to go on tour to Australia, effectively letting them bypass restrictions on foreign visits.
On May 12, the government suspended overseas "exposure visits" and trips under several other categories as part of austerity measures.
Since the trip in question was originally planned as an exposure visit, the officials would not have been able to go with the restrictions in place. But the Ministry of Public Administration (MoPA) recently changed the category of the trip to "overseas training".
The exposure visit originally scheduled for March 2020 was postponed because of Covid restrictions. In the last two years, seven of the 26 officials named in the original order had retired and one died.
The new MoPA order issued on July 12 this year contains the names of the 18 officials from the previous order and seven new entrants as a replacement for officials who are no longer in service. Both the 2020 and 2022 orders mention that the trip is part of the Policy Planning and Management Course (PPMC).
The PPMC requires an official to attend a 7-day exposure visit which can be done at home or abroad, mentions the government guideline.
The purpose of the exposure visits is to enable participants to be exposed to a civil service organisation of a country which has developed significantly, according to the PPMC guideline.
Besides, only the additional secretaries are entitled to participate in the PPMC. But, six higher-ranking officials, including three secretaries, were named in the list of 25 officials.
Moreover, the director general of Water Resources Planning Organisation, whose name appears on the list, will have only a couple of weeks left before he goes on "leave before permanent retirement" after returning from the trip.
Requesting not to be named, an additional secretary of the finance ministry said, "Some of our colleagues are extremely disappointed at the restrictions on foreign visits. They are looking for ways to go on foreign trips. They should understand that the order came from the top level of the government."
The 25 officials going to Australia will attend the "training" at Deakin University of Australia from August 28-September 3.
FOREIGN TRIPS DISCOURAGED
On Thursday, it was decided at a meeting chaired by MoPA Senior Secretary KM Ali Azam that foreign trips for training should be discouraged and officials were "advised not to make any trip in this crisis".
On May 12, the finance ministry suspended exposure visits, study tours, travels for workshops or seminars, and trips under APA (annual performance agreement) and innovation.
Contacted, MoPA Joint Secretary Dr Mohammed Ziaul Haque said the trip was necessary for the officials to obtain the PPMC certificate. "That is why they are going to Australia."
However, when his attention was drawn to the 2020 annual report of MoPA, which shows 26 participants attended the 20th PPMC foreign exposure visit in 2020, Haque said, "It may have been mentioned mistakenly."
Contacted, MoPA Senior Secretary KM Ali Azam said, "The officials are taking part in the training with approval of the prime minister."
He added, "All foreign visits, except the ones for training, are completely suspended."
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council urged all in the public and private sectors to maintain austerity in power consumption and other areas amid a rise in global inflation.
Being informed about the trip, Dr Iftekharuzzaman of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said, "The government is issuing embargoes on foreign trips while its officials are flouting it. Violation of an order is not uncommon. But when the order comes during a critical period, the officials should take it more seriously."
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