Editorial
Changes in cabinet should lead to better performance
People expect so much from the government
AFTER the restructuring of the party committees with several new faces inducted, prime minister Sheikh Hasina has brought in changes in the council of ministers, too. Here, she has taken in some new faces as well. The choice of the new faces is marked by inclusion of persons having a clean track record. Another positive feature is that six members of the new ministerial council are women. This is a welcome development from the point of view of bridging gender gap in the government.
However, it is not a reshuffle of the cabinet as such, but a redistribution of portfolios and giving ministerial berths to new aspirants. One may recall that the prime minister had promised on her assumption of office that she would make an assessment on the performance of ministers after the passage of 100 days. But then comes the assessment after six months in some form leading to some changes in the cabinet. And now the new ministers have been told that their performance will be closely watched for the next two to three months to form an opinion about them.
The question is what specific criteria are there for the prime minister to follow to judge the ministers' performance on? We think, the PM needs to set specific targets for the ministers so that their performances are measurable. If truth be told, the performance of the government ministers so far has left a lot to be desired. Apart from the pressure of tadbir and rent-seeking from party workers and influential quarters that kept the ministers occupied, it's lack of coordination among various tiers and agencies of the government that has slowed down the pace of work. The need for infusion of greater dynamism in the government machinery can hardly be overemphasised
It is practically a 50-member council of ministers including seven advisers who have been given a cabinet rank. This makes it the second largest cabinet since the four-party alliance government between 2001 and 2006. To that extent, the expectation is that much greater from the government to deliver
There is an impression, though, that some of the advisers have somewhat undefined role in the sense that they are advising in respect of more than one ministry. They wield considerable influence on the ministries and that runs the risk of fostering confusion in the working of the ministries, if a balance is not struck.
The acid test for the government would be to deliver to meet the increasing expectations of the people and that can only be possible with a definitive change in the work culture.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments