Maintain utmost neutrality in coming elections

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday asked top government bureaucrats to extend their all-out cooperation for holding the ensuing general elections in a free, fair and neutral manner by maintaining utmost neutrality, rising above all influence and defying all threats and fear.

" If we get your all-out cooperation we will be able to hand over power to an elected government through elections to be held in December," he said while addressing the secretaries of all ministries and divisions of the government in the Cabinet Division conference room at Bangladesh Secretariat, apparently as part of the preparation for the parliamentary polls slated for December.

He reminded that it is the responsibility of all including government officials and employees to ensure that voters can go to the polling centres and cast votes without fear to chose their candidates.

The Chief Adviser expressed the confidence that the caretaker government would be successful to present the nation a free, fair and credible election.

"A free, fair and neutral election is going to be held in December this year. I hope that the election will be peaceful, festive and delightful," he said.

Dr Fakhruddin said the civil administrators would also have to extend cooperation in sustaining the caretaker government's activities made in last 19 months, including policies and guidelines for strengthening the base of democracy.

Terming the completion of the voter registration with photographs and national ID cards within a year 'a great achievement' of the government, he said the Election Commission would finalise the voter list with photographs of all regions of the country sometime in October.

The Chief Adviser mentioned that the August 4 elections to four city corporations and nine pourasabhas were held very fairly with large percentage of voter turnout.

During his nearly an hour long speech, he focused on food security, income support to fixed and low income group, effective implementation of ADP, economic growth, law and order, citizen services, posting and promotion of government officials and application of IT by government officials.

He directed the secretaries to be serious with postings and follow regulations on promotion of administrative officials.

"Make proper evaluation of the works of the officials and put right persons in the right places," he said.

Dr Fakhruddin asked the secretaries to give more attention for timely and effective implementation of development projects so that people can derive full benefit of such projects.

Regarding implementation of Annual Development Programme (ADP), he said timely and result-oriented implementation of the ADP is very important for the socio-economic uplift of the country and the people as well as overall economic growth.

On utility services, he asked them to monitor whether the service seekers get proper service on time in all service sectors including water, telephone, electricity, gas, law and order and so on, and also suggested to improve the standard of services.

About the 100-day job generation programme, he said, "We have to ensure so that the real poor people are benefited by the programme."

He emphasised on application of tools of IT by the secretaries to derive its outcome in a short time and resolve various issues bilaterally and multilaterally through e-mail and Internet communication among secretaries.

In the meeting the secretaries briefed the Chief Adviser about the advancement of various projects and problems they were facing.

In his welcome address, Cabinet Secretary Ali Imam Majumder said that so far 529 decisions have been adopted by the council of advisers of the present caretaker government that expedited the momentum of reforms and development activities.