Election faces ‘three-way crisis’ in bureaucracy, says TIB chief

PARBATTANEWS DESK

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has warned that the country’s upcoming national election faces serious risks due to divisions within the bureaucracy.

TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the administration is caught in a “three-way tug of crisis” between officials loyal to the previous government, long-deprived officers now regaining ground, and a small number of neutral officials. He said this imbalance could undermine prospects for a fair vote.

“Free and impartial elections are impossible if political parties themselves are not committed to ensuring them,” Dr Iftekharuzzaman told an election training programme in Dhaka on Friday. “Apart from political will, the neutrality of election observers and the media is also crucial for a credible election.”

The programme was organised by RFED, an association of election-focused journalists, and TIB at the organisation’s Dhanmondi office.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman said many officials loyal to the Awami League still hold key posts. He added that the interim government must keep this weakness in mind as it moves toward the election.

He also noted that law enforcement agencies show signs of partisan influence, a trend rooted not only in the past 16 years of Awami League rule but over the past five decades.

“Those who were long deprived are now regaining ground, but politicisation has been reinforced in the process,” he said. “Every institution has come under dual partisan influence, fueling professional conflicts. Only a handful of officers are genuinely trying to remain neutral.”

The TIB chief said the bureaucracy cannot be overhauled or reconstituted overnight. But he expressed hope that stability and professionalism could gradually bring change over time.