Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan has criticised the fragmentation of ministries and divisions, saying the expanded government structure has made the administration dysfunctional and ineffective.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Fouzul said the government should operate with no more than 15 ministries and divisions, arguing that the current arrangement has created overlapping responsibilities and policy paralysis.
“The fragmentation of government has made it dysfunctional,” he wrote, adding that the proliferation of ministries has complicated even simple policy decisions.
The remarks come amid growing public debate over governance efficiency and administrative reform in Bangladesh.
As an example, Fouzul referred to public reaction over the selection and later exclusion of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League, which led to calls to ban the broadcast of IPL matches in Bangladesh.
While such a move may appear appropriate to some, the adviser said implementation would be difficult because authority is divided among ministries. He noted that television content falls under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, while transmission is regulated by the Information and Communication Technology ministry.
“These were once one ministry,” he wrote, arguing that the split has made coordination cumbersome and decision-making ineffective, and said the two ministries should be merged again to streamline governance.
However, Fouzul expressed doubt about the likelihood of such reforms, saying political ambitions often stand in the way of sensible administrative restructuring.
“Our insatiable appetite to become ministers and secretaries will preclude such sensible decisions in the future,” he wrote, warning that instead of consolidation, more ministries and divisions could be created, further worsening the problem.
