The Ministry of Public Administration has removed officials’ names and identification numbers from its website, blocking public access to information on their postings and current employment status.
The information was removed from gems.gov.bd without any announcement or explanation.
State Minister for Public Administration Abdul Bari told TIMES of Bangladesh that he was unaware of the decision.
“I will look into the matter and let you know later,” he said.
With the information no longer available, it is now difficult to determine how many government officials have received contractual appointments, how many are serving as officers on special duty (OSD) and the overall status of the key administration cadre.
The website previously provided details of the postings of more than 6,000 BCS administration cadre officials, including those appointed on contract and those placed on OSD. The information was accessible to the public.
Right-to-information activists said removing the information went against the government’s commitment to transparency and good governance.
The website now displays the names, mobile numbers and email addresses of more than 1,000 focal point officials from different ministries and divisions instead of details of all officials. Their role is limited to overseeing respective websites.
The Ministry of Public Administration has listed Deputy Secretary Shariful Islam as its focal point official.
Asked why officials’ information was removed, Shariful declined to comment and referred TIMES to Senior System Analyst Muhammad Hafizur Rahman.
Hafizur said the names were removed following instructions from senior officials but added that he did not know the reason behind the directive.
Former secretary AKM Abdul Awal Majumdar said the decision was “not right at all”.
“It has reduced transparency in public administration, and such transparency is extremely important for establishing good governance,” he said.
He said the move would increase public suspicion over activities within the Ministry of Public Administration.
The removal of important state information from government websites is not new. During the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, annual reports from the Awami League government period were removed from the websites of around 25 ministries and divisions.
As a result, access to records from the previous three terms of that government has become difficult. There have also been allegations that documents from the interim government period were removed after the BNP government came to power.
Ruhi Naz, deputy director of Research Initiatives, an organisation working on right-to-information issues, said removing official information from government websites contradicted the government’s push towards e-governance.
“Removing officially published information goes against the Right to Information Act. They removed it simply because they wanted to. Removing such information is a barrier to establishing good governance and accountability,” she told TIMES.
