Ban unnecessary foreign trips of government officials

The issue of 'unjustified' foreign trips by government officials is becoming increasingly concerning day by day. From flower cultivation, spice cultivation to cattle breeding, pond excavation, or NASA competitions, government officials traveling abroad with university graduates are not only labeled as 'unnecessary', but questions have been raised in the public mind about these issues. The issue of concern is that government officials' foreign travels are putting pressure on foreign currency reserves. This led to the issuance of a memorandum in May 2022 suspending government officials' foreign trips. However, it's not that such travels have been completely halted.

There are allegations that some government officials prefer leisure trips over work-related travels when going abroad. Hence, whenever the opportunity arises, an excessive number of officials travel abroad unnecessarily.

According to a report published by the media last Thursday (February 22), nine officials from the local government ministry will travel to the United States either from March 4th to 8th or around that time. They will participate in a capacity-building course titled 'Wash in Health Care Facilities for Senior Officials' focusing on safe water, sanitation, and hygiene in Atlanta, United States."
Among these nine officials is Mr. Sarwar Hossain, Chief Engineer of the Directorate General of Health Services. He is scheduled to retire in the first week of April. Upon his return from the United States, he will have a maximum of 20 working days left. The question arises: how will this training in the United States be beneficial for the nation?

There was a time when affluent Bengalis spent money to travel and study in various developed countries in pursuit of a better lifestyle. Now our country has a great economic and social development. Traveling abroad is not such a matter in the current context. For many, foreign travel, especially to Europe or America, enhances social status. If one can travel abroad without spending money, it's like hitting the jackpot. And it's observed that some ministers and officials in the country take advantage of this opportunity.

It's natural for government officials to travel abroad for work-related training, to acquire specific technological or managerial knowledge, or for procurement purposes. However, often these foreign trips by officials are perceived as arbitrary due to improper reasons. Furthermore, there are often more officials and employees traveling on official trips than necessary, leading to various controversies regarding government spending on these trips. Although in most cases, such travels adhere to policies, but questions arise regarding the necessity of these trips.

It is true that government officials travel abroad to protect legality. However, it is important to consider how much a government official's foreign trip, whether it is for training or in accordance with government policies, will contribute to the welfare of the country and its people. It is often observed that in special delegations for foreign trips, advanced countries send three to four representatives, while our country sends almost a dozen representatives. Therefore, this path of wasteful expenditure of government funds needs to be ceased immediately.

Otherwise, those officials who will travel abroad may face criticism from the general public in the future. In that scenario, the likelihood of experiencing negatives is higher than positives.

In such situations, we want to convey that government officials who undertake 'unjustified' foreign trips not only exhibit a lack of professional ethics but also do not prioritize the interests of a democratic nation. In a democracy, government employees are expected to work for the welfare of the people - they are never the masters of the people but rather their servants. Therefore, there is no justification for them to undertake unjustified foreign trips at the expense of the state. They should utilize their power responsibly and uphold their duties and principles with integrity intact. Otherwise the acceptability of their work may be questioned.