No problem if you don’t act with bias, Salehuddin to NBR staff
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Monday expressed satisfaction over the withdrawal of the movement by officials and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the resumption of port activities.
Speaking at an event at the Ministry of Finance in the Secretariat, he said, “I would tell the protesters—do your work properly. If you don’t act with bias, there will be no problem for anyone. If you serve people with transparency and accountability, there should be no issues.”
He made the remarks while responding to reporters’ questions during an event marking the first year of evaluation for the online database system of state-owned institutions and autonomous bodies. The evaluation includes budget reporting, debt and contingent liability analysis, and overall performance assessment.
“At least today, we are a bit happy,” the adviser said. “The Chief Adviser was also present. The NBR issue has been resolved, and the port has reopened. I later spoke with the Chief Adviser, and he said, ‘It’s fine, let them speak.’”
When asked about the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) inquiry into six NBR officials involved in the movement, Dr. Salehuddin said, “Firstly, I won’t comment on the ACC. They have their own terms and conditions. If needed, please ask them separately. There is certainly no interference from the government now.”
He added, “Did you see the Finance Ministry interfering with Bangladesh Bank? During my tenure, it wasn’t possible because I was there. At that time, Bangladesh Bank operated under government directives. The governors did not function independently—they acted as agents of the government. That is no longer the case.”
“If there are facts, the ACC will look into it,” he continued. “You might wonder why this is starting now. Every day, people from all walks of life come to me—saying their accounts have been closed or they’ve suffered losses. It’s very unfortunate. I met with businesspeople for a long time yesterday. Even today, a few businessmen called to say they have incurred major losses. This is completely unacceptable. There may be issues with the government, but disrupting a national service cannot be justified under any circumstances.”
Referring to the movement by NBR officials and employees, the adviser said, “They may have disagreements with us—I mentioned this long ago. But shutting down the port? That’s not private property.”