Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said success at field level alongside academic fit and training capacity should be most important criterions for promotion of officers in the Bangladesh Army, reports BSS.
She said the leadership of the Bangladesh Army should be bestowed on competent and patriotic officers considering their future role in national development activities and consolidation of democracy.
"I hope that participation of Bangladesh Army will grow further in the national development activities....., they can play a very supplementary role in strengthening and consolidating democratic process. So its future leadership should be entrusted on the competent and patriotic officers," she said.
The Prime Minister said this while addressing the Army Headquarters Selection Board-2017 at Dhaka Cantonment here on Sunday.
Sheikh Hasina, also in charge of the Ministry of Defence, said officers of the Bangladesh Army should have four qualities to take the leadership.
She said, army officers, at first, should have faith in the spirit of the War of Liberation, secondly they must be well-educated, mentality of serving the society and good moral character to be a commander, staff and trainer.
Thirdly they must have success at field level, and finally, they must have leadership quality, professional excellence, sense of discipline, honesty and loyalty to the chain of command, she said.
The Prime Minister said role of army is very important in a democratic country. They can play a very supplementary role in strengthening and consolidating democratic process. So leadership of the army should be delegated to those officers who are well-educated, competent, intelligent, and above all, highly committed to democracy, she said.
She asked the selection board to take into consideration the leadership quality, professional competence, field level success, discipline, honesty and obedience of the officers for promotion.
The prime minister expressed satisfaction over introducing `TRACE` (Tabulated Record and Comparative Evaluation) system for officers` promotion in the army. The system gives comparative evaluation of different aspects of professional competence, she said.
She expressed her firm confidence that members of the selection board would rise above every personal liking and disliking and judge everything impartially to pick up the patriotic officers who have faith in the spirit of the War of Liberation.
Pointing out the participation of the members of Bangladesh Army in the national activities the prime minister hoped that such activities would continue in future and the army would continue its stride to earn public confidence and love through accomplishing the tasks to be given by the government.
The prime minister said members of the army during the tenure of the present government always stood beside it whenever it was necessary. They are playing very praiseworthy role in the UN peacekeeping missions, brightening the nation`s image at global level.
The confidence of the people in army also increased substantially at home due to their quick response to stand beside people in any natural disaster. In this regard the prime minister mentioned about the services of the army in Chittagong Hill Tracts following the landslides. Two of their brilliant officers laid their lives to serve the humanity, she remembered.
Praising the role of the Bangladesh Army in combating militancy the prime minister said the anti-militancy operation of the commando unit of the army is a testimony of their modern training, competence and professionalism. She thanked the army for their successful operations in Holey Artisan in Gulshan last year and recently at Atiya Mohal in Sylhet.
Sheikh Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman within a very short span of time after independence turned the Bangladesh Army into a full-fledged force.
Bangabandhu had established Bangladesh Military Academy and other institutions apart from collecting technology, weapons, ammunitions and other military armours. Within 1972 and 1973, engineers, signals, army services, ordnance, military police, remount veterinary and farm and medical corps were built newly.
Sheikh Hasina said the Awami League government carried forward the development and expansion programmes taken by Bangabandhu after coming to power for the second term in 2009 and it is still going on. Side by side steps were taken for welfare of the members of the army and their families.
The prime minister said process is going on to construct five dental colleges and five nursing institutes for Bangladesh Army. The work for construction of the country`s lone burn unit and plastic surgery hospital has been given to Bangladesh Army. It will be one of the best hospital in South Asia, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the salary structure of the members of the armed forces has been reaffixed keeping consistency with that of the civil administration. The works of the `Jalsiri` housing project for them is going on in quick pace, she said adding that the project would help strengthening mental strength of the officers.
Expressing her pleasure for induction of female officers on the armed forces the prime minister said her government believes in women empowerment at all national level. Female army officers in the armed forces would help change the position of womenfolk in the society, she hoped.
Sheikh Hasina said her government is striving for balanced development of every region of the country and ensure public services for every people at grassroots level. She said the country is moving forward with more than seven percent economic growth which was 7.24 percent last year.
At the same time inflation rate came down to nearly five percent during the tenure of the present government which was double digit in 2006. People are enjoying the benefit of the economic growth which resulted in increasing the life expectancy of the people to 72 years, she said.
PM`s security advisor Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Army chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq, PM`s principal secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Defence Secretary Akhter Hussain Bhuiya and PM`s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim were present.