09/10/2024
Mr. Mohammad Saiful Islam, Additional Secretary (Budget-1) and National Program Director of the Strengthening Public Financial Management Program to Enable Service Delivery (SPFMS), Finance Division, Ministry of Finance, has been promoted to Secretary of the Government of Bangladesh and assumed the position of Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division on October 7, 2024. This morning (October 9, 2024), he delivered a farewell speech to the officials and employees of the SPFMS program at his previous workplace. Some excerpts from his speech are presented below:
“If someone asks me what I hold closest to my heart, my answer would be iBAS. Not everything in the universe remains the same. Completing any task through ups and downs is success.
On February 26, 2011, I joined iBAS as a consultant on lien. At that time, we started from scratch. There were not many facilities available, which is why many people did not want to come here. However, I did not lose hope. I performed my assigned duties with dedication. With the solid support of my colleagues, iBAS++ has evolved into a robust and effective system.
We realized from the beginning that advancing iBAS would require a dedicated workforce. Therefore, we developed a significant number of master trainers.
There are certain qualities in a person that others always remember. These include proper use of efficiency and maintaining a calm behavior. It is not realistic to expect everything to go smoothly at all times. In an office, it is essential that we know and understand each other, fostering a sense of empathy and creating a positive atmosphere.
John F. Kennedy said, 'It’s not about what the country has given you; it’s about what you have given to the country.' Patriotism, to me, is measured by how effectively and faithfully I have fulfilled my duties. To become a good person, instead of thinking of ourselves as very important, we should try to earn the love and respect of others.
The most valuable thing in the world is the purity and perfection of work. We work to please the Almighty Allah. Our religious beliefs help us find relief from deep misery.
We often work day and night. But if we fail to achieve the desired results, then the work has no value. Therefore, to achieve success in any task, the specified outcomes must be reached. If a person works with dedication and honesty, they will be rewarded in some way or another. We should always approach our work with a positive outlook. Every person has something good within them. We must search for that goodness and nurture it.”
