Chief Adviser’s aspirations could not be carried forward by his associates

Bangla Press Desk: Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), has said that the Chief Adviser’s vision and aspirations for reforms could not be effectively carried forward by his associates and the bureaucracy.

“As a result, the enthusiasm with which the Chief Adviser initiated steps such as preparing an economic white paper and forming various task forces did not gain the expected momentum,” he told journalists yesterday after attending a pre-election regional consultation meeting of the Citizen’s Platform held at a hotel in Sylhet city.

Debapriya, also noted economist, stressed that the upcoming election manifestos should include pledges ensuring the continuity of policy and reform commitments so that the next government upholds them. He said such reforms are essential to build a new Bangladesh and achieve middle-income status.

“To dismantle the alliance that has formed against reforms, these steps must be made an integral part of the election manifestos,” he added.

The economist further pointed out that the current government cannot complete all reform initiatives within its tenure. “The government must clearly state how much progress has been made, what remains to be done, and what unfinished tasks should be carried forward — all of which should be outlined clearly in the manifesto,” he said.

Earlier, during the open discussion segment of the consultation meeting, representatives from various political, social, and cultural organizations shared their views on the reform agenda and the upcoming national election.

Presenting his keynote paper, Dr. Debapriya observed that Bangladesh had mostly witnessed “visible development” in the past, such as the construction of school and college buildings, while little was done to improve the quality of teachers and students. “A section of society emerged that prioritized taking on visible infrastructure projects,” he remarked.

Criticizing the current economic structure, he said, “A kind of ‘flunkey capitalism’ has taken root in the country — a capitalism that breeds sycophants. These cronies have turned the system into one of plunder and corruption, using the entire state apparatus for their own benefit. They have always been anti-reform.”

He also noted that while it is easier to design reforms, implementing them is far more difficult. “Those who will govern in the coming days must demonstrate genuine commitment to these reforms,” he said.

Referring to the current political situation, Dr. Debapriya stated, “The present government is an interim one, but this is a period of transition. We must move forward along this path of transformation.”

At the same event, economist Professor Mustafizur Rahman said that political parties in the past made many promises but failed to deliver on them. “However, there is hope for change — our future will not mirror the past. We went through a major transformation in July last year,” he added.

He also announced that a Citizen’s Manifesto will be prepared based on the opinions expressed at the discussion.

BP/SP