Politicians, academicians and civil society representatives at a policy dialogue on Saturday said that the interim government had frustrated citizens by failing to maintain transparency on crucial issues, including the disclosure of advisers’ wealth statements and purchase deals with foreign ventures.
They also questioned the political parties’ non-transparent nomination procedures and the Election Commission’s weakness in challenging contestants’ non-transparent affidavits, if there were any.
Local think tank Centre for Governance Studies organised the dialogue prior to the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections scheduled for February 12.
The dialogue was held at the CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party vice chairman Asaduzzaman Ripon, citing that several politicians had amassed disproportionate wealth while serving as lawmakers, said that reforms within political parties were needed to hold lawmakers accountable.
He also recommended that the dual citizenship law be strictly enforced.
Gono Forum acting president Subrata Chowdhury said that political parties were supposed to nominate candidates based on grassroots feedback, but none maintained transparent procedures.
Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz demanded the publication of a white paper on alleged corruption involving advisers of the interim government, if any.
He also raised concerns over the non-disclosure of deals to purchase fighter jets from Pakistan and criticised what he described as the government’s emphasis on securing a ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming referendum while neglecting minority voting rights.
Former BNP lawmaker Nilufar Chowdhury Moni questioned the Election Commission’s failure to act against excessive campaign spending by some candidates in violation of the electoral code of conduct.
Without naming any party, she also alleged the government’s favouritism towards a youth-based political party.
Bangladesh Rastro Songskar Andolan joint secretary Didar Bhuiyan said that there were gaps in the transparency of the interim government, including non-disclosure of the advisers’ wealth statements.
He also pointed out the lack of a mechanism for holding the state accountable for enforced disappearances and killings.
National Board of Revenue former chairman Muhammad Abdul Majid said that an attempt to draft a provision for disclosing the wealth statement of every lawmaker was stopped when he served at the NBR.
Highlighting the importance of transparency, accountability, and governance, economist Selim Jahan urged the media to scrutinise every piece of information and data provided by the government and inform citizens of the truth.
Moderated by CGS president Zillur Rahman, the dialogue was also addressed, among others, by Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s law and human rights secretary Muhammed Showkat Ali Hawlader, Dhaka University’s department of banking and insurance professor Shahidul Islam Zahid, Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre’s former rector AKM Abdul Awal Majumder, and CGS executive director Parvez Karim Abbasi.
