THE observations of the heads and members of the commissions that the interim government set up to effect reforms in state governance, noting that the expected reforms have not come about despite people’s aspirations because of bureaucratic resistance and the unwillingness of certain quarters opposed to reforms, including some political parties, are points to ponder. The government on October 3, 2024, set up six commissions on electoral reforms, police administrative reforms, judiciary reforms, anti-corruption reforms, public administration reforms and constitutional reforms. The government on November 18, 2024, formed five more commissions on reforms in the health sector, local government, labour issues, women’s affairs and the media. Whilst the six commissions set up first submitted their recommendations to the government between January 15 and February 5, 2025, the five commissions set up later submitted their recommendations between February 22 and May 4.
The government later instituted a commission to forge a national consensus on the recommendations, and the commission held several rounds of dialogue with the political parties. What is unpalatable is that the commission heads and members, along with some others, at a discussion organised by the Citizens’ Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, on December 14, said that hardly any of the commissions’ recommendations have so far been implemented. The head of the commission on anti-corruption reforms has said that only three of the commission’s recommendations are expected to be implemented and that the others are likely to remain on paper, noting that the recommendations could help the Anti-Corruption Commission become an independent and accountable agency. The media reforms commission head has said that bureaucratic resistance and a lack of political will have been the main obstacles to media reforms, also blaming resistance from business oligarchs. He has said that the government has not implemented a single recommendation of the commission. He has noted that some steps taken even after the submission of the commission report run counter to the reform proposals, worsening the media scene.
Whilst the bureaucracy and political quarters have issues for introspection in all this, the interim government also appears not to have been stringent enough, if not sincere enough, about implementing the commissions’ recommendations.
