The BNP government is pursuing an “America First” policy while paying lip service to its “Bangladesh First” motto, said economist Anu Muhammad yesterday.
He questioned the government’s motives for implementing the former interim government’s agreements with the US “without any parliamentary debate”.
Anu Muhammad, also a leader of the Democratic Rights Committee, made the remarks at a discussion titled “Two and a Half Months of the BNP Government: Review, Concerns and Demands” at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.
During the event, which he chaired, the committee placed a 13-point demand.
“Tarique Rahman says ‘Bangladesh First’, but the agreements signed with the US show that the government is operating on an ‘America First’ policy,” he said.
He alleged that deals contrary to national interests -- such as importing LNG, purchasing aircraft, and granting port access -- were made with the US, bypassing state entities like Petrobangla and Biman.
“Instead of punishing those involved, like Khalilur Rahman, the current elected government has rewarded them with greater responsibilities,” Anu Muhammad observed.
Criticising the government’s energy policies, the economist said that rather than boosting national capacity, the government is amending Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) to “favour” foreign companies under the influence of corporate lobbyists.
Recalling the historic 2006 Phulbari agreement, he noted that despite a pact to ban open-pit mining, the government is again leaning towards coal extraction. He demanded 100 percent state ownership in oil and gas exploration.
To radically change the education and healthcare sectors, Anu Muhammad proposed a simple, cost-free solution.
“If it is made mandatory for the children of the president, prime minister, ministers, MPs, and government officials to study in public educational institutions and receive treatment at government hospitals, these two sectors will see massive positive changes overnight. We don’t need foreign loans for this,” he added.
Speaking at the event, writer and researcher Altaf Parvez expressed disappointment over the government’s handling of international relations, particularly with India. He said despite improved bilateral ties, key issues like border killings and the renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty remain unresolved.
He alleged that although the BNP pledged to implement the July Charter in its manifesto, it later declined to join the constitutional reform council, effectively stalling the process.
Raising concerns over recent economic decisions, Altaf criticised an ordinance allowing banks to return to their original shareholders, including individuals accused of corruption and money laundering.
Dhaka University Professor Samina Luthfa said campuses have increasingly become centres of political control rather than academic excellence.
“Even when one student organisation’s influence declined, another quickly replaced it, perpetuating the cycle of political occupation,” she observed. This environment fostered organised violence that later became popularly known as “mob rule”, she added.
Despite repeated calls over the past 21 months, no education reform commission has been formed, Samina also said.
Lawyers Jyotirmoy Barua and Manjur Al Matin and DU Assistant Professor Moshahida Sultana Ritu also addressed the event.
During the event, the committee placed a 13-point demand.
Committee member Sajib Tanvir and Democratic Students Council president Sayedul Haque Nishan read out a concept paper outlining the demands.
The demands include speedy trials for those responsible for the July killings, mob violence, murders, vandalism, and arson; implementing necessary democratic reforms across all sectors as pledged; taking immediate measures to stop attacks on religious worship places, shrines, archaeological sites, institutions, and homes; bringing the perpetrators to justice; taking necessary steps to check the price hike of daily essentials; announcing a national minimum wage; forming commissions to ensure a farmer-friendly agricultural system; establishing a uniform education system; initiating reforms to establish healthcare as a constitutional right; ensuring completely free medical services at public hospitals; and announcing a roadmap for the withdrawal of military rule in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to foster a democratic environment; ensuring equal rights for women regarding inherited property and equal pay for equal work; forming a specialised cell to prevent human trafficking and the oppression of expatriates; publishing all international agreements signed with foreign nations and blocs; and taking effective steps to cancel treaties that go against public interests.
