Questions raised over govt's ability to hold neutral polls: Debapriya

Highlighting structural failures in the country's democracy, media freedom, and the implementation of the so-called 'new arrangement,' economist Debapriya Bhattacharya today said that a clear question now emerged over whether the interim government can really hold a neutral election.

Addressing a citizens' dialogue in the capital, Debapriya put the question ahead of the election slated for 12 February.  

He noted that political parties themselves have admitted that the promises, aspirations, and potentials associated with the new settlement have not been reflected in reality.

Regarding the reform, the economist said the focus has largely remained on superficial structural changes in the name of reform, such as constitutional amendments, adjustments in governance structures, and discussions on institutional balance.

However, he argued that without organising and mobilising the underlying economic forces in society, such reforms cannot be sustained as the country had previously experienced structural changes, including the caretaker government system, but those arrangements did not last because the social forces supporting them were never organised.

"The very groups that claimed to champion a new arrangement have ultimately become part of the old one by engaging in expensive electoral processes and allowing entrenched vested interests to regain their strength," he said.

Debapriya further said that while businesspeople fled and politicians went into hiding, the bureaucracy has returned to prominence, as it remains the biggest guardian of the old system.

He accused the interim government of creating the biggest opportunity for this resurgence of bureaucracy, saying it failed to demonstrate the capacity, stakeholder participation, and openness required to implement meaningful reforms, resulting in the government's failure to ensure citizens' protection.

"Under these circumstances, it is only natural to ask whether this government can truly conduct a neutral election," Debapriya said.

On media freedom, he said, "If a media organisation cannot ensure its own financial transparency, its moral authority to demand transparency from others becomes limited."

Debapriya stressed the need to ensure professional development, fair wages, incentives, and editorial freedom for journalists and media workers.

Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, said for several months, there has been continuous oppression, torture, killings of minority communities, their religious institutions being vandalised, and their business establishments being destroyed. But it is very regrettable that they do not yet see any significant steps from the government to stop this.

Rasheda K. Chowdhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), said, "Without transparency and accountability, we have not been able to reduce inconvenience in many areas, even digitally. For example, just look at the audacity of the middleman networks concerning birth registration. Ensuring transparency and accountability is our major responsibility. Reform must happen for everyone; as is said, political culture also needs to change, and bureaucratic culture certainly needs to change."

Asif Ibrahim, a Core Committee member of the Eminent Citizen's platform to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh, and Advocate Sultana Kamal, a member of the CPD Board of Trustees, among others, participated in the event.