Immediate action needed to improve law and order, stabilise prices: Mir Nasir Hossain

For overall economic development, the new government must take short, medium, and long-term initiatives. Immediately, steps are needed to improve law and order and stabilise commodity prices. We want to be optimistic because, after a long time, a government has come through a fair election, and a strong opposition is also in place.

The government has inherited a fragile economy. Except for some reforms in remittance and banking, the past one and a half years have shown little progress. Our main problem is stagnant investment, worsened by gas and electricity shortages. Interest rates must be manageable – rapidly increasing them does not reduce inflation, as we have seen.

Exports face challenges, and overall investor confidence, currently at a low point, must be restored. Improving law and order is crucial: extortion and political harassment in the names of leaders and local cadres must stop. Developing ports and infrastructure will attract investment.

The new government must earn businesspeople's trust though this does not mean accepting everything they say. Decisions will be based on economic cost-benefit analysis, but their voices must be heard.