JS passes bill curtailing power of Public-Private Partnership Authority

The Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership (PPP) (amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed in parliament on Wednesday (5 July), curtailing the power of the Public-Private Partnership Authority in the exercise of financial and administrative power and performance of functions.

Liberation Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq, who is in charge of the Prime Minister's Office in parliament, moved the bill and it was passed by voice vote.

The existing law states that PPP Authority shall be impartial and independent in exercise of financial and administrative power and performance of functions.

But in the proposed amendment the word 'independent' has been dropped.

The Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act, 2015 was enacted to create a partnership with private sector by attracting local and foreign investment aimed at improving living standard of the people and expediting the country's socioeconomic progress as well as building infrastructures.

The amendment also proposed to allow vice-chairperson in absence of the chairperson of the PPP Authority to chair any meeting and the number of the meeting per year will be at least two.

The bill also seeks to change the appointing authority of the PPP Authority from Board of Governors to the government.

Participating in the discussion during the passage of the bill, Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam said, by amending this law, the power of the PPP authority has been weakened.

"The prime minister is the chairman of the governing body of PPP. Even then why suddenly it has to be taken under the control of the government," he said.

Coming down heavily on the government for bringing the amendment, Gonoforum MP Mokabbir Khan said government's control has been imposed by reducing the power of PPP authorities.

"Now they need permission to make financial decisions. PPP authority is a unit under the Prime Minister's Office, so why should the approval of the government have to be taken," he questioned.

He said, private investors will be discouraged if this amendment is made.

The opposition MP also said the largest investment in PPP has been in the power sector.

He said thousands of crores of Taka are being looted here in the name of capacity charge and laws like indemnity have been enacted to protect them.

JP MP Pir Fazlur Rahman said the government's control over PPP authorities has been increased through the amendment. This will increase the bureaucratic complexity.

Another JP MP Kazi Firoz Rashid said no ordinary businessmen will be able to work under the PPP and all those who are working under the PPP are big businessmen.

Mentioning that there is bureaucratic tangle here, he said, due to these bureaucratic complications, big industries are not established.

In response to criticism of opposition MPs, the Liberation War Affairs Minister said an authority cannot be independent.

"We hoped that the opposition would appreciate the fact that the power now lies with the government and not with the authority. Instead of doing that, they criticised that the authorities should be empowered and the government should be disempowered. This is not the case in parliamentary systems."

The minister also said the government runs according to the rules of business. This amendment has been brought because no authority can be given ultimate power or independence bypassing the government.

"The amendment is very time befitting," he added.

He also referred to the opposition's criticism as self-contradictory.

The minister mentioned that this amendment has been brought to avoid bureaucratic complications.

"This bill was brought to implement the great objective of PPP," he also said.