Everyone is wondering if interim govt has lost its way: Debapriya
'Technical solutions cannot deliver reforms. Practical solutions are required. This is where the current government has a major shortcoming,' he said
Questions are now arising across the country about whether the interim government has lost its way, said Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), today (1 September).
The initial enthusiasm for reforms, which emerged after the interim government's takeover, has largely faded, said Debapriya Bhattacharya while speaking at the launching ceremony of 'Reform Watch' organised by the Citizen's Platform for SDGs at a city hotel.
"The reform proposals that had emerged could not move forward any further. As a result, the question now on everyone's mind is whether the interim government has lost its way," said Debapriya Bhattacharya.
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"Bangladesh is going through a major storm. The biggest challenge in this storm is to uphold the spirit of anti-discrimination of July, to keep alive the aspiration for change. But the wave of reforms is no longer there," Debapriya said.
"We've observed that the reform committees formed so far have largely excluded marginalised groups, minorities, and disadvantaged populations," he said, adding, "We have learned during this time that while many can offer technical solutions for reforms, implementing them requires a demand for accountability from citizens."
Dr Mustafizur Rahman, core group Member of the Citizen's Platform and CPD Distinguished Fellow, highlighted that back in 1991, during the country's first interim government, 29 task forces were formed.
"Although many reform proposals were introduced then, most were not implemented. After several setbacks, we witnessed the July uprising. Hence, it is now crucial to keep the reform dialogue and monitoring efforts ongoing with participation from all," he said.
Professor Selim Raihan of Dhaka University pointed out that anti-reform forces still exist within both the government and society.
He questioned whether the political parties that can reform themselves have truly changed or are genuinely committed. "I hope Bangladesh Reform Watch will act as a pressure group to ensure political parties are held accountable both during and after elections," he added.
Dr Selim Raihan, the executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling, said the wave of reforms completely died down after December 2024.
"When those who are opposed to reforms have become more powerful in government, it is unrealistic to expect reform. A few measures have been taken, true, but nothing substantial has happened yet. The failure to implement reforms has raised questions about the capacity of both the state and the government," he said.
In his inaugural remarks, CPD Additional Research Director Towfiqul Islam Khan said the Citizen's Platform will formulate a people-oriented manifesto by drawing directly from citizens' expectations. The aim of this platform is to align political parties' manifestos with the aspirations of the people, he added.
