Reforms must include voices of the marginalised people: Debapriya

The voices of the country's marginalised people are crucial to implementing reforms, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, head of the White Paper Committee.

"We have engaged in an Anti-discrimination Student Movement, but we don't talk about all kinds of discrimination. We're currently on a journey to discover our national identity, yet we fail to include all ethnic and indigenous groups in the conversation," he said at the closing ceremony of the 6th Bangladesh Economics Summit today.

Debapriya, who is also a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said while religious discrimination is rarely addressed, it is the excluded and marginalised whose voices matter most in pushing reforms forward.

He said, "The voices of those who are left behind are the most important for implementing reforms. They need to stand up and raise their own voices. Standing beside these people is the greatest reform."

In order to understand Bangladesh's transformation, Debapriya said the people must first understand the causes behind the 2024 uprising.

Noting discrepancies in unemployment data provided by the ILO and BBS, Debapriya said most of those unemployed up until 2018 or 2020 had completed intermediate-level education, but now, more of the unemployed are educated individuals.

Furthermore, about two-thirds of the unemployed are women, he added.

"These realities must be understood to grasp the reasons behind the regime change in August [2024]," he said.

Debapriya said, "Over the past 15 years, there has been low investment, especially in the private sector. As a result, job creation has been minimal. And when the education system does not ensure quality, even the few available jobs are not accessible to the youth." 

Consequently, foreigners are filling those positions, he said, adding, "When you ask investors, they often say they can't find qualified candidates. As a result, the only option left is government jobs, which often require lobbying and connections. These issues have triggered the [July 2024] movement."

"We have prioritised reforms based on necessity, and quality education is at the top of that list," he further said.

Noting that the interim government is operating with the previous government's budget, he said, "While they [interim government] have scrapped the previous five-year plan, they haven't introduced any medium-term plan. As a result, investors lack confidence in making new investments."

Debapriya also warned that a kleptocracy, involving businessmen, bureaucrats, and politicians, has emerged. 

"This is one of the biggest obstacles to reform. When we talk about reforms, how can we implement them while maintaining this kleptocracy? To make the reform agenda sustainable, there needs to be a constituency that will continue it," he added.