BNP has shown failure in 180 days: NCP

The National Citizen Party (NCP), a partner of the main opposition alliance, has described the activities of the first 180 days of the current BNP government as an example of ‘inefficiency, mismanagement, short-sightedness and failure’.

The party claimed that after coming to power the government had promised to give priority to controlling the prices of essential commodities, improving the law and order situation and keeping the supply of electricity and fuel normal. But in the last six months the government has failed in every one of these promises.

Nahid Islam, convener of NCP and opposition chief whip, presented the party’s written account at a press conference organized at Banglamotor in the capital evaluating the 180 days’ activities of the BNP government on Monday (August 24).

Nahid Islam alleged that the BNP government is cancelling or weakening one by one various structural reforms taken during the previous interim government.

He also alleged that attempts are being made to bring back the old structure by stalling the initiatives to form independent institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission, the Enforced Disappearance Prevention Act and the Supreme Court Secretariat.

NCP has also alleged widespread politicization and nepotism in state institutions and the administration. The party claimed that of the vice-chancellors appointed in 20 public universities of the country, 19 have direct involvement with the ruling party. Besides, the decision to appoint party leaders as administrators in 11 city corporations and 63 district councils is also contrary to the political promises of the government, the party claimed.

Highlighting the country’s economy and energy situation, NCP said that a severe crisis of petrol and diesel had been created in the country in March and April. Later the price of fuel oil was increased creating additional pressure on the common people.

NCP has also criticized the government in the power sector. The party claimed that although a promise was made in the manifesto not to increase the price of electricity for two years, the price has been increased at both wholesale and retail levels within three months. Load-shedding of more than 10 hours daily in villages and mofussil areas and ‘ghost bills’ have made people’s lives unbearable, it was also alleged.

NCP claimed that at the beginning of the Aman season farmers are having to buy fertilizer at Tk 350 to 450 more per bag than the fixed price. Due to syndicate and toll collection in the transport sector farmers are not getting the fair price of their produced goods, yet the prices of daily commodities at the consumer level are continuously increasing.

Regarding the banking sector the party said that the government has no visible progress in recovering money from bank looters. Rather facilities are being given to old defaulters through restructuring of defaulted loans. As a result loan growth in the private sector has fallen to a historically low level, NCP claimed.

The party has also expressed concern over the law and order situation. Quoting information from the police headquarters and various human rights organizations, NCP claimed that more than 88,000 cases have been filed in police stations in the last five months. Incidents of political violence in the first six months of this year are also close to one and a half thousand, it was claimed.

NCP has also alleged that pressure and harassment on leaders and activists of opposition political parties as well as on the media have increased. Quoting information from Ain o Salish Kendra, the party informed that 237 incidents of journalist harassment have occurred in the first six months of the year.

The party has also criticized the initiative to reorganize the Rapid Action Battalion as ‘Special Response Battalion’ without abolishing it. According to NCP, the opportunity for the force’s old abuse of power remains in this.

NCP has also criticized the government over the situation in the health sector. The party claimed that the number of deaths from measles in the country has crossed 900 and the number of infected has crossed one lakh. Failure to ensure necessary vaccines and intensive care unit (ICU) services at the district level has been mentioned as the government’s management failure.

Besides, slow progress in the investigation of separate murder cases of those killed in the July uprising and lack of visible initiatives of the government in the rehabilitation of the injured have also been alleged.

Criticizing the government in the field of foreign policy as well, NCP said that the government has remained continuously inactive in stopping border killings and bringing back controversial former officials staying abroad to the country.

Senior leaders including Saleh Uddin Sifat, member of the highest policy-making committee of NCP, Humaira Noor, joint member secretary of the party, and Tariqul Islam, president of National Youth Force, were present at the press conference.