Ignorance is the root to problem

In the Bangladesh Bank Officers Welfare Council election, the "Awami League-affiliated Blue Party" secured a decisive victory. This statement is not mine, but comes from BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed and Mahmudur Rahman, the editor of Amar Desh newspaper. Candidates from the Blue Party won all key positions, including president, vice president, and general secretary. Following the Blue Party's victory, there has been a political uproar. This win is now being linked to the looting of the country's financial sector, and Bangladesh Bank's officers and employees are being dragged into the controversy.

Many believe that the strong position of Awami League affiliates in the central bank is creating new challenges for the country's financial sector. After the "Awami League-affiliated" Blue Party's victory, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Mahmudur Rahman expressed their outrage. They believe that Bangladesh Bank is still under the control of a dictatorship. They have blamed the governor for allowing elections without conducting a cleansing operation at the bank. Like China's Cultural Revolution, they argue that external pressure on an interim government works like a healer; they have stated that no further elections should be held and expressed opposition to panel elections.

I never realized how significant the Bangladesh Bank Officers Welfare Council election is at the national level. I was elected president of the Officers' Council in the early 1990s, and I was nominated by the Blue Party. At that time, there was no Green Party, only the Yellow Party. Out of the 15 members of the council, 14 were from the Yellow Party, and I was the only one from the Blue Party. My name didn't appear in any newspaper, no political leader criticized or congratulated me, because the Blue or Yellow Party in Bangladesh Bank, like the Blue or White Party at Dhaka University, had no political affiliations. No political leaders paid attention to our elections.

After the fall of the Awami League government, BNP supporters formed a "Green" Party at Bangladesh Bank, and only Amitabh Chakraborty won from this newly formed Green Party. BNP supporters had also created a third party called "Forum" many years ago, but it didn't last long. The main reason it didn't last was that Bangladesh Bank employees don’t feel comfortable organizing with the colors of national political parties. Although the unions of third and fourth-class employees are affiliated with national labor parties, the influence and power of the Blue and Yellow parties within Bangladesh Bank are far greater than those of the labor parties. The labor unions of Bangladesh Bank are managed under the supervision and guidance of the Blue and Yellow parties. Now, perhaps the Green Party will also have its own labor union.

Before the emergence of the BNP-affiliated Green Party, the Blue Party's main rival was the Yellow Party. In fact, the true competitor of the Blue Party was the Yellow Party, as the Blue Party came into existence long after the Yellow Party was formed. Just like the Green Party, the Yellow Party also faced opposition from some revolutionary-minded employees and officers, which led to the creation of the Blue Party. The core ideal of the Blue Party was to challenge the Yellow Party’s monopoly and bring innovation.

Apart from the labor unions in every office of Bangladesh Bank, there are several other organizations. The "Officers' Council" is for assistant directors and above, while the "Officers' Association" represents second-class officers. There is also an "Officers' Association" for cash department officers. Outside of these, there is the "Bangladesh Bank Club." Additionally, each office of Bangladesh Bank has a cooperative society, with the Dhaka office's cooperative society having several hundred crores in capital and investments. All these organizations and societies are managed by elected representatives.

The members of the "Bangladesh Bank Officers Welfare Council" are officers ranging from Assistant Director to Executive Director; Deputy Governors and the Governor are appointed by the government and thus are not members of the council. The position of "Executive Director" is considered the highest internal rank in Bangladesh Bank, with an Executive Director receiving a salary in the second grade of the national pay scale. After reaching the highest government ranks of "Secretary" and "Senior Secretary," only three positions within the Executive Director category have been promoted to the Selection Grade.

Historically, Deputy Governors were appointed from among Executive Directors based on suitability and seniority. However, after the introduction of a search committee for selecting suitable candidates, influential businessmen began interfering in the appointment process. Interestingly, the need for a search committee is only required for the appointment of Deputy Governors, while positions like Ministers, Secretaries, and Governors do not require such committees. However, Bangladesh Bank is an institution where political affiliation is not considered in the recruitment or promotion of officers and employees.

At Bangladesh Bank, employees and officers, regardless of their political ideologies, view each other as colleagues rather than as representatives of any political group. Therefore, except for the labor unions, none of the officers' organizations are directly involved in national politics. When the Yellow Party was the only party, all employees and officers, regardless of their views, were members of the Yellow Party. Later, when differences arose over the management of cooperative societies, employees and officers who broke away from the Yellow Party formed the Blue Party. Both of these parties have members from the Awami League, BNP, Jamaat, and left-leaning communist parties—essentially a broad political spectrum.

During elections, there is not much evidence that voters base their choices on a candidate’s political ideology. Instead, voting tends to occur along district or batch lines. As for the newly formed Green Party, I don't have a clear understanding of it yet. However, even if the party is formed solely by BNP supporters, it will not receive the support of all BNP sympathizers from the Blue and Yellow parties, because there has never been a strong desire among Bangladesh Bank employees to form political organizations based on national politics. Nevertheless, I wish the Green Party the best.

The aggressive display of national politics among professionals like lawyers, journalists, doctors, and teachers often frustrates the general public. When professionals align with political parties, they lose their professional integrity. When the supporting party comes to power, the leaders of these professional organizations wield disproportionate influence and power. With the backing and patronage of the ruling party, they disregard any rules or principles. Even the top officials of organizations tend to accommodate them, or else, as BNP’s Rizvi and Mahmudur Rahman have criticized, the executive heads will face the same fate as the current governor, receiving sharp rebukes from all directions.

The way the non-political organization of Bangladesh Bank, the Blue Party, is being dragged into politics, it seems that the BNP has already been struck by a "fear of defeat" in the national elections. Not just in Bangladesh Bank, but across the country, the visible presence of the Awami League has diminished. The Awami League has taught how to make the opposition party invisible by piling on case after case. However, listening to Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Mahmudur Rahman, if elections are held after a cleansing operation, it will resemble the 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections of the Awami League. While there may be satisfaction in winning such elections, there is no moral strength behind it; there is always a sense of guilt, and the fear of a popular uprising looms large. Therefore, instead of conducting a cleansing operation, it would be better to stop corruption, bribery, and money laundering, and ensure good governance. Only then will the natural demise of autocrats and fascists happen, without the need for attacks or lawsuits.

Zeauddin Ahmed: Former Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank