Let inclusive democracy be the priority reform of interim government

The interim government has been in office for about two months. While this period is too brief for a comprehensive evaluation, we can still make a preliminary assessment of its performance.

In these two months, my initial impression is that many positive statements have been made, but little has been implemented. The interim government has made numerous personnel changes across various sectors and established several commissions aimed at reform. However, they lack the necessary authority to effect real change. An interim government is not an elected body and, consequently, does not enjoy significant political backing. This raises doubts about its capacity to mobilize public support and carry out meaningful activities.

Recently, the country is facing a significant challenge in its economy due to abnormally high inflation rates. For over the past two years, domestic inflation has been lingering above 9.5 per cent. Following the onset of the Ukraine war, the price of fuel in the international market rose sharply, leading to disruptions in the supply chain and causing high inflation trends in various countries. Even in top economies like the United States, inflation soared to 9.1 per cent at one point. However, through various remedial measures, the country managed to bring its inflation rate down to a manageable level of 3.4 per cent. On the other hand, the measures taken by the Bangladesh Bank to control high inflation have not yet yielded any significant results. The general public is currently in a very distressing situation due to high inflation. The government can control the market by forming producer and consumer cooperatives and by gaining control over one-third of market supply.

Last week, the price of crude oil in the international market was $65 per barrel. The inflation rate in various countries' internal markets largely depends on the fluctuations in international oil prices. Although the global price of oil has significantly decreased, there is no positive impact observed in the domestic market.

In our country, high inflation in the internal economy is largely attributed to the active business syndicates in the market. These syndicates operate under the protection of the political government. Economists had hoped that during the interim government's tenure, the activities of these business syndicates would decline, leading to a decrease in the prices of various goods. However, that expectation has not been fulfilled.

It is uncertain whether inflation will decrease to a manageable level in the future. This is because, apart from raising the policy rate to 9.50 per cent twice within a few days, the Bangladesh Bank has not taken any visible steps to control inflation. At this moment, it is essential to bring down inflation by any means.

Recently, the interim government has managed to arrest several individuals linked to various financial crimes in the country. Legal proceedings against them are ongoing. If they receive exemplary punishment, it may help deter the emergence of new financial crimes in the future. However, this task is quite challenging.

The government will have to navigate long path ahead. The reforms that have been initiated in various sectors need to be implemented correctly. The biggest challenge facing the interim government is to ensure fair and acceptable national elections. The electoral system has been completely undermined recently, and public interest in elections has significantly waned. There is controversy surrounding the last three national elections, and none of these elections are considered acceptable by any faction.

In the future, the electoral system must be reformed in such a way that no political party can exert undue influence over it. An environment must be created where honest and capable candidates can win elections. Currently, elections are heavily influenced by money. Steps must be taken to ensure that future elections are free from such monetary influence. Among all the elections held in the country since independence, only those conducted under a caretaker government have gained national and international acceptance. However, attempts have been made to tarnish and dispute the caretaker government system in various ways. Nevertheless, it appears that the caretaker government system remains acceptable. In the past, no political government has fulfilled the expectations of the people, which is why the public seeks change repeatedly. This demand for change is reflected in the elections.

Under the caretaker government, no political party has been able to form a government consecutively in the national elections. The people are the owners of the state, and therefore, a permanent electoral system must be established to allow them to exercise their voting rights without obstruction. It should not be the case that the government can manipulate the electoral system according to its own wishes. Any election must be free from the influence of muscle power, and at the same time, the police and administration should also be kept neutral. In previous national elections, members of law enforcement agencies have been seen acting in favor of the ruling party.

Moreover, the administration has been observed to act as sycophants of the ruling party. The interim government must provide political parties the opportunity to conduct their activities democratically, and arrangements should be made to hold a national election that is acceptable both nationally and internationally as soon as possible. If there is an attempt to form a "King's Party" in the country, it would undoubtedly be a wrong step.

In the current situation, it is essential to punish certain individuals for their crimes and to quickly arrange for a national election by placing some capable people in key positions. The general public believes that the interim government has been entrusted with the task of accomplishing a specific goal, and they appear to have no political ambitions. However, if they initiate the formation of a King's Party, public perception may change significantly.

Over the past 15 and a half years, there has been widespread politicization in every institution of the country. This cannot continue. The interim government must consider qualifications during appointments and transfers in various institutions. No one should be appointed or transferred on political grounds in any institution. There should be no yielding to the pressure from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jatiya Party, or Hefazat-e-Islam regarding appointments or transfers. In other words, individuals should be appointed to positions based solely on their eligibility for those positions.

Vice-Chancellors are being appointed in various universities, and many controversies or questions have begun to arise regarding these appointments. A panel comprising individuals who are qualified in the academic field and have no controversies against them could be created, from which Vice-Chancellors can be appointed through democratic discussions with relevant stakeholders. If Vice-Chancellors are appointed based on political considerations, it will be impossible for them to perform their duties independently. However, in reality, we are seeing a trend of division everywhere. Policies are not being adhered to in appointments. If this continues, it will not yield any positive results.

First of all, a mistake was made. After ousting the autocrat, it was not possible to place a suitable person in a democratic manner. Since it is not possible to appoint qualified and non-controversial individuals in various institutions, effective reforms to eliminate existing inequalities are also not feasible.

In the case of appointments, a high-powered committee could have been established, which would make arrangements for recruitment, transfers, or placements based on merit. It should not be a policy to remove someone simply because they were appointed during the previous government. Surely, among those appointed during the previous government, there are some good individuals. Opportunities should be created to utilize those good individuals' services.

Those who are not good individuals and are involved in various forms of corruption and misconduct should not be shown leniency just because they were appointed during a particular government. Otherwise, resolving inequalities will not only be impossible, but they will also increase. Anyone who looks after the welfare and interests of the institution, and who is honest and impartial, should be given the opportunity to work, regardless of which government appointed them.

In our country, there are many good and capable officials. In other words, there is no shortage of competent officials. However, there is a lack of integrity and ethics. Those who are not firmly grounded in ethics can never perform their duties impartially while upholding the interests of the institution. If those responsible in various institutions had worked properly, this state of distress in the country would not have arisen.

If a list of potential candidates for recruitment were created for each sector, and based on that list, the stakeholders and advisory council of the institution selected candidates for appointments, it would have been possible to place good, popular, and qualified individuals in various institutions.

The emergence of the caretaker government in our country was due to the fact that elections under a party government were not deemed acceptable. Thus, the caretaker government system was introduced to hold fair and acceptable elections nationally and internationally. However, this caretaker government system also became controversial during the BNP government, particularly concerning the Magura by-election. At that point, we found ourselves in a difficult situation. Subsequently, under pressure from protests, the BNP government included the caretaker government system in the Constitution. However, the Awami League government realized that they would lose the national election if it were held under the caretaker government, so they abolished the caretaker system without giving any importance to the hopes and aspirations of the nation.

Afterwards, the three national elections held in 2014, 2018, and 2024 were not deemed acceptable by any sector. While it is important to consider which method the elections will follow, it is even more crucial to establish an election commission that can perform its duties with integrity and dedication. The election commission must be provided with an appropriate environment to carry out its responsibilities impartially, free from outside influence.

The most significant question is whether we desire an environment where the election commission can fulfill its assigned duties effectively. If the interim government thinks, "We have ousted one oppressor; now we have no objection to whichever party comes to power in the elections," or if they wish to form a new political party to remain in power themselves, or give the opposition of the departing party a chance to win in the elections, then no reforms will take place.

The people of the country want a change in the system. Simply replacing one party with another will not fulfill the objective. The nation is eagerly waiting to see whether the interim government genuinely desires or is capable of such reforms. In many countries, a more inclusive democracy has been established through proportional electoral systems. Similar efforts could be made currently.

Author: Economist and Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka.
Transcription: M A Khaleque