Has interim lost its way, asks Debapriya Bhattacharya

Bangladesh is going through a storm, and its impact is being felt in both social and economic life, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, Convenor of Citizens’ Platform and Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

He was speaking on Monday (1 September) at the launch of an initiative titled Bangladesh Reform Watch at a hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka.

“At the beginning of the interim government, we engaged with the reform process. But now that enthusiasm has largely faded. Is it due to a lack of aspiration, a conflict of interest, or something else? The question before us is whether the interim government has lost its way,” Bhattacharya remarked.

The event’s chief guest was CPD Chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan. Political leaders, economists, businesspersons and representatives of social organisations were also present.

Bhattacharya further said, “Many can provide the technical knowledge of reform, but implementation is a different matter. To create that demand for implementation, we have taken this initiative in tune with the voice of society.”

The keynote paper was presented by CPD Senior Research Fellow Towfiqul Islam Khan. He noted, “After the July mass uprising, expectations were high regarding reforms. But how much progress has been made in a year? How much can the interim government achieve in the remaining time? And how will reforms be reflected in the political parties’ manifestos—these are the important questions.” He added that Reform Watch would monitor how much the voices of marginalised people are being reflected in reform activities.

Dhaka University Professor Selim Raihan said, “The discussion on reform has been ongoing for a long time. But the real question is how much the reformers themselves understand it. State capacity and government willingness are crucial here. Alongside, resistance from bureaucrats, businesses and political elites is also a major challenge.”

CPD Distinguished Fellow Mostafizur Rahman stated, “Many previous reform initiatives have failed. The question now is—will this time be different? We are hopeful this time, and that is why we have brought everyone together in this initiative.”

Representatives of the Citizens’ Platform also shared their views on reform activities during the seminar.