Herculean task ahead for the interim government
This is going to be an uphill battle for the new interim government headed by Dr Muhammad Yunus to put life and economy back on track.
Life and business activities have been cut to the bare minimum. Students have taken over the traffic management and market monitoring. Police stations are empty. Youths are guarding their neighbourhoods at night amid robbery alerts. The country's main seaport is clogged. The central bank and the revenue board are almost left without guardians. The same is true for all the ministries and the overall government machinery since the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August.
This is going to be an uphill battle for the new interim government headed by Dr Muhammad Yunus to put life and economy back on track.
Winning people's trust in key institutions and services, civil administration and even judiciary needs to be one of the top priorities of the new administration, analysts contacted by The Business Standard think.
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It's essential to foster an environment for police to effectively perform duties
Muhammad Nurul Huda, former inspector general of police
The Chief Adviser has emphasised that the primary task is to restore and maintain law and order. Those in the police force responsible for enforcing this must actively engage in the effort. It's essential to foster an environment where the police can perform their duties effectively, keeping their morale high. Steps are being taken in this direction, albeit somewhat slowly. However, these actions need to be expedited.
The officers must motivate the forces under their command and encourage them to return to work. It's essential to convince everyone that resuming duties will benefit all. Their reasonable demands should be addressed and implemented, as this will help restore trust in the police. Ensuring police visibility is crucial; the more visible they are, the more public confidence will grow.
The police are government employees tasked with ensuring public safety. If there is a lack of trust in the police, it must be addressed. With the interim government now in place, all activities are under scrutiny. Recent incidents will be thoroughly investigated, but work must continue. As employees paid by the state, they are obligated to fulfil their duties.
The police's future action plan should be adjusted in light of the changing circumstances. These are significant matters, and reforms and action plans cannot be accomplished in a single day. There is no quick fix; it requires careful consideration. As work progresses, these matters will be addressed. The government is in place and will oversee this process. That is my expectation.
The government must be transparent with its policy
Dr Ahsan H Mansur, Executive Director, Policy Research Institute (PRI)
The interim government's term will be determined by the actions it aims to take.
Macroeconomic imbalance is the core of our economic challenges. High inflation, low forex reserves, depreciating currency, import compression — these have been the most pressing issues for our economy in recent times.
The government must be transparent with their economic policy. We have repeatedly seen the previous government give vague statements and false assurances that inflation would improve, reserves would get better, and so on. But it did not happen.
So, we need clear statements about what is happening and how they are addressing it.
The interim government has to look into the banking sector urgently. An immediate decision is needed about the resignation or new appointment of the governor of Bangladesh Bank. Any kind of mass resignation is unexpected. Their actions, efficiency, and other aspects need to be closely examined.
Decisions need to be made regarding banks with questionable ownership, liquidity crises, and other challenges. It will take time. For now, we expect a complete roadmap with all economic evaluations within six months.
Inflation needs to be reduced to stabilise the exchange rate. Once the exchange rate is stable, foreign reserves will also stabilise. If reserves are in serious trouble, international assistance can be sought. In this case, we expect better negotiations from the new head of government, given his international influence.
Reducing corruption will make administrative institutions functional and people-friendly
Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB)
The student movement has brought an end to autocracy, but this is only a stage in the journey of state reformation. We see it as an opportunity for meaningful change.
Corruption and the greed for power are mutually interconnected. Our administrative institutions have become completely ineffective, with corruption at the core of this issue. Many incidents have come to light but no actions have been taken.
We must make these institutions functional. The interim government has to take it as a long-term goal. If we can achieve that, the administration and bureaucracy will become people-friendly. The main reason the administration is not people-friendly is their mentality of possessing unlimited power.
The ultimate goal of this new government is to create a system where the people are actively involved. However, this cannot happen overnight; it requires a long time. What they can do now is to bring widely discussed incidents under legal action. This would set a precedent of accountability for the entire system from the very beginning.
We urge the interim government to develop and publish its goals and a clear roadmap to achieve those. It will determine how long it should take as well as the government's term.
This government has emerged from people's interest. People have given them authority. It is in no way expected that this government would become involved in any kind of corruption.
Human rights directly proportional to the state of democratic practices
Dr Shahdeen Malik, eminent jurist
Human rights is directly proportional to the state of democratic practices. Since democratic practices and processes were at a very low level, human rights were largely ignored. Now it will all depend on how democratically we can reconstruct ourselves.
The first essential step for human rights is the practice of democracy within political parties. However, in Bangladesh, there is a lack of democratic practices within major political parties like BNP, Awami League, and others.
Political parties must embrace democratic practices, but the possibility of this happening seems very low. Everyone wants to remain a leader for life. Without democracy at the state level, human rights violations are inevitable.
The new government's ability to ensure human rights is a matter of political reform. Implementation is not possible without the genuine intent of political parties. Let's say the new government enacts a law, but if the political parties do not embrace and own that law, it will remain just words on paper.
Moreover, there has been a loss of public trust and confidence in law enforcement agencies. While I do not expect them to commit human rights violations in the near future, the human rights situation is likely to improve over the next six months.
This government will certainly not support extrajudicial killings. However, this improvement may only be temporary if they fail to reform and establish democratic practices within political parties during this time.
In our country, the president can serve a maximum of two terms. Now, there is a growing discussion that the prime minister should also be limited to two terms. Implementing this alone would bring about significant change.
