In 50 years Bangladesh has developed significantly in social indicators, but compared to the pace of economic progress, the governance system of the country has failed its citizens in terms of their ability to practice their political will, speakers at a virtual conference have said.
They said a lack of “political will” to ensure quality education, regardless of the political party, will harm the country the most in the coming decades.
The speakers made the remarks at the concluding session of the four-day international conference on “50 Years of Bangladesh: Retrospect and Prospect” on Thursday, organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
CPD Chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan chaired the discussion.
Professor Rounaq Jahan, distinguished fellow at the CPD, in her paper about sustainable democracy and good governance demonstrated that a lack of political will plagues the fundamental principles of independent Bangladesh.
“Bangabandhu stated his vision of democracy in a simple slogan: ‘Bhaater odhikar, voter odhikar’ (right to food, right to vote). He envisioned democracy to serve the interests of the common people, to give them a voice. We all believed in that vision. At the time of independence we thought that our economic growth would go hand in hand with democracy. But unfortunately that has not happened,” she said.
In the 50 years since achieving independence the country has developed powerful groups who have amassed enormous wealth by abusing the political system, Jahan said.
“And as these people have crept into the election system using any means necessary, the challenge remains regarding the hurdle posed by powerful individuals and groups who have benefited enormously from the existing ‘deals- based’ system of misgovernance, non-transparency and non-accountability.”
Speaking on the challenges that lie ahead for Bangladesh, Dr S Nazrul Islam, chief of the Development Research Branch of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, identified technology transformation and dual transition to be the biggest threats for the country in the future.
Prof Naila Kabeer of the Department of Gender Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science highlighted the role of non-government organizations in nation-building after the Liberation War.
“The NGOs played a very active role in eradicating poverty and empowering women and children by encouraging them to take on a more active role, because back then the only motivation was to survive at any cost,” said Kabeer.
“… however, Bangladesh is not known for being a uniform nation, so many indigenous groups have suffered from not getting basic amenities due to the lack of inclusion,” she added.
Kabeer remarked that the lack of political will to ensure access to quality education across the board is a major failure of governance.
Meanwhile, Prof Saleemul Huq, director of International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), said climate change will be the biggest factor that will set apart the last and upcoming five decades.
“We have been going in the wrong direction in terms of protecting the environment, and if we do not address it right away, great sufferings await us,” said Huq.
In the closing remarks, Prof Rehman Sobhan said: “Our objective, at the end of these eventful four days, is to encourage the participants as well as the audience to reflect more deeply on Bangladesh’s historic journey over the last 50 years, to take inspiration from our achievements and to think constructively on what more can be done to take forward Bangabandhu’s vision through ensuring that ‘amader sangram’ continues to be ‘muktir sangram’.”