Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Fellow and Citizen Platform convener Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said on Wednesday that a fair, transparent, and impartial election is expected in Bangladesh.
"Bangladesh is currently in the midst of a democratic transition. We anticipate a transparent, impartial, and widely accepted election in Bangladesh. This expectation is shared by politicians for the sake of the country. The government elected through these elections will work for the welfare of the people," he said.
"In anticipation of this, we have already prepared some research work for the underprivileged, so that political parties can consider this work when preparing their election manifestos," added the economist.
He made these remarks during a media briefing titled “Civil Agenda for Inclusive Development and Equity: Agriculture, Employment, Unplanned Urbanization, Government Services, and Clean and Affordable Energy,” held at the BRAC Centre in the capital yesterday.
This represents the second phase of the Citizen Platform's 11-policy brief preparation process for public presentation of a comprehensive report.
This episode covers reports on agriculture, employment, unplanned urbanization, public services, and clean and affordable energy. The moderator was Professor Mostafizur Rahman, a member of CPD Citizen Platform and Core Group. Asif Ibrahim, a Core Group member of Citizen Platform and vice chairman of the New Age Group & Industries, chaired the media briefing.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said: "Our hope is that the views of people who are marginalized will be taken into account. We hope that the elected government will work for the welfare of the people. To this end, the civic platform has prepared a strategic study by working across the country to address future crises and promote inclusiveness. We will approach all political parties once the confusion and apprehension regarding the elections have subsided. We are waiting for that.
"The development being discussed in Bangladesh is in the middle - a country with significant growth and per capita income. However, we've tried to examine the situation at a segmented level to see how marginalized groups in society are faring."
Discussing the current situation in Bangladesh, Dr Devapriya said: "Bangladesh is currently aspiring to become a high-income country. However, the way Bangladesh is proceeding resembles a kind of trap. To realize this dream, we first need to diversify exports and increase productivity."
Regarding the construction of economic zones on agricultural land, Asif Ibrahim, the president of the press conference and a core group member of Citizen Platform, responded to journalists' questions, saying that the prime minister has emphasized that three and two-crop lands cannot be used for economic zones or any development activities. It is crucial to consider in which regions agriculture and industrialization will be most important when planning economic zones.
Discussing the rising fuel prices in the international market, Professor Mostafizur Rahman, a member of the CPD Citizen Platform and Honorable Fellow and Core Group member, emphasized the need to consider that import-dependent products, including fuel, agricultural products, and clothing, are subject to contracts based on the prevailing international market prices at the time of agreement. Therefore, Bangladesh has entered into agreements that depend on price increases in the international market.
During the seminar, speakers stressed the need to modernize marginal farmers and establish direct market connections with them. Various aspects of unplanned urbanization were also discussed, and speakers highlighted the importance of addressing social security issues in the city with a focus on long-term planning rather than short-term solutions.
Furthermore, experts and speakers emphasized the importance of worker-friendly employment, with a focus on government services, skills development in industrial establishments, worker training, and technical education within the education system. They noted the decreasing trend of bringing in foreign workers for human resource and management departments in industrial companies.
Additionally, the discussion addressed the need to increase investment in strengthening Petrobangla and Bapex in the field of clean and affordable fuel and the importance of employee skills development. Experts expressed concern about the depletion of gas reserves by 2031 despite having more than 50 gas fields in Bangladesh, with no action taken to store or conserve gas from these fields. They also expressed concerns about the rising energy prices in the international market.
Dr Jinnat Ara, research fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), presented a report on agriculture as one of the selected topics. Tanveer Sobhan, senior lecturer at the department of economics of BRAC University, presented a report on employment. Dr Md Shahnewaz Hossain, assistant professor at the department of global studies and Governance of Independent University, presented a report on unplanned urbanization and government services. Lastly, Shakib bin Amin, associate professor at the economics department of North South University, presented the report on clean and affordable energy