A survey shows that 61.4% of people believe direct student involvement in the interim government is beneficial for the nation.
This information was shared at an event held at the seminar hall of the Asian University of Bangladesh's (AUB) campus in Ashulia, Savar, on Monday.
The survey, titled "Public Opinion on the Effectiveness of Economic Initiatives by the Interim Government: A Pulse Survey," was conducted by the Department of Economics at AUB.
Professor Dr Abul Hasan Muhammad Sadeq, founding vice-chancellor of AUB, emphasized the need to refrain from misallocating reserves on non-essential projects.
He added that recovering funds siphoned abroad should be a top priority, along with a strong approach to recover loans from defaulters by seizing and selling off their assets.
Meanwhile, Dr Md Nurul Islam, treasurer of AUB, said while the interim government is taking constructive steps, efforts are hindered by commodity price inflation, which must be controlled immediately.
He said that dismantling syndicates is crucial to stabilizing the market and gaining public trust.
Survey questions
The survey included 4,860 participants from various ages and professions, both urban and rural, with a gender distribution of 60% men and 40% women.
Participants were asked 15 specific questions.
In response to a question on the possibility of the banking sector recovering from significant challenges caused by the previous government’s corruption and political interference, 67% of respondents expressed optimism. However, the rest remained skeptical.
Besides, 68% of respondents believe that the country's declining foreign reserves under the central bank could be restored under the new leadership, provided funds are allocated more prudently.
In addition, 51% believe the interim government will successfully recover funds siphoned abroad, though 49% think more effective measures are needed.
Meanwhile, 94% emphasized the importance of actively collaborating with foreign governments to retrieve misappropriated funds.
Regarding Islamic banks, 77.3% believe in recovering large amounts of money embezzled by selling off the assets of defaulting companies.
On the question of prosecuting key perpetrators of stock market scandals, 55.7% were confident in the interim government’s ability to pursue accountability, though others believed these individuals might remain beyond reach.
An overwhelming 83.8% felt the measures taken so far to control essential commodity prices were inadequate, urging the government to be more proactive.
Additionally, 96.7% agreed that breaking up business cartels should be the first step in stabilizing prices.
The survey also asked about student involvement in the interim government, with 61.4% of respondents supporting this move, seeing it as a way to hold the government accountable.
They believe that student representatives would play a role in realizing people’s aspirations, as students would feel directly connected to national governance.
On reviewing pending mega projects initiated by the previous government, 64.6% supported re-evaluation, deeming many of these projects unnecessary in the current economic climate.
Moreover, 97% of respondents felt that the central bank needs a stronger role in overseeing the banking and market sectors.
When asked if the country was on the right track economically and politically under the interim government formed by a student-led movement, 46% of respondents believed so, while 22% expressed dissatisfaction, and 32% preferred to withhold judgment, suggesting more time was needed to assess.
For economic and political reforms, 57% said the interim government should stay in power for at least two years, while 24% thought six months was sufficient, and 10% supported a one-year term.
