The problem that countries like Bangladesh are facing is that they are not just witnessing income inequality and social disparity but also seeing how elites are appropriating power, Professor Rehman Sobhan has said.
“In the political culture now, the problem is not only that people with resources get elected, but they use their political mandate to expand their business further, rather than work for the SDGs,” he said while presiding over a dialogue on sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The Centre for Policy Dialogue organized the event titled “What Types of Democratic Practices are Suitable for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?” at a Dhaka city hotel yesterday.
Rehamn Sobhan said the SDGs had three elements: problems of resource distribution, structural aspects of the problem, and the issue relating to democracy and government.
Workers’ Party President Rashed Khan Menon, MP, addressing the dialogue as chief guest, said: “Only three minutes are spent for the poor in the House every day, while rest of the time is wasted eulogizing parliament leaders, either from the ruling party or from opposition.”
He said: “If we look at the speeches the lawmakers give in parliament on the proposed budget, we will find a little mention about poor people and their development.”
Memon said: “There has been inequality in terms of wealth distribution in the draft budget and a few people are enjoying most of the wealth, leaving the poor to become poorer every year,”.
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of parliamentary standing committee on environment, forest and climate change, said: “Despite having some challenges in Bangladesh, we have to look ahead as to how we can progress better and have inclusive growth.”
Claiming that the country’s GDP may reach the double digit in a few years, he said: “Rather than look at numbers, I think we have to concentrate on the quality of growth.”
He also acknowledged the inequality issues. “Of course, there is inequality of consumption and opportunities. And the gender dimension is also there.
“We also have the challenge of income equality. The bottom 5% is getting poorer, and the top 5% is becoming wealthier, widening the difference between the two groups,” he further said.
CPD Distinguished Fellow Rounaq Jahan, Swiss ambassador in Dhaka Rene Holenstein and Tofail Ahmed, vice chancellor of Britannia University, Comilla, among others, also addressed the event.
