Eminent figures from diverse sectors, including the ruling Awami League, opposition representatives, scholars, and civil society activists, convened for an insightful seminar hosted by the leading English daily Dhaka Tribune on February 28.
Styled “Setting the agenda: What will the next 5 years bring?”, the event, held at Crowne Plaza in Gulshan, served as a platform for reflecting the future trajectory of Bangladesh.
Md Shahriar Alam, MP and former State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Shama Obaid, organizing secretary of the opposition BNP; Prof Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of international relations at Dhaka University; Prof Nuzhat Choudhury, daughter of Dr Abdul Alim Chaudhury, one of the martyred intellectuals during the 1971 Liberation War; and Dr Manisha Chakraborty, central committee member of the left-leaning political party Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BaSaD), were on the panel. The discussion was moderated by Zafar Sobhan, Editor, Dhaka Tribune.
This was the fifth such seminar and the first after the general elections held on January 7, organized by Dhaka Tribune with the support of the embassy of Norway.
Shahriar Alam presented an optimistic outlook, highlighting potential achievements and positive developments expected in the coming years. Conversely, BNP leader Shama Obaid offered a stark contrast, painting a more somber picture of the challenges ahead.
Their contrasting viewpoints provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues facing the nation and diverse opinions on how to address them.
Espen Rikter-Svendsen, Ambassador of Norway in Bangladesh, appreciated Dhaka Tribune for being “a capable and staunch partner” for the embassy and said the purpose of the seminar was to bring people from different camps together “to help us gain a better understanding of complex issues.”
“Bringing people together is part of the Norwegian brand. It is what we do all around the world. We're great believers in dialogue,” he said.
Shahriar Alam highlighted the developments in the country and said the continuity of the government has changed Bangladesh for the better.
He said the election gives the ruling Awami League renewed enthusiasm, and a fresh mandate. This time, they would focus on building Smart Bangladesh by creating job opportunities.
He, however, acknowledged the challenges the country is facing. Balance of payment is one of them, for which the government “engaged the IMF well in advance and in no time.”
He said achieving self-sufficiency in more items of essential commodities and developing skills of the migrant workers would be the priorities of the government.
One of the biggest challenges in the next five years would be to deal with misinformation and disinformation, he said.
Shama Obaid was critical of the government. She said the BNP would continue to fight for democracy for as long as it took.
“We don't have a Smart Bangladesh, but the Awami League has established a smart form of election where every time they win,” she said.
She pointed to banking sector anomalies, corruption, lack of governance, lack of transparency, money laundering, and price hikes, and said “it is sort of hard to detach politics from the economy or any other sector that affects a country or the people of Bangladesh.”
Dr Manisha Chakraborty termed the current parliament as the “funeral of democracy” and said people do not have any expectations from this government.
“It is a lifeless democracy we are watching, and this democracy is not what we will get some accountability from. There is no accountability, there is no commitment,” she said, adding that the government would not listen to the people as “they are not elected by people”.
Dr Imtiaz Ahmed was of the view that spreading fear without facts appeared as a major problem in Bangladesh. He suggested containing fear with evidence-based information; otherwise, young people were not going to stay in the country.
He stressed the need to fight corruption, stop money laundering, and engage the diaspora in the development of Bangladesh.
He also suggested building high-speed connectivity with six high-speed trains connecting the eight divisional headquarters.
He also proposed electoral reforms and doubling the number of seats in parliament to 600 from 300 to ensure proper representation of the people as Bangladesh is a highly populated country.
But he was against any compromise with the elements who were against the 1971 liberation war.
Prof Nuzhat Choudhury also said that she would not forget the basic essence of Bangladesh's birth while looking forward.
“I have to look back to look forward,” she said, as the basic essence of the Liberation War was to have a “democratic society, free and fair society, also a secular society”.
“The rise of fundamentalism has reached such a level that I fear for my country, for my country's future.”
She agreed with the points relating to raising the health budget and solving the problem of corruption raised by other speakers. She also spoke against money laundering and the way the money is being siphoned out of the country by the elite class.
She also spoke about the persistent interference in politics by foreign powers, and as a civil society member, she said “that really makes us angry.”
Dr Navine Murshid, an assistant professor of Political Science and International Relations at the Colgate University, while speaking from the audience, said: “In the realm of democracy, what is it that we can do to move ahead? There are a few things: we can think of party reform, we can think of democracy within the political parties, we can think about political institutions that suffer from a democratic deficit.”
Former ambassador Shamsher Mubin Chowdhury, Bir Bikram, said: “Bangladesh is inherently a non-fundamentalist state. We are a non-fundamental society, we are a non-communal society. So, instead of saying so and so started it, it must be acknowledged that every single major political party in Bangladesh is sustaining fundamentalists in one form or the other. No point blaming one or the other.”
He urged to address the issue of fundamentalism “without the blame game,” focusing on the unity fostered in 1971.
Without the blame game, let us focus on unity, based on 1971, and address the issue of fundamentalism.”
Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan summarized the discussion.
Taking care of the environment and fighting corruption are some of the areas of common interest, he found, noting “very little consensus” among the speakers on different issues.
He also stressed the need for political reform, but said corruption is really something we need to take hold of as it is affecting all citizens.
“And what we want to accomplish in the next five years, the next 10 years, the next 20 years, corruption is always going to be a dead weight against that,” he said.
“Nevertheless, I think what all of us have in common is we all believe in Bangladesh, we all believe in the future of Bangladesh. We are all committed to building a better future for validation we have had in the past,” he concluded.
Norwegian Ambassador
What we are trying to achieve with these seminars is bringing people from different camps together... to encourage more dialogue, especially between people who have roles to play in developing the country and bringing it forward... Bringing people together is part of the ‘Norwegian brand’. It is what we try to do around the world... We’re great believers in dialogue.
Editor in Chief, Dhaka Tribune
I think that there is a need for political reform because the current political situation we have in place is not really delivering for us as a nation. What form that political reform will take, how it will come about, where we will end up at the end of it . . . these are all questions we don't have an answer for. Corruption in Bangladesh is really something that we need to take hold of because ultimately it is a cost which is being paid by all the Bangladeshi people.
Central Committee Member, BaSaD
It doesn't matter actually how much you decorate the event with flowers. If it's a funeral, it's not a celebration. So, what we are seeing in parliament is the funeral of democracy. So, it doesn't matter how much you decorate it, how much you adorn it with beautiful words and verses. We have expectations from the people. We want the people to be vocal.
Socio-political Activist
I have to look back to look forward. Our very fabric of secularism is being eroded every second. It is like a fire that is burning underneath your building, and you don't know. The rise of fundamentalism has reached such a level that I fear for my country, for my country's future. So, when we talk about the future of a country or when we talk about looking ahead, when we talk about reaching point B from point A, I always have to look back and look at point A.
MP and former State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In next five years, we'd like to see steady growth as the world economy normalizes. However, there are issues that can possibly hinder and slow down these efforts. In 2017, when the first exodus of Rohingyas took place, alongside the humanitarian call, we said to our neighbors, we said to everyone, this is one day going to destabilize or potentially destabilize the peace and tranquility of this region. And that's obviously what's happening now.
Organizing Secretary, BNP
BNP will continue to fight for democracy as long as it takes. We don't have a smart Bangladesh. But Awami League has established a smart form of election where every time they win. “I think the first crisis that we need to look at is the democratic crisis, freedom of speech, and the Digital Security Act. People are not being able to say what they want to say. People are not being able to write what they write. The journalists cannot write what they want to write. They cannot say what they want to say.
Professor of International Relations, DU
The fear is the first thing I will say you need to address. Dhaka is much safer than New York and Chicago. I can give you figures, believe it or not, you know the death figure of the United States every day in, you know, I have the figures of last year, every day 123 people were killed. Just imagine. But nobody knows that. So, the next five years ought to be, you know, some people should be working on evidence-based information data. Data is the future.
