The recent surveys by the Centre for Policy Dialogue reveal a troubling disconnect between what voters truly need and what political parties continue to promise - a disconnect that needs to be solved by the incoming administration.
On one hand, citizens across Bangladesh are clear: Clean air, safe water, and a liveable environment are priorities. On the other hand, all political parties remain fixated on roads, bridges, and culverts -- visible infrastructure that photographs well but does little to address the daily crises of health, pollution, and climate vulnerability that everyday Bangladeshis experience.
Such a gap, while troubling, is not surprising. For decades, development has been equated with concrete and steel, a narrative continuously reinforced by politicians and as a result, as per the surveys by CPD, accepted by nearly 77% of voters who still believe infrastructure alone defines progress.
However, such a belief distracts from the deeper reality, that millions of Bangladeshis struggle with unsafe drinking water, toxic air, and fragile ecosystems. As such, employment generated by construction projects alone simply cannot compensate for the erosion of public health or the degradation of natural resources.
The upcoming elections are instrumental in shaping our country for the foreseeable future, and the newly elected government must resist the temptation to chase only what is visible - a tactic employed by past administrations to the detriment of the entire nation.
Development must be redefined to include what sustains life: Clean rivers and water bodies, breathable skies, and resilient communities. Investment in water treatment, waste management, renewable energy, and urban greenery are therefore no longer luxuries but urgent, as are prioritizing public health and education.
We cannot afford a future where skyscrapers rise while lungs collapse, or where highways expand while our canals and rivers die. True development should never be measured in kilograms of concrete and steel.
