Yunus administration’s decisions and appointments ahead of Bangladesh polls raise questions: Report

Dhaka, Feb 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) As Bangladesh is set to hold elections on February 12, the interim government led by chief adviser Muhammad Yunus is, in effect, an election-time administration in terms of responsibility and mandate, with many believing that its activities should remain restricted to making preparations for the elections and conducting routine work. However, a series of decisions, initiatives, appointments, and contracts it announced have raised questions, as per a report.

The include the formation of the 9th Pay Commission for government employees, the swift process to recruit primary school teachers, plans to build lavish apartments for ministers and senior bureaucrats, agreements linked to the Chattogram port, the announcement of an arms zone in the Mirsarai Economic Zone, and the decision to purchase 163 vehicles for Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), according to an opinion piece in Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo.

"The question now being asked is whether these hurried decisions and initiatives, taken at the very end of the government’s term, are driven more by the interests of domestic and foreign groups than by the public good. Most importantly, some of these decisions involve long-term economic risks and sensitive issues of national security. The burden and liability will ultimately fall on the next elected government and on the public for years to come," the opinion piece said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Ganatantrik Odhikar Committee (Democratic Rights Committee) stated that such contracts and efforts to sign pacts considered “harmful” for Bangladesh would put the newly elected government in jeopardy as well. The interim government has decided to construct three new buildings in the ministers’ enclave in Dhaka. These buildings will have 72 flats, each having an area of 8,500 to 9,030 square feet, according to a report published in Prothom Alo.

The government has allocated a budget of Tk 200 million for purchasing furniture, including curtains. According to the report, upper-middle-class people in Dhaka usually live in flats having an area of 1,500–1,600 square feet, and lower-level government employees reside in flats having an area of 650–700 square feet.

"At present, there are 13 bungalows in the ministers’ enclave, the Ministers’ Apartments on Bailey Road, and a total of 71 residences for ministers across Dhanmondi and Gulshan. Even setting aside the palatial facilities of the bungalows, existing ministerial flats already measure around 5,500 square feet. The question is: what will ministers do in 9,000-square-foot flats—play football or cricket? Had such a proposal been prepared by bureaucrats under a political government, one might at least have found some vested interest or logic behind it," the opinion piece stated.

"But why are bureaucrats pursuing such initiatives under an interim government that emerged from an anti-discrimination movement and a mass uprising of students and citizens? Are they seeking to curry favour with ministers of the next elected government by pushing through such projects? In a country where more than 40 million people struggle to secure two square meals a day, can anyone with a normal sense of proportion even contemplate such wasteful and luxurious schemes?" it asked.

The 9th Pay Commission has recommended a hike in pay and allowances for government employees. The regime has said that the next government will be responsible for implementing the decision. According to the report, the salaries being paid at the lower tiers of public service are not aligned with present market realities.

However, will the state be able to finance the Tk 1.06 trillion needed to increase salaries across all tiers by 100–147 per cent? Revenue collection in Bangladesh in recent years has not surpassed Tk 4 trillion despite a rise in electricity, fertiliser and fuel prices, and an increased burden of indirect taxes such as VAT. Investment and employment in Bangladesh have remained stagnant while inflation has remained consistent for the past three years.

"The private sector, the main engine of the economy, is in its most fragile state. What, then, is the real objective of imposing such a massive burden on an already broken economy? In this context, the pay commission’s recommendations could become a major source of pressure and anxiety for the next political government, which may face discontent among public servants. Kamal Ahmed, head of the Media Reform Commission, has described this as a form of 'advance blackmail'."

Source: IANS