Lack of political mandate was biggest limitation: former adviser

Former adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said that the biggest limitation of the interim government was the lack of a political mandate.

He made the remarks on Friday (May 15) at a convocation ceremony held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital. A total of 365 students from BBA, MBA, EMBA and DBA programs participated in the 58th convocation of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of Dhaka University.

Salehuddin Ahmed said the biggest limitation of the interim government was the lack of a political mandate. “We had no strength, nor a mandate. As a result, in many cases, decisions could not be implemented at the desired pace.”

The former adviser said the country’s economy was in deep crisis when the interim government took charge. “At that time, more attention had to be paid to managing the collapsing system rather than introducing new reforms.”

He said some fundamental reforms were made in various sectors of the economy and administration under that government. “Here I use two words—repair and reform. First we had to repair, then reform.”

Noting that there was instability in almost all sectors of the economy during the interim government, Salehuddin Ahmed said, “The banking sector, capital market, revenue administration—almost all sectors of the economy were unstable. Reserves had fallen, the current account and overall balance of payments were negative.”

He said many want to see change, but not all change happens overnight. “The deep crisis in the economy cannot be solved overnight. At that time, the situation was such that the economy had to be brought back from the brink first.”

Citing weak laws as complicating the situation, the former adviser said, “Without legal reform, change cannot be brought about through administrative directives alone. Good results cannot be expected while keeping bad laws in place.”

Salehuddin Ahmed said there is a lack of good governance not only in the public sector but also in the private sector. Due to a weak culture of accountability, waste and inefficiency have occurred in various sectors. As an example, he said, “A two-year project runs for 10-12 years, a five-year project takes 20 years to complete.”

He said Bangladesh still has a lot of potential, but to harness that potential, good governance, efficiency and accountability must be ensured. Citing the examples of South Korea and Vietnam, Salehuddin Ahmed said, “Both countries started from a similar position but have advanced far. Bangladesh can also do it if it wants.”

Addressing the students at the convocation, the former adviser said, “The world is constantly evolving, keeping pace with time, where the criteria for competence are also changing rapidly. In this crowd of limited opportunities, to prove yourself, you need deep knowledge, modern skills and relentless effort.”

RTV/KD