Politicians and security experts at a dialogue on Thursday said that politics in Bangladesh must be brought back on the right track to minimise some conventional and non-conventional security threats brewing in and around the national territory.
Expressing frustration over the ongoing reform initiatives which they said were going on in a snail鈥檚 pace and had moved away from public aspirations, the speakers stressed freeing power-centric politics and policymaking from corruption through effective changes.
As part of the dialogue for democratic reconstruction, Centre for Governance Studies, a Dhaka-based think tank, organised the event at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital.
Participating in the dialogue on 鈥楽ecurity, Corruption and Energy鈥�, Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said that he was highly concerned about public security instead of state security as people were struggling with climate change-induced existential crises, food insecurity, cybercrimes, and other non-conventional security threats.
Criticising the ongoing consensus-building efforts for reforms, he said, 鈥業n my observation, different political positions are being forced to be moulded in a single dice, which is contrary to democratic diversity.鈥�
He also questioned the interim government鈥檚 inaction against corrupt people in the power sector, who were privileged by indemnity with the Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply (Special Provision) Act 2010.
Replying to Moyeen, energy adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said that his ministry was no longer applying the law so that corruption and misuse of public money in the power and energy sector remained in check.
He also said that the present government restored organic competition in bidding which helped reduce energy prices. 鈥楤ut sometimes politicians-turn-businesses ask for favour from us, which is embarrassing,鈥� Fouzul said.
Retired Major General ANM Muniruzzaman, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies in his speech observed that Bangladesh lacked a comprehensive strategy on national security.
鈥楤angladesh is in a grave risk of non-conventional threats. Moreover, the Rohingya crisis, border killing, trans-national trafficking of drugs, small arms and human trafficking is creating regional tension,鈥� he observed.
The politicians must act strategically to address all the security threats, he said, further recommending the modernisation of warfare, peacefully co-existence with neighbouring countries, and nullifying unfair military treaties with foreign countries.
Former ambassador M Shafiullah said that the interim government was temporary and should not make long-term foreign policy.
Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod general secretary Nazmul Haque Prodhan and The Business Standard editor Inam Ahmed said that a 鈥榯rending-tagging鈥� culture threatened freedom of expression and also social security.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh energy adviser M Shamsul Alam expressed his frustration over three major political parties -- the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party 鈥� to the end that they did not provide their own energy policies for the next election manifestos to the CAB though they were asked for.聽聽
Mollah M Amzad Hossain, editor of Energy and Power Magazine, said that the previous government pursued corrupt policies to facilitate unnecessary power plants.
Moderated by CGS president Zillur Rahman, Gano Forum executive president Subrata Chowdhury, Khelafat Majlis secretary general Ahmad Abdul Kader, Gono Odhikar Parishad senior vice-president Faruk Hasan, Peace and Security Studies senior research fellow Shafqat Munir, and CGS executive director Parvez Karim Abbasi took part in the dialogue.
