Finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday said that autonomy did not mean the freedom of doing everything and everything could not be given away to the private sector.
The finance adviser made the observations while responding to a question about the proposed amendments to the Bangladesh Bank law at a press conference at the finance ministry at the secretariat in the capital Dhaka.
The press conference was arranged to highlight the economic performance over the past one year under the interim government that assumed power on August 8,聽 2024, after the ouster of the authoritarian Awami League regime in a mass uprising.
Responding to a question regarding the planned amendment to the Bangladesh Bank Order, 1972 and the role of Financial Institutions Division under the finance ministry, Salehuddin said that a decision was made in principle to award more independence to the Bangladesh Bank.
He, however, said the autonomy should be achieved and could not be got from others.
Salehuddin, who was also a BB governor, said that he was yet to see the draft of the amendments to the Bangladesh Bank Order, 1972.
Emphasising the need for the presence of state-owned financial intermediaries and their regulation by the Financial Institutions Division, the finance adviser said that everything could not be divested to the private sector.
The briefing was attended, among others, by special assistant to the finance adviser Anisuzzaman Chowdhury and secretaries of the Finance Division, the Internal Resources Division, the Economic Relations Division and the FID.
It highlighted the precarious economic situation left behind by the AL regime by indulging in bank looting, capital flights, corruption and taking politically motivated and economically non-viable projects.
The finance adviser admitted that uncertainty in the economy because of concerns over law and order and less private investments was persisting despite improvements in forex reserves, exchange rate and balance of payment.
Blaming the AL regime for destroying almost all institutions and their rules, the finance adviser said that the interim government also inherited most of the persons linked to the institutions and the practice of violating rules.
The finance adviser said that they would make reforms to make the country a welfare state and hoped that the next elected government would continue the process.