A study carried out by the Transparency International Bangladesh found that the promise of building a ‘New Bangladesh’ through state reforms was facing significant setbacks as the culture of corruption, grabbing, extortion, and politicising remained unchanged during in the past one year of the interim government.
Political violence is still prevailing in the country as 121 people were killed and 5,189 injured in 471 incidents of such violence between August 2024 and June this year, said the TIB study report.
TIB researchers Shahzada Akram and Julkarnayeen presented the findings of the research titled ‘One year of the fall of authoritarian government: expectations and achievement’ at a press briefing at its office in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Monday.
According to the report, tendency for irregularities, corruption, and for partisan political influence is going on — a barrier to fulfilling the aspirations for reform.
While the July Charter, it said, marked a moment of consensus on fundamental reforms, major political parties added ‘notes of dissent’ to several core proposals — signalling deep divisions that now threaten to derail the entire reform agenda.
Noting that 121 people were killed in political violence, the study stated that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was engaged in 92 per cent of the violence, while the Awami League accounted for 22 per cent, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami for 5 per cent and the National Citizen Party for 1 per cent.
It also observed that the formation of the ‘King’s Party’ was facilitated under government patronage. Asked which party the term referred to, TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman at the press briefing said, ‘It’s well-known that the NCP is the King’s Party.’
The report said that forming a political party from the Students Against Discrimination movement was a significant development. However, it was expected that a political force would evolve, which would commit itself to good governance, free the country from corruption, and ensure accountability of those holding power to the people as part of a new political settlement.
But the NCP in many cases has become questionable — it holds onto the existing political culture characterised by a lack of transparency in funding, partisan behaviour, tendencies for using muscle power, property grabbing and extortion, eventually heading towards a self-destructive path.
The study found that the political parties were engaged in extortion, forcibly taking control of transport terminals and businesses and Tk 2.21 crore was collected daily through extortion from 53 transport terminals and stands in Dhaka city alone.
Noting that despite the ouster of the ‘authoritarian government’, corruption, politicizing, and political control were established in the administration, educational institutions, judiciary, and other sectors of the interim administration.
The dominance in the public administration has shifted from one political group to others.
Regarding the trials for crimes against humanity during the July uprising, the report noted that controversies surrounded the appointments of judges and prosecutors in the International Crimes Tribunal.
The absence of a clear roadmap from the interim government regarding the election has created scope for future political instability and the announcement of the election date without first determining the electoral system carries risks of triggering a crisis, .
The free flow of information within state institutions was not ensured while there is a tendency to withhold or hide information in government offices and the practice of not proactively disclosing information continues, says the study.
At least 150 journalists lost their jobs, and mobs crated fear at media offices and 266 journalists were named in murder cases related to the July uprising and three journalists were killed, also says the study.
According to the TIB study, police indifference and lack of accountability revealed a serious lack of professionalism during the past one year.
Though some positive changes happened in the banking sector, there has been no significant improvement in employment or investment. Despite calls to establish a banking commission for long-term reforms, no such move has been made. About 24.13 per cent of all distributed loans have become defaulted, amounting to Tk 4.2 trillion.
Revenue collection has fallen short of targets, and disarray in the garment sector has led to the closure of at least 150 factories, said the report.
Despite appointing vice-chancellors at 48 universities after resignations or dismissals, questions remain about the transparency and qualifications, with many appointments alleged to be politically motivated.
About the health sector, the TIB report said that a group of physicians reportedly influenced appointments, transfers, and dismissals at the administrative, educational, and district hospital levels.
The chief of army has repeatedly commented on the election timeline and also offered opinions during the investigation into the BDR massacre, raising questions about the scope of his authority, the report commented.
The ACC remains entangled in political influence, as evidenced by continued biased behaviour in launching investigations, filing new cases, and a pattern of withdrawing others.
TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said that the interim government had taken numerous initiatives for reforms but many of them were on an ad hoc basis and had no clear roadmap for implementation.