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Policy reforms vital for winning donors' trust

By Moazzem Hossain
Most immediate and urgent steps are needed for policy reforms to improve the overall performance of the economy and win the trust and confidence of the donor community.
The seven-member Task Force on Bangladesh's relations with development partners stressed this in its report submitted to the government last month.
It said any effective re-evaluation or reshaping of existing dependent relationship of Bangladesh, as the recipient of aid. with the external donor
agencies or countries will be impossible without sustained efforts for an Improved economic performance.
The seven-member Task Force with M. Monlruzzaman. former secretary. Economic Relations Division (ERD) or erstwhile external resources division, as Its convenor noted In its report that the recent political changes unfolded 'realistic opportunities' to improve country's relations with donor countries or agencies to a respectable level. It termed the existing Bangladeshis "overwhelming dependence* on the donor community not only for aid but also for formulation of economic policy reforms as a national "disgrace".
It was one of 29 task forces set up by the government in January to examine the critical socio-economic Issues facing the country and to recommend policy options to overcome the snags.
The Task Force on relations with development partners recommended at least five specific steps by the government to strengthen meaningful cooperation between Bangladesh and the donors.
The steps included: (1) Closer links between the experts at policy-making level and the political leadership. The main initiative for policy reforms should come from within the country through a clear and logical presentation of "our own thoughts and Ideas', instead of policy prescriptions coming from the donors. Planning Commission should prepare the Country Economic Memorandum for the annual club meetings not merely as a reply to the points raised by the donors. The
memorandum, analysis and presentation of the Issues there, should be upto the standard and quality of the World Bank. Planning Commission may constitute a panel of experts, comprising of best professional hands both within and outside the government. for the purpose.
(2) The representative government should avoid taking mere populist moves and should instead adopt real welfare-oriented measures which may not appear populist.
(3) There should be inbuilt arrangements within the overall economic management framework to tackle any exceptional pressures on the economy, originating from circumstances such as the oil price shock and the Gulf war so that the country does not become excessively dependent on external aid to cope with such crisis.
(4) Mere availability of aid should not be the reason for its acceptance. The needs of the country in the light of its clear development priorities should be the sole consideration for acceptance of any aid. and
(5) Easy and ready acceptance of the conditions and terms which are attached to
aid programmes by the donors has been the major weakness of country's external aid management in the past. Such a situation can be overcome only through raising the levels of skill and quality among development administration offi-clalsX and effective guidelines from the political leadership to the concerned officials.
The Task Force stressed that a viable long-term strategy should be adopted to attain self-reliance. Productive asset-building activities, generation of more domestic resources, development of human resources and Improved administrative efficiency for overall economic management should be accorded the highest priorities.
Reviewing country's existing state of dependence on external aid. it said that disbursements of aid averaged seven to eight per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Annual commitments and disbursements stood at 1700 million US Dollars and 1300 million Dollars in the eighties. External aid funded 72 per cent. 64 per cent and 65 per cent of total investment programmes under the three successive five year development
plans respectively in the postindependence period. About 19 per cent of annual export receipts are now needed to service external debt burden. It said.
The Task Force stated in its report that Bangladesh's credentials with the donors eroded largely because of the failures by the fallen regime to utilize aid effectively. Improve economic efficiency and fulfil its commitments and pledges given at the annual consortium meetings.
It noted that not necessarily all the conditions of the donors were bad or harmful for the country. But. the initiatives for such policy reforms should have come from within.
The members of the Task Force were: A.M. Ejajul Haque. Joint Secretary. ERD. Dr. Deboprlyo Battacharjee 5f Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). Syed Jamaluddln. Joint Secretary. ERD. Begum Sadeka Shafiullah. Deputy Secretary. ERD. Dr Mustafizur Rahman. Associate Professor. Accountancy Department. University of Dhaka and Dr. M. Shorabuddin. Executive Director. Bangladesh Bank.