Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Matsushiro Horiguchi yesterday advised Bangladesh to improve its law and order and cut down on corruption to boost development and foreign direct investment (FDI).
"There used to be good reasons for hartals--reasons like the language movement…but these days there are too many hartals. The national economy is suffering," Horiguchi said while talking to the press on "Next steps for Japan-Bangladesh relations" at the National Press Club yesterday. He observed that serious injustices are being inflicted upon the people who do not sympathise with hartals. It is not only Bangladeshis who suffer the consequences of hartals, but also foreigners, especially the business people.
The Japanese envoy also called for improving governance, infrastructure and regulatory frameworks to achieve pro-people growth and development.
Japan's new Country Assistance Programme for Bangladesh, to be finalised by September, identifies governance as one of the three major pillars, the two others being pro-people economic growth and social development, he said.
He noted that Bangladesh holds a unique position in the international community as a moderate Islamic country with a democratic government. Many countries hope for its success, but to unlock its growth potential, Bangladesh needs to improve its governance.
"What I think is most needed is Bangladesh's strong political will and commitment and concrete actions to improve the law and order situation, eradicate corruption and enhance its implementation capacity," Horiguchi added.
Replying to a question on reforming the caretaker government system, the Japanese ambassador said, "The matter should be settled by the people and the government of Bangladesh and we hope that the next election will be held in a free and fair way. Bangladesh should be proud of its last three elections."
Horiguchi observed the law and order situation has greatly improved after the introduction of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and admitted that there is criticism about the many extra-judicial killings by Rab.
"The dependence on Rab to ensure security can be attributed to the malfunction of the police and judicial systems. Improvement of these systems is a crucial challenge for Bangladesh," he quipped, adding that Bangladesh has sought Japanese assistance for reforming the police.
He assured that the Japanese government will make effective contributions in this regard, including equipment, and training for the police and that Japan may help set up a forensic research institute in Bangladesh.
The Japanese envoy noted that the Bangladesh government has taken several steps to ensure stability, such as banning the extremist Islamic organisations and arresting their leaders, arresting the suspects of Kibria assassination case and the arms smuggling case in Chittagong. But the real picture behind these crimes is yet to emerge.
"I request the government to continue investigations into the unsolved cases and bring the suspects to trial under a due process," he added.
The ambassador observed that in the context of the expiry of the MFA (Multi-Fibre Agreement), Bangladesh is faced with the challenge of enhancing its competitiveness in the global market and diversifying its exports.
"Promoting investment, including the FDI would be the most effective solution. However, infrastructure development…has shown little progress. For example, few tenders and contracts for power plant construction have been successful in recent years, which would lead to serious power shortage in the near future," he said.
In recent months, Japan has committed $107 million for construction of roads in Chittagong and Sylhet, $50 million for overhauling some units of the Ashuganj power plant, and $78 million for the Rupsha bridge besides cooperating in conducting the feasibility study of the Padma bridge.
The Japanese envoy noted that since 1994, Bangladesh has supported Japan's interest in becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Being the biggest bilateral donor, Japan provides support in 12 priority sectors in Bangladesh--infrastructure development, transportation, bridges, rural development, education, health, water, private sector development among them. Bangladeshi exports to Japan stand at around $400 million and imports from that country at around $100 million.