Cultural shift needed to combat
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“The government formed a curriculum review committee, which was later disbanded under pressure from a certain group because one of the members advocated for gender diversity rights. It was shameful that the interim government disbanded the committee under pressure,” he said.
“The interim government was established under the doctrine of necessity, and its legitimacy is unparalleled. Therefore, we must hold it accountable for upholding the core principles of the anti-discrimination movement and defeating all forces of inequality,” he said.
Iftekharuzzaman identified corruption, impunity, and the concentration of power as the primary drivers of authoritarianism in the country.
He called for a cultural shift to combat corruption and authoritarianism.
Prof Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow of CPD, said in 1990, during a significant political transition, Prof Rehman Sobhan put forward recommendations on various aspects of Bangladesh’s politics and economy through 29 task forces for the following 20 years.
“We observed that subsequent political governments came and went, but none of them utilised those recommendations,” he said.
He added that Debapriya Bhattacharya and Prof Rehman Sobhan, during 2006-07, travelled across Bangladesh and drafted the Vision 2021 document, which was incorporated into the Awami League’s manifesto.
However, it resulted in no tangible outcomes, he said.
“The dominant narrative highlights significant leaps in growth, portraying Bangladesh as a development role model. But in reality, inequalities in income, consumption, and wealth have increased. This parallel narrative of inequality is precisely what the anti-discrimination movement reflects,” he explained.
He emphasised that the changes following August 5 have opened a window of opportunity that must be seized for progress.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, convenor of Citizen’s Platform and distinguished fellow at CPD, said bureaucrats now appear before people in various identities, which has become a problem.
“A person who is a bureaucrat today turns into a politician tomorrow and then a businessman the next day. It has become a problem that they come before us in many forms,” he said.
Badiul Alam Majumder, chief of the Election Reform Commission, said the main problem regarding elections is the irregularities of the nomination business.
To address this, the political parties need to change their mindset, he said.
He also advocated increasing women’s participation in the parliament.
Prof Rounaq Jahan, a distinguished fellow at CPD and chair of the event, said it is not possible to exclude bureaucrats, politicians, and businessmen.
“We need to think about how we can make them better. We had to keep them under our accountability,” she said.
Sonali Dayaratne, deputy resident representative, UNDP, Bangladesh, also spoke at the event, among others.