STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Chiefs and members of several reform commissions expressed frustration yesterday over the government’s failure to implement the proposals they had submitted.

They said that a unique opportunity was created after the July uprising, but the government did not take advantage of it, leaving many key reforms unaddressed.

The comments came during the inauguration of the Bangladesh Reform Tracker by the Citizens Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh at the China–Bangladesh Friendship Conference Centre.

The platform is designed to track the progress of various reform initiatives across different sectors and monitor implementation over time.

Iftekharuzzaman, head of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Reform Commission, said that his commission had proposed a simple yet crucial reform: forming a committee to review the ACC’s activities every three months and present a public accountability report.

“Currently, complaints are reviewed internally and reported annually to the president. This process does not ensure transparency. Our proposal for quarterly public reviews was the most important recommendation we made.”

However, Iftekharuzzaman expressed disappointment that this provision was later removed.

Although most of the proposals had broad support from political parties, including key oversight mechanisms, many were not enforced.

“I did not get a clear answer when I asked who the forces resisting reform are -- I am saying it clearly now. The resistance exists among us. It is present in politics, bureaucracy, civil society, media and business. But the biggest resistance, without hesitation, comes from political forces.”

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