Rehman Sobhan, chairman of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a research institute, said the government had at times provided capital to state-owned banks. This is mainly due to defaulted loans. Thus, the amount of capital provided by the government is much more than the expenditure of its social security sector. In other words, there is a big injustice in the distribution of wealth. Besides, the problem of defaulted loans is not only the weakness of the governance system in the financial sector, but also the competitive environment in the country.
Rehman Sobhan, chairman of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), an economist and research institute, said this at the inaugural function of the 21st biennial conference of the Bangladesh Economic Association at the Institution of Engineers auditorium in the capital on Friday. He joined the show through virtual.
The development of the country is going well, but at the same time the living standards of the workers are not improving. Rehman Sobhan, quoting economist Rizwanul Islam, said the country’s wages have not increased at the rate at which the productivity of workers has increased in the last 10 years. Workers are not being paid in proportion to the rate at which they are adding value. As a result, there is a great deal of structural injustice in the country. Resolving it requires structural reforms.
Rehman Sobhan was directly involved in the freedom struggle of the country. He was a close companion of Bangabandhu. So often he compares receipts with expectations. Today, he said, the nation has gained independence, but the struggle for the liberation of Bangabandhu is a very complex issue. And Bangabandhu not only wanted to liberate the nation from the hands of foreign rulers, but also from the hands of domestic exploiters. Bangladesh has achieved a lot since independence. We have surpassed Pakistan in almost all indices. But inequality in society has increased and the environment of politics has not become inclusive. These issues must be taken into account by the nation.
Rehman Sobhan commented that after independence, the society of the country has moved far away from the idea of a society free from exploitation of Bangabandhu. He said the country’s governance has now become unjust. He explains the system of unjust governance the country has laws, rules or the rule of law, but not all of them are equally applicable. Although these are not revolutionary issues, these promises have been made to the nation in the struggle for independence. As a result, there is a need to protect them.
Rehman Sobhan believes that in order to establish a credible democratic system in the country, there should be free, fair and competitive election system at all levels from the Jatiya Sangsad to the Union Parishad. Those who will be elected will know that he has got the government based on the support of the people. The nation is dreaming of becoming a developed state by 2041. In order to realize that dream, the people’s representatives have to be elected by the people. Like him, ‘Now we have to ask ourselves, how far have we come with this goal or what we have to do for it.
On the first day of the biennial conference of the Economic Association, the president of the organization, economist Abul Barkat was awarded the Mujib Gold Medal in recognition of his special contribution in economics.
In his speech, Abul Barkat said that Bangabandhu spoke about the struggle for independence and liberation at the same time. But even when independence came to the country, liberation did not come. The issue of release is very complicated.
