White paper: diagnosis of economic malaise

Asjadul Kibria | Published: September 07, 2024 19:44:53

More than two decades ago, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), after forming the government, published a two-part white paper on the corruption of the Awami League government in 1996-2001. The 750-plus pages of documents examined 40 incidents of corruption and irregularities of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister during the period under review, along with 15 ministers and state ministers. To hit back, Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), the then-main opposition party in the parliament, also published a white paper on the BNP regime during 1991-1996 under the premiership of Begum Khaleda Zia. The so-called white papers were mainly compilations of various official documents, including papers of investigations and cases filed against the ministers and newspaper cuttings regarding the corruption and irregularities of both governments. The exercises were conducted by the country's two major rival political parties to show how corrupted the other one was when it assumed power. There was, however, no fair intention to take appropriate measures to curb corruption in the near future.
White papers on corruption or any other critical issue are popular in some other countries. The latest example is India, where the ruling BJP government released a white paper in February of this year to showcase the alleged economic downturn during the Congress-led UPA era and the subsequent revival under the current administration led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To retaliate, the Congress party also released a 'Black Paper' highlighting the Modi government's decade-long faulty governance.
The interim government in Bangladesh, formed after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's autocratic regime last month amidst a bloody upsurge of students and people, has decided to publish a white paper on the state of Bangladesh's economy. The above-mentioned domestic and international experiences underscore the importance of this document in addressing critical economic challenges.
The interim government, headed by Prof Muhammad Yunus, has assigned the task to a ten-member panel led by Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, an eminent economist and civil society member. The panel will analyse the causes and extent of corruption in the country, explain why corruption occurs, and examine its severity. To do so, the white paper will provide an overall status of the country's economy, with a special focus on the last one and a half decades.
A white paper, with its comprehensive information, analysis, and proposals on a specific topic or issue, is 'designed to inform decision-making processes, propose solutions, or present recommendations for action'. This makes it a practical tool for policymakers and stakeholders, ensuring that they are well-informed and knowledgeable.
On the other hand, a black paper presents 'a critical or dissenting viewpoint on a particular topic, issue, or policy'. The black paper aims to 'challenge prevailing narratives, policies, or viewpoints through critical analysis, addressing controversial subjects, providing evidence, and proposing alternative approaches'. This engagement with critical analysis can make the audience feel more involved and critical.
Neither white nor black paper is legally binding, so suggestions and recommendations placed in the paper are not necessarily implementable for the government or relevant authorities. Instead, a white paper helps the policymakers and various stakeholders understand specific issues or topics comprehensively and transparently. For example, the Indian finance ministry in 2012 published a white paper on black money during the time of then-finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. The 100-plus-page document provides a detailed analysis of the 'different facets of black money and its complex relationship with policy and administrative regime in the country.' It also reflects upon the policy options and strategies that the Indian government has been pursuing in the context of various initiatives or needs to take up in the near future to address the issue of black money and corruption in public life. Thus, The document served as a policy paper to fight against the manifestation of black money in India's social, economic, and political space. The white paper also acknowledged that black money had a devastating effect on the country's institutions of governance and conduct of public policy.
The history of white paper is more than 100 years old. The Churchill White Paper 1922 of June 3, 1922, officially titled the 'Palestine - Correspondence with the Palestine Arab Delegation and the Zionist Organization' is considered the first white paper in modern history, although a similar kind of exercise also took place earlier. In early 20th-century Britain, there was a practice of preparing official government reports like policy advocacy papers before the introduction of legislation. These documents were termed 'white papers' to distinguish them from 'blue books' (detailed' government reports) and 'green papers' (preliminary reports' on policy proposals).
The task of preparing the proposed white paper on Bangladesh's economy is daunting, no doubt. The panel of experts has to work hard, especially in gathering the required data and information within a short period. The good thing is that the planning commission's general economics division serves as the panel's secretariat, which has a repository of data and statistics. Private think tanks can also provide various support with their analytical works. The committee is also not going to take honorarium or consulting fee for the work and the members are offering their service voluntarily.
There is, however, a wrong perception among many people that the white paper will identify those responsible for irregularities in different sectors of the economy. However, the convener of the white paper committee made it clear that they would not do so. Their core task is to present the status of the economy, its weaknesses and troubles, and the role of irregularities behind the troubles. This is, no doubt, an important work, especially since the immediate past government did not bother to look into the misdeeds and irregularities on the economic front.
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