'Public tribunal' to try multilateral lenders

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A lineup of country's left-leaning and progressive personalities and organisations decided to form a public tribunal to unmask the 'imperialist' mission of the World Bank (WB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Bangladesh before the masses, reports UNB.
As announced, the public tribunal headed by a former justice would identify the persons and institutions working in favour of the three international donor agencies and the lackeys will be later put on trial at the people's court.
The plan was revealed at a press conference at the National Press Club Saturday afternoon, at the height of a campaign kicked off by the leftists in recent times.
Intellectuals, university teachers and leaders of left-leaning political parties under the banner of National Preparatory Committee on Public Tribunal about WB, ADB and IMF arranged the news conference, at a time when the newly appointed WB president arrived in the city on mission.
Former Supreme Court judge Golam Rabbani, Dr Anisur Rahman, Dr Akmal Hossain, KM Saduddin, Dr MM Akash, Foiz Ahmed and Prof Anu Mohammad, among others, addressed the press conference in presence of some left political leaders.
Anu Mohammad read out the concept paper describing the plans and work of the proposed Public Tribunal.
Anu Mohammad said before arranging hearing at the tribunal, they would launch elaborate investigation and research in every sector to collect objective and specific information about what they called destructive activities of the imperialistic institutions in the country.
Public committees comprising researchers, economists, politicians, writers, artists, journalists, lawyers, farmers, workers and destitute people will be formed across the country to collect statements and opinions of the masses, says the group's action plan.
Massive investigation would be conducted in jute, energy, water and flood, education, health, agriculture, macroeconomic, forest, good governance and NGO sectors to reveal the negative impacts of the donor agencies' prescriptions and conditional credits, they announced.
A central preparatory committee would be constituted with the participation of leaders of the left-leaning parties and 'anti-imperialism' intellectuals which will coordinate the whole activities, the news conference was told.