Civil society urges govt to avoid contradictory remarks
Thursday, 27 September 2012
FE Report
Members of the civil society have urged the government to refrain from giving contradictory comments regarding the alleged corruption charges in the Padma Bridge project.
They said such comments are not only creating confusion among the World Bank (WB) officials, but also affecting the confidence level of mass people.
Talking to the FE, former caretaker government adviser Akbar Ali Khan observed that the government should provide a thorough explanation about 'misinterpretations' of the government officials regarding the WB's reengagement in the project, as claimed by the global lender.
"Now the nation expects a statement from the Ministry of Finance on the divergence between the World Bank and the government regarding various issues of the Padma Bridge project," he added.
Hossain Zillur Rahman, another adviser, said self-contradictory comments of the government are tarnishing the level of confidence of both the development partners and people of the country.
He said Padma Bridge project is a learning case for the government to evaluate its overall performance. So, the government should refrain from making self-contradictory comments regarding the issue.
"By giving self-contradictory comments, we are losing time as well as scopes and advantages eventually to involve ourselves with the project," added Hossain.
Executive Director of Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) Iftekharuzzaman said the WB's latest statement exposed the government's self-contradictory comments since the lender announced its reengagement in the project.
"Our participation in the negotiation table is comparatively weak. So, the government should take prudent steps to carry out fair investigation without any influence to convince the World Bank and other financiers," he said.
He further said on the one hand, the government is trying to take steps against the suspected persons, for their alleged involvement in corruption in the Padma Bridge project in line with the WB's condition. On the other hand, it is patronizing those persons in various state functions and activities.
Members of the civil society have urged the government to refrain from giving contradictory comments regarding the alleged corruption charges in the Padma Bridge project.
They said such comments are not only creating confusion among the World Bank (WB) officials, but also affecting the confidence level of mass people.
Talking to the FE, former caretaker government adviser Akbar Ali Khan observed that the government should provide a thorough explanation about 'misinterpretations' of the government officials regarding the WB's reengagement in the project, as claimed by the global lender.
"Now the nation expects a statement from the Ministry of Finance on the divergence between the World Bank and the government regarding various issues of the Padma Bridge project," he added.
Hossain Zillur Rahman, another adviser, said self-contradictory comments of the government are tarnishing the level of confidence of both the development partners and people of the country.
He said Padma Bridge project is a learning case for the government to evaluate its overall performance. So, the government should refrain from making self-contradictory comments regarding the issue.
"By giving self-contradictory comments, we are losing time as well as scopes and advantages eventually to involve ourselves with the project," added Hossain.
Executive Director of Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) Iftekharuzzaman said the WB's latest statement exposed the government's self-contradictory comments since the lender announced its reengagement in the project.
"Our participation in the negotiation table is comparatively weak. So, the government should take prudent steps to carry out fair investigation without any influence to convince the World Bank and other financiers," he said.
He further said on the one hand, the government is trying to take steps against the suspected persons, for their alleged involvement in corruption in the Padma Bridge project in line with the WB's condition. On the other hand, it is patronizing those persons in various state functions and activities.