Overhaul laws, constitution to prevent repeat of crimes

Broadly three types of crime characterised the last fifteen years of the Awami League regime, according to civil society members, who called for legal and constitutional reforms to prevent such violations from recurring.
While elaborating on the crimes committed by the former government, Badiul Alam Majumdar, founder-secretary of Shujan (Citizens for Good Governance), categorised them into crimes against humanity, general criminal offences and financial crimes including corruption.
"The new government must ensure reforms that prevent such violations from ever happening again in Bangladesh," he said while speaking at a dialogue titled 'Challenges and Recommendations for Interim Government', organised by the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in Dhaka on Wednesday.
He called for legal and constitutional reforms to prevent the return of injustice, corruption and authoritarianism, recommending a political settlement or compromise to implement these changes.
At the dialogue, economists and bankers listed a number of major financial challenges for the interim government. They urged the authorities to prioritise cooling down red-hot commodity prices, reducing burgeoning defaulted loans in the banking sector, boosting export earnings and revitalising private sector investment.
On political settlement to ensure transparency and justice, CPD Distinguished Fellow Mustafizur Rahman said a roadmap was formed in 1990 to counter dictatorship and promote democracy. However, the goals could not materialise eventually.
Underscoring a participatory democratic system through the proposed reform programme, he referred to the aspirations of the recent student-led mass movement.
To achieve this, Mr Rahman stressed involving the students who initiated the uprising.
AKM Fahim Mashroor, chief executive officer of Bdjobs.com Limited, urged for a whitepaper on violations committed using technology and the dismantling of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre for a reported mass spying on people.
"Why am I not able to use technology freely in an independent country?" he questioned.
He called for a disclosure of all software used to violate human rights and civil rights in the country.
Selim RF Hussain, managing director of BRAC Bank and president of the Association of Bankers Bangladesh, raised concerns about the fragile state of the banking sector, warning that the situation was far worse than publicly acknowledged.
He said many names involved in corruption remained undisclosed and criticised misinformation about non-performing loans and capital shortfalls in the sector.
Mr Hussain also said the banking system was skewed in favour of large corporate entities, disadvantaging small and medium enterprises.
CPD Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun flagged several key challenges facing the country's economy.
Those include inadequate revenue collection, the government's failure to consolidate expenditure, delays in implementing the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and high levels of debt accumulated by the previous government from the banking sector.
To address these, she urged the interim government to prioritise swiftly resolving problems such as rising commodity prices, increasing defaulted loans, the banking sector's liquidity crisis, slow export earnings, sluggish remittance flows and stagnant private sector investment.
Fahmida Khatun emphasised the need for initiatives to restore the economy, including addressing challenges related to foreign exchange reserves, the declining trend in imports, the substantial devaluation of the currency and issues in the power and energy sectors.
Former adviser to the caretaker government Rasheda K Chowdhury highlighted significant corruption, mismanagement and waste in the country's education sector during the previous government's tenure.
She questioned the whereabouts of funds allocated to the education sector, pointing out substantial corruption and looting, especially under the guise of initiatives like the Sheikh Russel Digital Lab.
Rasheda K Chowdhury also criticised excessive privileges granted to government bureaucrats under the previous administration.
She expressed concern over the large number of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) used by UNO and DC bureaucrats, questioning the necessity of such a high number of vehicles and associated wasteful spending.
Shams Mahmud, managing director of Shasha Denims Limited and director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), also spoke at the event.
He demanded accountability for those involved in financial misconduct within the banking sector, insisting they be prevented from fleeing the country and brought to justice.
Mr Mahmud accused the chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) of leading a corrupt system, alleging the NBR had become a marketplace for bribes.
Nusrat Tabassum, a coordinator of the anti-discrimination movement, emphasised the need to first address law and order issues.
She highlighted the necessity of reforming law enforcement agencies, with a particular focus on the intelligence services.
Tabassum shared that during her detention, corruption within the Intelligence Service became apparent, and she heard about "Aynaghar", a secret prison.
She called for an investigation to determine whether any other such secret prisons existed within the intelligence department.
Tabassum also condemned the use of internet blackouts, describing them as the worst tool of oppression. She said many heinous crimes were committed during these blackouts, with the IT sector particularly hard hit.
The event featured several prominent panelists, including Dr Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury, convener of Bangladesh Health Watch and former vice-chairperson of BRAC; and Khushi Kabir, member of the CPD Board of Trustees and coordinator of Nijera Kori, among others.

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