Politicians face growing security concerns alongside citizens: Debapriya

Amid recent attacks on political figures, politicians in Bangladesh are now facing serious security concerns alongside ordinary citizens, said Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Distinguished Fellow and Citizen's Platform Convener Debapriya Bhattacharya on Sunday, reports UNB.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Bangladesh Reform Tracker, organised by the Citizen's Platform at Agargaon in the capital, Debapriya said citizens across the country are suffering from acute insecurity, with politicians now joining that list.
"Citizen's Platform has travelled across districts and identified a common problem-citizens are facing severe insecurity. Now politicians have joined them," he said.
Referring to the recent attack on Inqilab Mancha General Secretary Osman Hadi, Debapriya said, "We do not think this attack will be the last on politicians. Violence against women, attacks on minorities, citizens' safety and now politicians' security have all become major issues."
On the ongoing reform process, he said prolonged democratic deficits during previous governments had led to the emergence of a powerful oligarchic society, which now poses a major obstacle to reforms.
Breaking this cycle of non-competitive politics and economy and advancing reforms remains a major challenge for present-day Bangladesh, he added.
Appreciating the interim government, Debapriya said that while reforms were undertaken during previous governments, this is the first time an interim government has been formed with reform as its core objective.
"The interim government has formed several commissions and taskforces as part of the reform initiative, which deserves appreciation," he said.