Originally posted in The Daily Star on 27 December 2024
Economist Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said at an event today that reforms are a grand dream, but unity is essential.
“We must move towards elections. But before that, people need relief. Don’t lead reform-minded individuals astray. Attention must be given to these issues. Don’t just focus on superficial discussions while neglecting people’s livelihoods and security,” he urged.
He made these remarks at a discussion titled “Dialogue Session-1: Which Path to Unity”, organised by Forum for Bangladesh Studies, held at the Krishibid Institution in Dhaka.
He also said that the extent of looting in the previous regime was unimaginable to the public until it was researched.
“As a result, we have inherited a dire economic situation. This needs to be fixed. The question is whether the people will give us the time required to fix it,” he said.
“You are discussing the dearness allowance for government employees, but I don’t hear any discussions about where the rest of the people will get their dearness allowance. I didn’t hear a single discussion on that. Will there be an introduction of unemployment allowances for the educated youth? “If there’s a robbery at 11:00pm in the most affluent neighbourhoods, if we don’t have security, how long should we wait for reforms? If this is the state of law and order inside the Secretariat, what will happen to general citizens? Whom should we turn to?” he asked.
Speaking of reforms, he mentioned that while there are extensive discussions on structural and administrative matters, there is a notable lack of attention to the foundational aspects of society and the nation compared to the discussions on superstructures.
“Among all the discussions you’ve heard, did anyone address what wages garment workers should receive or how they will be ensured fair wages? The Aman crop is coming in, but will our farmers get fair prices? Do you know how middle-class families will manage to buy greens at 80 taka a bunch? That discussion didn’t surface. Did anyone talk about how employment will be created? What kind of reforms have I seen? What superstructure will you fix if the foundation is not solid? Real empowerment lies in empowering livelihoods,” he added.