Editorial
Utilisation of natural resources
Coordinated policy upholding national interests a must
A roundtable on our endangered power sector and what needs to be done about it in the national interest emphasises once again an issue of vital public concern. In the past many years, the inefficiency as well as corruption that has sapped the strength of the sector has left the country reeling from its effects, to a point where the nation is still paying a price. One cannot but agree with the participants, many of whom echoed the views of large sections of the public when they referred to improper utilisation of natural resources and unbridled corruption in the power sector as realities we must now contend with. With power shortage now well over 2000 megawatts, it is not unnatural that industrial production in the country will be directly affected.
The time has now arrived for the development and implementation of a well-coordinated and comprehensive national policy on natural resources and their utilisation. The refrain that Bangladesh is home to such resources as coal and gas and so can afford not to worry is itself a cause for worry given that such resources are of a finite nature. And if policy making regarding these and other resources is delayed further (as it has been delayed in these past many years), the consequences can only be imagined. Where fruitful utilisation of energy sources is the question, the moment is here and now for the government to develop a negotiating position with foreign companies that will strictly uphold the national interest in the field of exploration, domestic consumption and export. Part of the national interest, one might add, lies in enhancing our domestic exploration capacity as a way of cutting down on dependence on outside expertise.
We share the view of the roundtable participants that a proper policy on natural resources utilisation will uphold the principle that the country is actually for its people. The corruption that has taken a toll already owing to the nefarious roles played in the power sector by bureaucrats, lawmakers and political leaders at the highest levels of government must now be rolled back, and drastically too. But that can be done through the adoption of a proper, foolproof policy vis-à-vis development of natural resources. At the same time, Bangladesh should seriously initiate policies aimed at a development and exploration of alternative sources of energy (basically in the region of solar, bio-gas and wind resources) in order to tackle the compulsions of the future.
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