By The Numbers
An auspicious start
New faces in the cabinet.Photo: STAR
THE new government begins its journey with a new vision of change amid huge expectations from the people for easing their enormous woes. The people of Bangladesh have spoken in a resounding voice that they keenly look forward to put an end of the corruption and misrule of the past. Sheikh Hasina, sworn in as the 12th prime minister of the country following the landslide victory of her party in the ninth parliamentary polls, once again renewed her pledges for curbing the spiraling prices of essentials and maintaining a stable law and order situation. She also assured farmers, who are growing boro paddy this season, of providing fertiliser and other essentials. The new cabinet is not only pleasantly small but also composed of new faces, many of whom are first-timers not only in the government but also in parliament. Her mission to bring about change has got an auspicious start in comprising her cabinet of people with clean image and good track record, leaving aside most of the bigwigs in her party. On the count of experience, the new cabinet may fall short of the expectations of many. But there are reasons to be optimistic, as none whose name is linked to crime and corruption is in this cabinet. Judiciously applying their merit, wisdom and sagacity, the first-timers of this cabinet also can deliver the good to the nation better than those of the experienced corrupt. It is an encouraging development that in a bid to boost boro production in the coming season, the new government has decided to reduce diesel price and increase subsidy on fertiliser in its maiden cabinet meeting held on January 7. Meeting its strong commitment to bring down the price of essentials, including rice, largely depends on boro production. The new government of Sheikh Hasina will have to meet a myriad of challenges to set many things right. The very real need of the hour is containing price spiral of essentials, tackling power crisis, combating corruption, and maintaining of law and order. Sheikh Hasina in her post poll press briefing on December 31, however, disclosed her priority list that includes bringing down the prices of essentials within people's reach and alleviation of poverty. She also sought cooperation of all, including the opposition and other political parties, in establishing a new political culture to build a developed, modern, and poverty-free Bangladesh. The voters have set five priority agendas for the new government to address: inflation, corruption, food security, crime, law and order, and education, as revealed by the US-based International Republican Institute, working worldwide for advancing electoral democracy. IRI conducted the countrywide exit poll for the first time in Bangladesh, covering 150 constituencies. The ten economic challenges for the new government, identified by the Centre for Policy Dialogue, are very much real, with 2009 projected to be tough year all over the world. The damage done to the economy during the past seven years is so serious that prudent government intervention and careful regulation is a must. The new government will inherit $1.8 billion extra foreign loan burden, as the country's foreign loan stood at $20.4 billion on September 30, posting a 9.67 percent growth from $18.6 billion two years back. The burden of foreign loan was more or less the same at the end of 2008. The Foreign Aid Budget Accounts department data revealed that foreign loan stood at $15.88 billion when AL government left power in 2001-02 fiscal. The BNP-led four-party alliance government added $2.72 billion or 17.12 percent additional foreign loan burden on the people during its five-year rule from 2001 to 2006. Though the burden of foreign loan and the current foreign currency reserve of $5.32 billion can be a reason for slight discomfort for the new government, it should feel the comfort of starting its journey with a pretty healthy stock of food grains. The food grain stock stood at 12.6 lakh metric tons on January 6, while a stock of 8-10 lakh metric tons is considered a safe reserve in the present context of the country. Staying in touch with the concerns and expectations of the common people is the paramount importance for a government that has come to power winning a resounding victory. Therefore, the new government must strive to stay connected with the people who have installed it in the office and also remember that it takes little for the people to become disillusioned.
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