Govt showing lack of political courage: CPD

The government is showing a lack of political courage in carrying out long-delayed and much-needed institutional reforms, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue.

One of the biggest areas where the government is demonstrating a lack of political firmness is the ninth pay scale for government employees.

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“Look, it has been six months, and you still have not been able to make a decision on salaries and allowances. Why have you not been able to do so? There is one major issue, and that is your financial capacity.”

There could be a shortfall of Tk 140,000 crore against the revenue target set in the current budget, he said while presenting a paper on six months of the BNP-led government at its office in Dhaka.

“But you have built a magnificent palace [the budget] through which air does not circulate -- you should have known about these things six months ago.”

The government could initially have introduced a 20-25 percent special allowance instead of delaying the matter.

It could then have taken some more time to make a comprehensive decision, but now the government has no option but to do something substantial.

“The government did not show the political courage to implement the pay increase gradually, although it had the opportunity to do so from the very beginning.”

I want to give them [BNP] an A, but circumstances pull them towards a B. There is a lot of noise, but no music. We have to move towards music.

Debapriya Bhattacharya

He acknowledged that the government employees have not had a pay rise in 10 years.

“So, you cannot wish it away. You cannot simply ignore it. And the longer you delay, the more complicated the situation will become. As a result, the government’s other activities will also be hampered and disrupted.”

Assessing the government’s performance over the past six months, he said: “I want to give them an A, but circumstances pull them towards a B. There is a lot of noise, but no music. We have to move towards music.”

A survey has found that the prime minister is currently more popular than the government, he said.

“The prime minister’s personal popularity is there. Whether he can use that popularity to show political courage, put members of his own party on the right track and properly manage the bureaucracy -- that is what I see as the biggest challenge.”

There is an acute need for effective coordination and collective action within the two-and-a-half-tier government, involving 64 people.

“We are saying these things now to ensure their success. Because if they fail, we fear that Bangladesh could face various kinds of disasters.”