Interim govt surrendered to bureaucracy, reforms largely missed: TIB chief

The interim government has effectively "surrendered" to the bureaucracy and has failed to meet most of its reform targets undertaken in the name of restructuring the state, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said today.

“The critical question is why this surrender happened and where the real weakness lies,” he said, adding that he did not have a definitive answer as he is not part of the government’s internal decision-making process.

Based on his observations over the past one and a half years, Iftekharuzzaman said that although Bangladesh formally has an advisory council or cabinet, real authority does not lie there.

“There is a visible gap between formal authority and operational power,” he said at a press briefing titled “Reform Apathy in Framing the Objectives of the Interim Government”, held at TIB’s office in Dhanmondi 27.

According to him, decisions on which documents are signed, which clauses remain, and which timelines are accepted or dropped are not ultimately taken by the advisory council.

“These decisions are made by extremely powerful individuals or groups operating within the state machinery,” he said.

He alleged that such actors not only protect their own group interests but also safeguard certain political interests, including those of rival political forces.

“This explains why many reform-oriented provisions are either diluted or excluded altogether,” he said.

Referring to the Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, Iftekharuzzaman said the absence of a clear and strategic commitment to make the body effective reflected this broader pattern.

“If the ACC were allowed to function even minimally as intended, it would directly challenge entrenched political and institutional corruption,” he said.

He added that political leaders and bureaucratic actors who benefit from systemic corruption play a decisive role in obstructing reform initiatives.

“In many cases, subordinate actors become more powerful than their formal superiors,” he said.

Sharing his experience, Iftekharuzzaman said he had engaged with top authorities when reform commissions were first formed.

“I firmly believe that the entire nation wants reform, from ordinary citizens to movement participants and political parties,” he said.

However, he questioned whether resistance to reform was ever properly identified or addressed.

“Alongside those who support reform, there are also forces that oppose it. I did not see evidence that this resistance was systematically mapped or that strategies were adopted to counter it,” he said.

Whether due to deliberate avoidance or institutional incapacity, these issues were sidestepped, he added.

“What we are witnessing today is the consequence of that failure,” he said.