Refrain from partisan appointments

If manifestos are visions, the steps that a ruling party takes in its first weeks in government signal its mission and the direction it intends for the country. Therefore, it is crucial for the BNP, which formed the government two weeks ago with a large mandate through a credible election, to be mindful of its actions and assess if they align with its election manifesto, the 31-point programme, and the July charter commitments, as well as what Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said in his first address to the nation.

Good governance and measures to restructure “all constitutional, statutory and public institutions” to “reinstate transparency, accountability, and credibility that transcend parochial political lines” are an integral part of BNP’s manifesto and 31-point programme. However, some of the recent decisions by the BNP government appear inconsistent with these pledges. The appointment of the new central bank governor is one: it raises concerns that political considerations may have influenced the choice since he was a member of BNP’s election steering committee during the 13th general election.

As the country’s key financial regulator, the central bank should have been headed by a non-partisan professional with solid experience in formulating monetary policy. Its autonomy and independence are more crucial now when the global economy stands at the brink of a major disruption because of the war in the Middle East. Sadly, the government’s decision seems to lack foresight. In fact, the recent changes in another key institution send a similarly worrying signal. Last week, the chairman and two members of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) were allegedly asked to “step down voluntarily,” with immediate effect. This is incomprehensible because the former ACC leadership took uncharacteristically bold steps to crack down on the nexus of oligarchs, politicians, and phantom corporations that were involved in complex financial laundering operations during Sheikh Hasina’s regime.

There is also a lack of transparency in the way the above incidents unfolded. To fight corruption, the government’s first priority should have been to keep these two key institutions, as well as other oversight bodies, including the National Human Rights Commission and the Election Commission, depoliticised. As the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) recently pointed out, appointments to these institutions must be based on competence, not political consideration. Therefore, we urge the government to practise what they preached and ensure that appointments do not simply follow party preferences. Also, in line with TIB’s recommendation, it should enact a new law to establish a truly independent police commission. These initial days of the government are also the time for BNP to set standards in the fight against corruption by taking hard decisions, rising above party interests, even if that requires retracting previous actions.