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Pervasive social inequalities follow the process of de-democratisation in Bangladesh, according to eminent economist Prof Rehman Sobhan.
"Inequalities in income have transformed into inequalities in politics, which lead to de-democratisation process in Bangladesh," he told a book-unveiling event on Monday.
The Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) hosted the launch of the book styled 'Development Pathways - India, Pakistan and Bangladesh 1947-2022' by Dr Ishrat Hussain.
A number of local luminaries unveiled the book unwrapped at the PRI office in Dhaka.
The author, Dr Hussain, is the former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and former adviser to the Pakistan PM on institutional reforms and austerity.
Speaking as the chair, Prof Sobhan said the terms and conditions of the political market have made it a difficult place for the entry of certain classes.
He said statistics in the country are not reliable.
"So, the numbers we have here at the table are completely meaningless," he said urging the think tanks to find out mechanism for actual income distributions.
In relation to other countries, the economist said the country's Gini coefficient did not look so bad, but inequality was not much discussed here.
Prof Sobhan said the data and statistics completely excluded the highest tier of expenditure because the top-class people did not permit the new entrants.
An analyst of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) would not dare to enter to someone's house living in Gulshan, he observed.
The eminent economist said the business elite set the rules of the country's politics now.
Important issues like the institution of a banking commission and reforms in the banking system have not been discussed in parliament for 15 to 20 years.
He said the business elite sat in parliament and made decisions on these issues. "If checked, the number of members of parliament in defaulted loans may be found quite high."
In his speech, the author of the book said forms of government in these three countries-Bangladesh, Pakistan and India-did not influence growth much until there were stabilities and predictive policies.
However, Dr Hussain said the three countries had many problems in common, including poor governance and weak institutions.
PRI chairman Dr Zaidi Sattar said ready-made garment (RMG), remittance, agriculture and the NGO-government collaboration were drivers of the national economy.
Dual policy-one for RMG and another for other sectors-made Bangladesh the second-largest RMG exporter, he told the event.
Dr Hussain began his career as a bureaucrat in East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh.
A host of his former colleagues, bureaucrats and economists spoke at the event.