Managing the crisis thru unity

Bangladesh is facing a major crisis due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has disrupted the oil supply chain and driven up prices. Despite temporary ceasefire, the oil shock will make the already vulnerable economic conditions more fragile. It will be truly challenging for the government to address the socio-economic disturbances in the coming days. At such a critical juncture, elected lawmakers are expected to join hands as a gesture of unity to inspire citizens. Unfortunately, there is no sign of progress so far.

Though the government has taken several austerity measures to address the looming crisis, it has not yet invited other political parties for consultation. The opposition parties are also not showing interest in overcoming the crisis by offering suitable suggestions. It might appear to many that neither the government nor the opposition is serious about addressing the socio-economic crisis, which has the potential to intensify in the coming days.

Instead, the government seems to delegitimise the referendum verdict, which was validated by around 70 per cent 'Yes' votes. The referendum was framed as consent to implement various constitutional reform measures under the July National Charter. Opposition parties, however, are pressing to adopt the proposed reforms by amending the constitution. The two sides are now fighting over the referendum verdict as if there are no other problems in the country.

As the government's immediate task is to address the energy crisis stemming from the Iran war, it has a valid argument to suspend talks on the referendum and constitutional reforms for now. It may also seek cooperation of the opposition in Parliament by setting a clear deadline. However, any attempt to ignore the people's verdict is unfortunate and illegitimate.

The government is moving to scrap various ordinances issued by the Yunus-led interim government to implement comprehensive reforms across the fiscal, judicial, and administrative spheres. A special committee of the National Parliament recommended approving 113 ordinances, but suggested ignoring four and not immediately presenting 16 as bills in the house. These 16 ordinances will be re-examined and revised before introduction as new bills. As a result, the effectiveness of 20 ordinances ended after April 10.

The ordinances related to the appointment of Supreme Court judges and the establishment of the Supreme Court Secretariat were nullified in parliament last week. Moreover, the fate of 16 ordinances, including those related to the National Human Rights Commission, the prevention of enforced disappearances, strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the separation of fiscal policy and fiscal management, will be determined later.

These moves send wrong signal to people. Civil society organisations and rights activists have already protested the government's decision. By scrapping the Supreme Court-related ordinances, the government shows its unwillingness to make the judicial system more efficient and seeks to maintain political influence over judiciary, as did the ousted Hasina regime. Instead of scrapping the ordinances now, the government might re-examine them. Deferring 16 ordinances puts the fate of necessary institutional reforms into uncertainty. As the government has the right to re-examine these ordinances thoroughly, it needs to make a clear statement on this.

Reform of the judiciary and administration are tough tasks, as the vested political-bureaucratic nexus seeks to keep the existing system intact. After winning the 9th parliamentary election in December 2008, the Awami League government quickly scrapped some reform measures introduced by the army-backed caretaker government. For instance, the Better Business Forum (BBF) and Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC), formed by the caretaker government, were abolished by the Hasina government in 2009. A similar trend is visible now.

Be it constitutional reform or energy crisis, the country now needs unified efforts to address it for the greater interest of the nation. As the country has started a new journey after the July uprising, which was marked by bloodshed and intimidation and a series of chaos and mob violence in the post-July period, there is an opportunity to advance the nation by building unity with diversity.     

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