The country’s banking sector has been completely destroyed by the government in the last 15 years, Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna said Saturday.
“The government has handed over control of the banks to its oligarchic business groups. Meanwhile, the rise in dollar price by Tk7 will increase the price of goods. In fact, the main reason for the economic disaster in Bangladesh is due to the authoritarian rule of the government,” he said at a seminar titled “Economic Disaster and Authoritarian Rule” organised by Nagorik Oikya at the Dhaka Reporters Unity Saturday.
Manna also alleged that in the last 15 years, about Tk11 lakh crore have been laundered out of the country under the cover of import-export trade, at a rate of Tk64,000 crore per year.
“Imports were limited to overcome the foreign reserve crisis, but the laundering could not be stopped,” he added.
“Another tool to take money out of people’s pockets is the power sector, where the demand charge and metre rent have to be borne by the customer.
“Even though the electricity metre is bought by a consumer themself, the rent has to be paid to the government every month. But even after this, the debt of the government in this sector has exceeded Tk44 thousand crore,” Manna further added.
Speaking at the seminar, Dhaka University Law Department Professor Asif Nazrul said the “so-called opposition parties” in the parliament lack the capacity to pose logical questions.
“These parliamentarians do not hold the government accountable. They cannot question the government on capacity charges, quick rentals, and the excessive costs of projects in the power sector,” he said.
“According to the constitution, the government does not possess its own funds. It is meant to serve the country with the people’s money. Governments should not rule over the people or facilitate money laundering,” he added.
“The government justifies the high costs of development projects by citing the softness of the country’s soil. However, what connection exists between soft soil and the prices of pillows, bolts, and the laundering of significant amounts of money? The so-called opposition parties in parliament lack the ability to pose such logical questions.”
Nagorik Oikya General Secretary Shahidullah Kaiser, Presidium Member Mominul Islam, and others also spoke at the seminar.
