Tarique Rahman government has mixed record six months into power

Nearly six months into Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government, the opposition says the administration has failed to deliver key political and institutional reforms, while the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party argues that 180 days is too little time to judge a government confronting decades of accumulated problems.

The competing assessments were laid out by Advocate Shah Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque, speaking from the opposition perspective, and Barrister Abu Sayem, who defended the ruling party’s record in a nearly 30-minute discussion aired on Ekattor TV.

Hoque acknowledged that six months is a relatively short period for any government but argued that it is long enough to determine whether an administration is moving in the direction voters were promised.

“While six months is not a very long time for a government, 180 days is not negligible either,” Hoque said. “As the saying goes, ‘morning shows the day.’ We all know that the government has violated its promises to the people.”

Hoque focused much of his criticism on political and institutional reforms. He said the government had not followed through on expectations surrounding a referendum, constitutional changes and the formation of a Constitution Reform Council.

“Right at the beginning, there was a mandate to hold a referendum and form a Constitution Reform Council to bring about state reforms, but the government has violated this promise,” Hoque said referring to the July Charter. “We believe the government has intentionally and unnecessarily created a crisis, showing disregard for the people’s mandate, which is not a sign of success for any democratic government.”

He also pointed to proposals for an independent judiciary and a Supreme Court Secretariat, saying expectations created by the BNP’s own 31-point reform plan had not been fulfilled.

“In the BNP’s 31-point reform proposal, there was a provision for an independent judiciary and a Supreme Court Secretariat,” Hoque said. “But even after all preparations, they ultimately canceled it. Then there is skepticism regarding the Human Rights Commission and the Enforced Disappearance Commission.”

Hoque acknowledged that the government inherited longstanding problems from previous administrations.

“They certainly have to face them; there is no denying that,” he said, referring to pre-existing political and economic difficulties.

But he argued that inherited problems did not relieve an elected government of responsibility for showing results, particularly after the BNP had said it was prepared to govern.

Hoque cited electricity shortages, load shedding, government borrowing, investment and overseas employment as areas where he said expectations had not been met.

“Look at the nationwide load shedding and electricity crisis that is making people’s lives miserable,” Hoque said. “Today, you will see how much the government is borrowing from banks. Has the government been able to bring in any investment in these six months? We have heard many assurances, but nothing has materialized or started.”

He made a similar argument about efforts to expand employment opportunities for Bangladeshis in Malaysia.

“They met and had diplomatic discussions within these six months, but these are still just assurances or discussions,” Hoque said. “They must be implemented and started in reality.”

Sayem rejected the opposition’s characterization of the government’s record, particularly Hoque’s use of the word “betrayal.”

“We have only crossed 180 days, and if he feels we have betrayed, then I would say he is speaking against the will of the people,” Sayem said.

Sayem said the BNP government was not claiming to have completed its program within six months.

“We are not claiming that we have achieved everything in 180 days,” he said. “But there is no denying that the BNP government has brought about a positive change in the political culture of Bangladesh.”

He said the government remained committed to reforms on which political parties had reached agreement, while arguing that disagreements among parties were unavoidable.

“Since the BNP has formed the government with the public’s mandate, the BNP will implement the ideals of the July uprising in its own way based on those points, and there is nothing wrong with that,” Sayem said.

Sayem pointed to proposed legislation concerning enforced disappearances and human rights as evidence that reform work was underway.

“Look at the draft bills for the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Act and the Human Rights Commission, which have already been drafted,” he said. “These will be debated in parliament between the government and the opposition.”

The two men also differed over how responsibility for Bangladesh’s energy crisis should figure into an assessment of the government.

Hoque argued that power shortages had become severe enough that the government should be judged on its response, even if the underlying problems predated its election.

Sayem said the crisis had multiple causes and required a long-term strategy rather than a short-term political solution.

“The current fuel crisis is not caused by a single specific reason; there are multiple factors behind it,” Sayem said. “I won’t play the blame game about what happened in the past, but to resolve the fuel crisis in Bangladesh, we must formulate and execute a viable long-term plan.”

He said Bangladesh’s dependence on natural gas for electricity generation made the country vulnerable and called for greater attention to alternative and renewable energy sources.

“Electricity in Bangladesh is dependent on gas, but for how long will you depend on gas?” Sayem said. “You have to consider how much gas you get from domestic sources and how much you can import.”

The discussion also turned to allegations of abuses connected to the government’s Family Card program.

Hoque said media reports had alleged sexual assault, extortion, political favoritism and other wrongdoing connected to promises of obtaining Family Cards. He cited reports involving Faridpur, Meherpur, Dhamrai and other areas. The allegations discussed by Hoque were not independently established in the discussion.

Sayem did not dismiss the allegations outright and said any wrongdoing should be investigated.

“I do not want to take a defensive approach of outright denial,” Sayem said. “If anyone deceives or exploits others under the pretext of providing Family Cards or Farmer Cards, as mentioned by Mahfuz bhai, those allegations must be dealt with legally and the perpetrators brought to justice.”

Sayem said the government and BNP were monitoring complaints and that party activists should not control distribution of the programs.

“Under no circumstances will we harbor or tolerate any criminal, extremist, extortionist or terrorist,” he said. “Where incidents have occurred, they have been reported in newspapers and shown on television. I hope the administration will take proper and necessary actions.”

Hoque, meanwhile, argued that development and democratic reform should not be treated as competing priorities.

“You cannot pit development against democracy or democracy against development; we need both,” Hoque said. “You must solve this crisis while also fulfilling the people’s rights and expectations for fundamental reforms and institutional strengthening.”

Sayem’s broader defense was that the government holds a five-year mandate and should be judged over a longer period, while still facing scrutiny from the opposition.

“Where there are mistakes or problems, we must solve them together; the government cannot do it alone,” Sayem said. “If they see major errors, we expect them to fulfill their role as the opposition.”

He argued that many of Bangladesh’s difficulties long predate the current administration.

“The country’s problems did not emerge in a single day; they are 55 years old,” Sayem said. “These problems are deeply rooted not just in our issues but in our very culture.”

The exchange leaves the government with a mixed assessment as it approaches six months in power. Hoque’s argument centers on whether promises have produced measurable results, particularly on institutional reform, electricity, investment and employment. Sayem’s defense rests on the government’s limited time in office, legislative work already underway and the scale of the problems it inherited.

The next phase of the government is likely to make that distinction increasingly important. Six months may be too early for a final verdict on a five-year administration, but it is long enough for the opposition to demand evidence that promises are becoming policy and for the government to begin demonstrating that its plans can produce results.