Political stability is essential for national security. While there have been various reform commissions, no commission has been formed on national security, as well as the ongoing reform process has not been able to create any solutions.
Speakers, including politicians, security analysts, and representatives of civil society, came up with these observations at a programme titled “Dialogue for Democratic Reconstruction” organised by the Center for Governance Studies (CGS) at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday.
Addressing the event, Badiul Alam Majumdar said, “If there is no political stability, national security will be disrupted. At the same time, both the political domain and the electoral arena must be kept clean. If we cannot eradicate corruption in these two areas, then political stability will not be achieved.”
The stability of the state depends on how far corruption has been eliminated, he added.
Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) president ANM Muniruzzaman said that the foundation of any state lies in its arrangements for national security.
Although there have been various reform commissions, no commission has ever been formed on such an important issue as national security, he pointed out.
According to him, no national strategic policy has been formulated for national security in the country.
Citing water security as a major aspect of national security for a deltaic country, the retired Maj. Gen. warned, “If we cannot resolve transnational issues, we will face major threats. Already, the climate crisis has reached the stage of a security risk.”
Muniruzzaman also said, “I have learned that some unequal military agreements have been signed. The interim government should cancel those.”
BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan called for patience in the midst of ongoing political disputes.
“There may be differences of opinion among political parties. We will sit face-to-face and talk about those. There is nothing to quarrel about here. If we do not maintain mutual trust, then I believe no reform will work,” he said.
“We must not be impatient. A free and fair election will be held next February—all political parties in Bangladesh have agreed on this. Whoever the voters choose, they will form the government,” he added.
Criticising the ongoing reform process, Abdul Moyeen Khan said, “Much discussion has taken place about reforms. The reform process that is underway in Bangladesh also needs to be reformed. The process has been going on for more than a year. We made a July declaration. But we could not reach consensus on the July charter.”
Adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Fozul Kabir Khan, said, “Corruption has been carried out through laws and policies in this country. The laws that were supposed to prevent corruption were themselves used to make corruption safe. We have dismantled the structure of corruption in the ministry. The three ministries have saved Tk 450 billion (45,000 crore) by scrapping unnecessary projects. Amid this, foreign arrears in the energy sector have also been paid.”
Stressing the need for renewable energy for energy security, Fozul Kabir Khan said that to meet the gas shortage, the country is becoming increasingly dependent on LNG imports, which are expensive and put pressure on foreign exchange reserves.
Therefore, plans have been made to launch renewable energy projects, especially rooftop solar projects, so that power generation can increase at the level of schools, colleges, and hospitals, he added.
Referring to lobbying by politicians, the energy affairs adviser said, “Many come with requests. They say, we could not do anything for 16 years. Please give us a chance now.”
Identifying bureaucracy and corruption as major problems, the adviser said, “We always investigate past corruption. We do not investigate which secretary or which official is engaged in corruption now. From now on, the focus must be on present corruption.”
Senior researcher at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies, Shafqat Munir, said, “We have no national security structure. So, creating a few positions will not ensure national security.”
Commenting that the character of the state is still fragile, AB Party Chairman Mujibur Rahman Monju said, “Our security risks are so serious that such threats can paralyse us. While the developed world is planning for the future, we are still stuck with problems like sanitation and drug addiction.”
Rastro Songskar Andolan (State Reform Movement) chief coordinator Hasnat Kaiyum said, “The central place of national security is the state and politics. The most urgent issue of national security is how much we are able to ensure internal security.”
Noting that cybersecurity is also a major issue for national security, CGS executive director Parvez Karim Abbasi said, “Cybersecurity is not just an information technology issue; it is now one of the most important issues of national security. If there are weaknesses here, the digital infrastructure of our important institutions will remain at risk.”
Moderated by CGS president Zillur Rahman, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Bangladesh JASAD) general secretary Nazmul Haque Prodhan, Consumer Association of Bangladesh (ACB) energy adviser M Shamsul Alam, Dhaka University’s International Relations professor Niloy Ranjan Biswas, Gano Forum executive president Subrata Chowdury, The Business Standard editor Inam Ahmed, Energy & Power Magazine editor Molla Amzad Hossain, Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s central publicity and dawah secretary Sheikh Fazlul Karim Maruf, Gono Odhikar Parishad spokesperson Md Faruk Hasan, and Khelafat Majlis general secretary Ahmad Abdul Kader, among other, spoke at the event.