Government has set examples of mismanagement and incompetence in 180 days: Nahid Islam

The first 180 days of the BNP government have largely demonstrated ‘incompetence, mismanagement, shortsightedness and dishonesty’, said Nahid Islam, National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and the Chief Whip of the Opposition in Parliament.

He stated that the government is returning to old fascist and authoritarian structures. It has been proven in these 180 days that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has no plan whatsoever to run the country.

Nahid Islam made these remarks on Monday afternoon during an emergency press conference at the temporary central office of the NCP in Banglamotor, Dhaka. The press conference was organised by the Policy and Research Sub-Committee of the NCP to "highlight the failures of the ruling BNP government in its 180 days."

During the press conference, Nahid Islam read out a booklet titled "180 Days of the BNP Government: Return to Old Politics from Promises of Change—Mismanagement, Incompetence, Lack of Planning."

The booklet was written to mark the 180 days of the government. Assessing the government's 180 days overall, it was stated that immediately after assuming power, at the first cabinet meeting held on 17 February, the government set three priorities for 180 days. Keeping commodity prices under control, improving the law and order situation and normalising the supply of electricity and fuel.

After six months, data and ground-realities show that the government has failed miserably in each of these three priorities. Factories are closing down due to the energy crisis and workers are losing their jobs, while farmers are forced to buy fertilizers at high prices.

Evaluating the government, Nahid Islam said that the unprecedented crisis of fuel oil, gas and electricity has severely disrupted industrial production, the agricultural sector and the lives of ordinary people.

The prices of daily essentials have increased, loan sharks and looters of the banking sector are returning and old syndicates in the consumer goods and import markets have become active, with the BNP joining them as a new partner.

He also linked what he described as five months of inactivity by the Anti-Corruption Commission with the return of “looters and market syndicates”.

The Chief Whip of the Opposition noted that various reforms left behind by the interim government at the institutional level (such as the Human Rights Commission, the Enforced Disappearance Prevention Act and the Supreme Court Secretariat) are being canceled one by one.

He stated that in place of these, more ineffective and weaker laws are being formulated. Throwing the much-publicised 31 points and electoral manifesto into the bin, shameless politicisation and nepotism have been widely expanded in state institutions.

He stated that no visible progress is seen regarding the trials for the July genocide. Trials, medical treatment and rehabilitation of martyr families and injured individuals are absent from the priority policies set by the government.

Nahid Islam accused ruling party leaders and activists of continuously increasing attacks and filing cases against the opposition, differing opinions and journalists. He alleged that administrative officials are also facing harassment. He stated that in the vast majority of cases, instead of the attackers, the victims of the attacks are being legally harassed.

He alleged that the police are once again being turned into a partisan force. By not taking the oath of the Constitution Reform Council, the government has broken its electoral promise and the July Charter. The first 180 days of the BNP government have primarily created examples of incompetence, mismanagement, shortsightedness and dishonesty.

The booklet mentioned various topics across multiple chapters, including economic mismanagement, the energy crisis and the surge in commodity prices, disrupted production and job risks for workers due to the gas crisis, the electricity crisis and record load shedding, farmers' harassment and fertilizer shortages, economic misrule, bank seizures and market syndicates, increased costs and looting arrangements in mega projects, the cancellation of essential drug pricing policies, managerial failures during the measles epidemic, oppression of the opposition, interference in freedom of speech, harassment and cases against journalists, ignoring the public mandate of the referendum, politicization of state institutions, political nepotism and the RAB in a new guise. Detailed assessments of these issues were presented.

During the press conference, top NCP leader Nahid Islam accused the government of returning to old fascist and authoritarian structures.

In response to a journalist's question, he said, "It has been proven in the first 180 days that Tarique Rahman has no plan whatsoever to run the country. He has merely assumed power and, according to old plans, according to the plans and policies of the fascists, he is running the country and driving it toward destruction."

Nahid Islam remarked that the government has utterly failed to establish the rule of law overall. On the other hand, he claimed that the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, particularly the NCP as part of the opposition, has played a responsible role over the past six months.

Nahid Islam said, "We believe that we have behaved very responsibly from the position of the opposition. The change that should have been brought into the political culture has been brought by the opposition. The government has responded to that by gouging out the eye of one of our brothers. One person has died in Gaibandha and attacks are taking place in various places."

Nahid Islam views the propaganda that the opposition is actually failing or weak as a "tactic by the government to cover up its failures." He stated that they are constantly showing the people of the country where the government is making mistakes and breaking promises.

While they will demonstrate this to the people on a policy level, they will simultaneously resist it politically. If the government continues to walk that path, it will face a massive mass movement.

Nahid Islam stated that the 11-party alliance will soon hold long-marches across five to six divisions, followed by a grand rally in Dhaka. Through that grand rally, they will deliver a major message to the government.

Following that, if a stricter movement becomes necessary, they will announce it. Meanwhile, the NCP is also continuing its programs at the upazila, district, and metropolitan levels according to its capacity.

Regarding the press conference held in Delhi on 5 August by Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death by a verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal, Nahid Islam believes it would not have been possible without the cooperation or backing of the Indian government.

He said that allowing the Awami League to conduct activities while simultaneously maintaining diplomatic relations with Bangladesh is actually impossible. They consider this to be conflicting and hypocritical.

Nahid Islam remarked that a new relationship must be established by re-evaluating India-Bangladesh relations over the past 15 years only upon receiving guarantees that Delhi will not allow the Awami League to conduct activities, will not harbor Sheikh Hasina there, that the Indian government will respect Bangladesh's judicial system and democracy and that the murderers of Osman Hadi will be handed back.

He stated that with the Ganges Treaty expiring this year, it is possible to establish a new relationship with India based on ensuring Bangladesh gets its fair share of water, preventing push-ins at the border, and stopping border killings.

Nahid Islam said, "Before these matters begin, if Tarique Rahman goes to Delhi once again where Sheikh Hasina is staying, what will that actually signify? How will the people of Bangladesh or the world view it? We believe this is not just about Tarique Rahman. It will be a humiliating event for Bangladesh. The message will go out that Bangladesh cannot stand tall in terms of an independent foreign policy or sovereignty."

NCP Political Council member Saleh Uddin Sifat conducted the event.