Practice of ‘gayebi mamla’ throws business environment into deep uncertainty: Hossain Zillur Rahman

Former adviser to the caretaker government, Hossain Zillur Rahman, has said that the prevailing practice of filing “gayebi mamla”, lawsuits filed for incidents that did not take place, has pushed the entire business environment of the country into a state of deep uncertainty.

According to him, this has also created a kind of stagnation.

The finance adviser did not allocate anything in the budget to address this issue, Hossain Zillur Rahman remarked today, Sunday, at a budget dialogue organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at a hotel in the capital’s Gulshan area.

Hossain Zillur Rahman, also executive chairman of the private research institute Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), said, “The day before yesterday, a person from Chattogram informed me that yet another case—this time a murder case—had been filed against him. There are 110 accused in that case; he is number 95. With so many fictitious cases being filed, it has become impossible to determine who is genuinely culpable. We have cast a blanket of suspicion over the entire society. In such a situation, people are left with no choice but to stay silent or suffer.”

He further said that not just the finance ministry, but the entire governmental system will have to work together to overcome the stagnation in investment.

If ministries such as the home ministry and the judiciary do not function properly, nothing will change, he said.

He further stated, “It is high time we get angry about these issues—and this is not irrational anger. I would call it a ‘sacred rage,’ the kind that is needed to bring about social change. That moment of showing such anger has arrived. Because I see a peculiar syndrome within this government—what I would call a new kind of ‘Kumbhakarna syndrome’: they hear but do not respond.”

Hossain Zillur emphasised that political initiative is crucial to take bold decisions in the budget.

He said that some people are saying that there are four economists in the current advisory council. Even so, why was the budget so conventional?

According to him, even if every member of the council were an economist, nothing exceptional would have happened—because bold decisions require political courage.

CPD’s distinguished fellow Mostafizur Rahman chaired the event, with the keynote paper presented by CPD executive director Fahmida Khatun.

BNP’s assistant international affairs secretary Rumeen Farhana, BGMEA senior vice-president Enamul Haque Khan, Agrani Bank chairman Syed Abu Naser Bakhtiar Ahmed, and BTMA president Showkat Aziz attended the programme as special guests.

Other speakers included Socialist Labour Front president Rajekuzzaman Ratan, and the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) president Daulat Akhtar.

In her keynote presentation, CPD executive director Fahmida Khatun noted that the 2025–26 budget is exceptional in one way: it is smaller in size.

However, she pointed out, the budget lacks discussion of how proposed initiatives for the public will actually be implemented.

According to her, overall, the budget has failed to provide direction for tackling current economic challenges.

Fahmida Khatun recommended a mid-year review of the proposed budget six months down the line.

BTMA president Showkat Aziz expressed, “We are going through a very uncomfortable time. Beautiful models are being created—one such model is: if someone loots money, Bangladesh Bank will deliver that looted money back to the banks. The banks have looted, and we are paying for it through high interest rates. You (the government) will take extra money from us to subsidise stolen funds—this is unacceptable.”

He further stated, “So far, neither a single bank official nor any guilty customer has gone to jail. Because the more money someone has, the bigger the thief, the more transparent they appear—that’s the reflection we’re seeing.”