Will ministers listen to the PM’s directives?

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's pep talk to her new cabinet, at an informal meeting held in Gopalganj, should not be taken with a grain of salt by the ministers concerned. Her instructions included: not wasting money on unnecessary projects; being careful about making public comments so they don't result in controversy; monitoring the progress of projects and ensuring they benefit the people; making sure the public doesn't face hassles while availing services; stopping hoarders from artificially hiking prices; supervising the supply chains; and taking steps to increase the inflow of remittance. The PM also reiterated that her government had zero tolerance for corruption.

One would think it unnecessary to point out the bare minimum required of ministers when serving the people. But, as we all know, even the basic tenets of good governance cannot be taken for granted in this country. Last year, there were reports of how 12 out of 13 projects of Bangladesh Railway completed in 2018-19 fiscal year saw extensions of up to nine-and-a-half years, with more than a 200 percent increase in the costs. Unfortunately, this is hardly the exception and more the rule when it comes to project implementation in Bangladesh. In fact, we cannot think of any major project undertaken in the past term which wasn't marred by poor planning, financial irregularities, and cost overruns and extensions. Let us also not forget the frequent reports of a bridge that leads to nowhere or other infrastructure that were built but could not be used.

Despite admission from government high-ups, including the planning minister himself, that a lack of good governance is undermining the potential of public infrastructure projects, we have not seen any noticeable action from the government to hold those wasting public money accountable. Can we expect to see a change of practice and policy in the new term? We can only hope that the prime minister's pronouncements are not mere rhetoric, but an indication that past infractions and irregularities will not be tolerated in the years to come.

Widescale corruption has practically debilitated almost all public sectors, the most alarming being the state of our banking sector. Thousands of crores of taka in default loans, siphoning of funds from banks by individuals connected to power, and basic lack of governance throughout the financial sector have weakened it to the core. It is high time our policymakers acknowledged that corruption has become a part of the system and has led to gaping holes in all development endeavours.

It goes without saying that, without good governance and accountability, it will be impossible to tackle the challenges the government currently faces. Many of these challenges have been carried over from the last term and will likely get worse, unless there is a dramatic shift in how our policymakers conduct their business. The ministers would do well to heed the prime minister's directives.