State Reform Held Hostage by Power Politics, Bureaucratic Obstruction
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has stated that the unprecedented potential for establishing an accountable governance system, created by the July Mass Uprising, is now trapped in current power politics and a bureaucratic vicious cycle. In a press release on Friday, the anti-corruption watchdog observed that due to a lack of strategic action plans, moral courage, and compromises with bureaucratic resistance, the interim government failed to establish a solid foundation for state reform. Consequently, following the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the monopolistic control and transfer of power within legal, institutional, and bureaucratic structures have severely threatened state reform and the implementation of the July National Charter.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman remarked that despite winning the election as pro-referendum forces with explicit commitments in their 31-point outline and manifesto to implement the July Charter to the letter, newly elected MPs created profound uncertainty by refraining from taking the oath as members of the proposed Constitutional Reform Council. As a result, state reform through constitutional amendment, legislative, and institutional processes now depends entirely on the absolute whims of the ruling coalition. Meanwhile, the opposition alliance has similarly abandoned its supporting role in public-interest state reforms, engaging instead in narrow political pursuits for self-gain, while the victorious major political party’s unrestrained transfer of control through extortion, land-grabbing, and politicization under an ‘it’s our turn now’ approach has rendered state reform virtually impossible.
Analyzing legislative actions, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman pointed out that out of 133 ordinances issued by the interim government, the current administration enacted a large portion into law, selectively retaining ordinances that excessively strengthened executive power without accountability, while repealing or suspending those facilitating democratic checks. He stated that by repealing the Supreme Court Secretariat (Amendment) Ordinance and the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance, the government took a stance directly contrary to judicial independence. Furthermore, despite consensus among all political parties, the government failed to pass amendments to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Ordinance and reverted to the 2004 law, blocking the resolution of the ACC’s long-standing public distrust.
Highlighting further structural setbacks, the TIB Executive Director noted that the new law replacing the repealed National Human Rights Commission Ordinance conflicts with international standards and public aspirations for a truly independent body. Additionally, the Enforced Disappearances Prevention and Redress Ordinance was repealed, and new legislation was enacted that protects agencies primarily responsible for human rights violations. Despite widespread discussions regarding the dissolution of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the agency notorious for past rights abuses has been granted even greater empowerment under a new name, while no visible initiative has been taken to form an independent Police Commission.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman also drew attention to ethical governance standards, noting that despite unanimous agreement to declare and regularly update the asset statements of all elected public representatives within three months of taking office, no such directive or practice has been observed among current MPs after taking their oaths. He questioned how the government and political parties forgot the dire consequences of stripping accountability from state power structures, including the judiciary, law enforcement, the ACC, and the Human Rights Commission, so shortly after suffering under authoritarian rule.
In conclusion, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman emphasized that the July Charter was formulated based on the bitter experiences of past authoritarianism, with major political parties previously reaching a consensus in the broader public interest. However, driven by the allure of exercising absolute majoritarian power, the ruling party has taken a path contrary to those lessons, bypassing public aspirations behind the July movement and moving toward an unaccountable executive structure, while the opposition remains absorbed in narrow pursuits of political self-interest.
