The Independent
19th January, 2013
M. Serajul Islam
The
Finance Minister recently, in his by now well known manner of reaction to
critics, expressed his utter exasperation at a particular think tank that we
frequently see in the media making predictions on the country’s economy. His
frustration was that this think tank did not reflect the successes of the
government in economic development; spending most of its time finding faults
with it and its policies.
The
Finance Minister had a good reason for his exasperation and frustration. With
issues of the Padma Bridge debacle, the Hallmark and Destiny frauds and the share
market scam, he has been under pressure like no other Finance Minister in the past. Yet, in the last four years, the
government has earned socio-economic growth that as a Finance Minister, he
should be given credit for and the Government commended. Unfortunately, with
this think tank, there is no such grace for it is more interested in
criticizing the government and very little in highlighting the areas where the
government has succeeded. In fact in his disgust, the Finance Minister
dismissed this think tank as an organization bereft of intellectual competence.
The
Finance Minister is not alone in his frustration with this think tank. His
predecessor in the last BNP Government felt the same way when this think tank
had put him and the BNP Government under similar pressure. In fact, at that
time, this think tank had taken an overtly anti-BNP stance and according to
economists with pro-BNP leanings, also distorted facts and figures to show that
the economy of the country was at peril at the hands of the BNP. It had
indirectly sent a political message to the voters that the BNP needed to be
defeated in the elections and the Awami League voted to power.
Unfortunately,
a majority of our think tanks, like this particular one on which the Finance
Minister expressed his anger use facts and figures of socio-economic development as
ammunition to embarrass the government to attract public attention. They do a
great job in playing politics and also gaining public attention and popularity.
Unfortunately for giving a few individuals at the helm of these organizations a
public platform and public exposure, these think tanks do very little for
furthering the objectives for which they are established. I must admit that I
have not seen the charters of these think tanks but based on common sense, I am
sure their objectives must be study the issues related to socio-economic
development of the country and make recommendations on how to achieve goals in
these sectors for the growth and development of the country.
Think
tanks of course are not executing agencies.
Their studies/recommendations thus meant for the government. Their work
can become meaningful only when the government acts on their studies and
recommendations. Therefore, the best way
for these organizations to live up to their charters is to work with the
government not against it. Unfortunately, instead of working with the
government that is the rational way, most of the think tanks in our country, at
least the leading ones, prefer the
media to reveal their research findings and that too in a manner critical of
the government. More often than not, their findings and recommendations end
embarrassing the government. Thus instead of building a partnership with the
government, the important think tanks place themselves in a role against the
government and behave like an opposition political party leading at times to public show of anger against them
as the Finance Minister did recently.
As
Ambassador to Japan from 2002 to 2006, I found many think tanks in Tokyo working
in different areas of socio-economic and political development, including
foreign affairs. They do extensive research work and in many instances, upon
request or commissioning by the government. The system works two ways. The
think tanks, like think tanks all over the world, do research on their own and
reveal these through publications/ seminars/ conferences where there is
participation by the government that uses these materials for their policy work
in a pro-active and cooperative manner. In fact, these think tanks in Tokyo are
a great help to the respective government ministries because these ministries
do not have the necessary manpower or time to carry out extensive research and
depend on the think tanks for their research needs to help them in making
policies of the government. Often, the
ministries commission these think tanks to carry out research on specific
issues.
The
pattern of relationship between the government and the think tanks in Japan is
also the pattern that exists at other world capitals in more or less the same
manner. It is in Dhaka and in particular with this think tank that drew the
Finance Minister’s wrath that the relationship is an antagonistic one. When the
BNP was in office, its opponents were looking up to this organization for
helping its anti-government role. This time with the AL in power, it is the BNP
and its supporters who are looking up to this organization to further their
cause against the government. In a country where non-partisan people often are
anti-establishment, this think tank also has significant following among those
who do not support either the two mainstream parties. In between all these, the
research/recommendations of the think tanks are wasted and the government is
unable to benefit for their work. Both in their respective ways fail to serve
the cause of the country where cooperation and partnership would have been
beneficial to both and the country.
The
criticisms of the think tanks of the present government and the last BNP
government on issues of social and economic development notwithstanding,
Bangladesh has done very well in these areas of development. No less an
authority on these issues than Noble Laureate Amarta Sen has given Bangladesh very
high marks in these areas of development and has placed Bangladesh ahead of
India. Of course, there is need to mention that there are no two opinions about
the points that the think tanks make, in particular the one that incurred the
Finance Minister’s anger, that in many areas, the government would do better to
take their suggestions to achieve higher rates of socio-economic growth to
transform Bangladesh from an LDC to a middle income country
Nevertheless,
the undeniable fact is that socio-economic development of Bangladesh is on
track despite what think tanks think. It is not the wrong policies of the
government generally that is impeding the country from growing faster. Our
private sector and the NGOs are quite capable of working with the government or
outside it to help Bangladesh grow and they are doing it. Unfortunately, their efforts and those of the
government notwithstanding, Bangladesh is not growing at the rate needed for
socio-economic transformation not because of not following the right policy
options but because of matters of politics; political culture and political
psychology. The politics of conflict between the two mainstream parties is just
not impeding the efforts of the government to achieve Bangladesh’s fullest
potentials in socio-economic growth; it is now threatening to take away all our
modest achievements in these sectors. If the next elections are not held in a
fair manner where all parties would be able to participate, it is not
socio-economic growth that would be our concern. The very future of the country
would be at stake.
It
is time therefore for our think tanks and economists worrying themselves with
socio-economic issues of growth to take rest for a while. It is time for think
tanks and individuals with knowledge of political science; political culture
and political psychology to take the centre stage and give the country the
benefit of their knowledge and expertise. Let them take the centre stage not as
opponents of the government but as partners, and carry out their work not in
the media but in rational ways through networking with the government and the
political parties.
The writer is a retired career
Ambassador and Secretary to the government
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