Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan on Thursday said corruption in the energy sector often occurred within a framework of supportive laws and flawed policies.
While the interim government had worked to reduce corruption and repaid most of the country $3.2 billion energy debt, he said it lacked sufficient time to undertake deeper reforms, reports UNB.
Speaking at a dialogue, the Adviser acknowledged dissatisfaction with anti-corruption efforts, highlighting that vested interests benefit from corruption and that focus should shift from investigating past misdeeds to addressing present-day corruption.
The Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) hosted the dialogue at the CIRDAP (Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific) auditorium.
Zillur warned that Bangladesh is facing a security crisis which may deepen if elections are not held on time.
He noted that the issues of security, energy, and corruption are interlinked and highlighted the key questions for debate, including the risks posed by great power rivalries, the urgent need for border protection, the modernisation of defence and cybersecurity, the formulation of a national security policy, and the constitutional and legal reforms necessary to combat corruption. Questions were also raised on strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), implementing a realistic anti-corruption strategy, addressing budget loopholes that legalise illicit wealth, ensuring uninterrupted electricity, reducing reliance on energy imports, expanding renewable energy, and increasing transparency in major projects such as the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
Moyeen Khan outlined five key dimensions of security: state, economy, politics, diplomacy, and society.
He stressed that people’s security must come first, encompassing environmental safety, technological challenges, food security, media literacy, and energy. He argued that diversity of thought must be protected and that security should not be viewed merely as protecting those in power.
Badiul Alam emphasized political stability as a cornerstone of national security, underscoring the need for free and fair elections.
He recounted discussions with citizens who admired the parliament building’s beauty but lamented the corruption of those in power.
He argued that corruption has undermined recent elections, warning that without reforming politics and curbing money’s influence, democratic processes cannot function properly.
Muniruzzaman argued that the opportunity to enact meaningful reforms following the recent uprising has already been missed.
He highlighted gaps in Bangladesh’s national security, including the lack of a comprehensive national security policy, unresolved transboundary water disputes, rising sea levels threatening much of the country, and the absence of policies to address these issues.
