Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud on Sunday said the quality of democracy cannot improve through institutions alone unless political behaviour and political culture also change.
“A parliament elected by the people, a government accountable to that parliament, and independent watchdog institutions are all essential prerequisites. But the real test will always lie in political behaviour — something that cannot change overnight,” he said at an event at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) in the capital.
He said Bangladesh must prioritise an effective democratic transition, stronger accountability systems and a long-term roadmap for building a fair, discrimination-free society.
“The expectations today are modest — we are trying to secure the basic foundations of a representative democratic system. It is unfortunate, yet we must move forward with the hope that a stable and lasting framework for governance will emerge in the new Bangladesh,” he noted.
Nearly five and a half decades after independence, he said, the nation is still striving to establish a functional democratic arrangement that should have been achieved long ago.
The Adviser linked political patronage, youth unemployment and cadre-based politics, emphasising that these intertwined issues cannot be resolved by blaming politics alone.
“Poor-quality education, high dropout rates and youth joblessness are closely tied to why many young people choose political patronage as a livelihood,” he explained.
On the economic front, he cautioned that democratic governance does not automatically ensure development without deep administrative reforms and an end to informal collusion between business and bureaucracy.
“Rules and regulations may help, but their success depends on the behavioural environment — incentives, trust and the social norms within which markets operate,” he said.
Drawing on global experiences, Dr. Wahiduddin noted that market liberalisation has produced differing outcomes across countries. He cited China and Vietnam, where discipline, trust and strong internal accountability systems helped sustain growth. “Administrative accountability must be matched with a sense of responsibility,” he added.
Turning to Bangladesh’s statistical system, he called for greater transparency in data production. Digitalising BBS datasets, he said, would allow researchers and journalists to independently examine national statistics and help improve data quality. “But even then, political will remains crucial. If there is political demand for illicit gains, no regulation alone can prevent it.”
Addressing the goal of creating a discrimination-free society, he said such debates extend beyond political consensus-building platforms like the July Charter or the Consensus Commission.
“Questions of redistribution, social protection, market–state relations and reducing inequality are inherently ideological,” he said. “Parties must articulate these issues clearly in their manifestos.”
He emphasised that no country can prosper without ensuring the minimum livelihood needs of all citizens, which requires both an appropriate economic structure and genuine political commitment.
He concluded that three issues are central in the post–July Revolution period: transitioning to an effective representative democratic system, ensuring that this system supports economic development, and improving the quality of that development.
Source: UNB
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
