One of the most pressing problem in the country at the time is whether the government is willing to implement policies, said Professor Rehman Sobhan, chairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
He raised the issue on a programme titled “The CPD Journey: Commemorating CPD’s 30th Anniversary” at Brac Centre Inn in Mohakhali area of the capital today (1 December).
“One of the biggest problems is not so much whether policy is wrong or needs to be reformed. Most of the time policies are not implemented and that is implementation failure. So, the real issue is the government’s willingness to implement policy,” said Professor Rehman Sobhan.
At the time, he highlighted the background of the establishment of CPD and its various subsequent activities, especially how CPD has developed into a space for expressing the views of civil society outside the parliament.
He said, political crises should be resolved through dialogue and CPD has always tried to achieve that dialogue.
Professor Rounaq Jahan, distinguished fellow of CPD said, “CPD has shown that good governance is needed for development. CPD has brought to the fore the link between governance and politics.”
CPD has worked to create a platform for holding the governments accountable.
Former minister and BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury today (1 December) highlighted the erosion of citizens’ rights, saying that when the right to vote is stolen, numerous other rights are lost as a consequence.
Barrister Nihad Kabir, former president of MCCI, praised CPD’s contributions to the financial sector, particularly in exploring connectivity and trade potential.
Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star, described CPD as an “authentic source of data,” especially at a time when media outlets face a scarcity of financial and social data for reporting. He also commended CPD’s pre- and post-budget dialogues for opening new avenues of thought.
He also said, in the last 15 years, free-thinking and tolerance of others’ opinions were hit the hardest. Suppressing the right to vote destroys all forms of freedom of expression.
In 15 years, all forms of freedom of expression have been destroyed, which is one of the main reasons behind the fall of the previous government.
Taslima Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment Sramik Sanghati, appreciated CPD’s role in advocating for workers’ rights and fair wages.
Dr Fahmida Khatun, executive director of CPD, moderated the daylong event, which was divided into three sessions. The sessions featured Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Foreign Affairs Adviser M Touhid Hossain, Economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, as well as civil society and business leaders.
