Dhaka, 12 January (H.S.): Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman stated today that the interim government has effectively surrendered to the bureaucracy. He asserted that it has failed to achieve most of its reform targets pursued under the banner of state restructuring.

The key question remains: why this surrender occurred and where the real weakness lies.

According to a report in The Daily Star, he noted that he lacks a definitive answer, as he is not part of the government's internal decision-making process. Iftekharuzzaman emphasized that while Bangladesh formally has an advisory council or cabinet, it holds no real power.At TIB's office in Dhanmondi 27, he distributed a written statement titled Indifference to Reforms in Defining the Interim Government's Objectives.

He highlighted a clear distinction between formal authority and executive power. Critical decisions, he said, are not made by the advisory council. In reality, they are taken by highly powerful individuals or groups operating within the state machinery.

Referencing the Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, Iftekharuzzaman pointed out that the lack of a clear and strategic commitment to making this body effective exemplifies this broader pattern. If the commission were even minimally allowed to function as envisioned, it would directly challenge entrenched political and institutional corruption, he remarked.

He added, In many cases, subordinates wield more power than their formal superiors. I firmly believe the entire country desires reform.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar