US STATE DEPARTMENT: 'Corruption key barrier for FDI in Bangladesh'

[Bilal9]

I solely blame our bureaucrat system for our lower ranks. I know the government has tried to reform it but as they call the shots to keep power and influence centralized they do not want to let that happen.

Our politicians are to be blamed for many other aspects but when it comes to red tape I do not blame them here, as this has been going on since 90s. Strong reform is needed in this sector, Bureaucracy wants power to be centralized to Dhaka for their own benefit. Government can start with empowering local governments to start off with to reduce their influence. Why an investment decision of Feni has to come to Dhaka.

Short answer is - no one with any brains, exposure, cosmopolitanism or business sophistication lives in Feni. Sounds Harsh but it is what it is.

Feni locals will not take the right decisions because qualified people all want to live in Dhaka and they do.

I am sorry, but since cultural and educational heart of Bangladesh is in Dhaka, so is business and bureaucratic decision making.

Educated people aren't willing to move to Feni which is an educational and cultural backwater.

But - I provide two counterpoints.

A. In the age of the Internet, and Feni being a three/four hour drive away, Feni MAY BE just as good as Dhaka and educated people may be enticed to live there with better salaries and more posh living standards (which may already be true to some extent).

B. For the time being - rather than having a binary black/white approach, we can take a hybrid 'shades of gray' approach. We can let Feni people make SOME decisions (like funding local policing with Dhaka oversight), while others can be made in Dhaka. This can be gradually expanded toward complete de-centralization of decision making, except major ones. Kind of like Australian and USA Federal/State models.

 

[Rushd Alam]

Short answer is - no one with any brains, exposure, cosmopolitanism or business sophistication lives in Feni. Sounds Harsh but it is what it is.

Feni locals will not take the right decisions because qualified people all want to live in Dhaka and they do.

Bro, obviously Not at its current state. First local government has to be strengthend to facilitate the functions. Skilled workers have to be employed.

That will create the decentralization and people will not try to move to Dhaka. New investments infrastructures will develop outside Dhaka, this will strengthen our growth.

A bu

I am sorry, but since cultural and educational heart of Bangladesh is in Dhaka, so is business and bureaucratic decision making.

Educated people aren't willing to move to Feni which is an educational and cultural backwater.

But - I provide two counterpoints

What I meant was all local governments be it barisal be in Chapainawabganj, we should decentralise part of decision making to local governments. Dhaka can make big decisions but why for a setup of a small industry a businessowner have to come to dhaka, why cant he get the decision and approval from say noakhali local government.

 

[Rushd Alam]

B. For the time being - rather than having a binary black/white approach, we can take a hybrid 'shades of gray' approach. We can let Feni people make SOME decisions (like funding local policing with Dhaka oversight), while others can be made in Dhaka. This can be gradually expanded toward complete de-centralization of decision making, except major ones. Kind of like Australian and USA Federal/State models.

Totally agree with this. Thats what my point was, decentralisation of bureaucratic work.

Educated people aren't willing to move to Feni which is an educational and cultural backwater.

If government employs them I know for a fact they will even move to hill tracts. Millions are after gov jobs. I have friends who went to big medicals in BD, they now work for gov in regional medicals.

 

[UKBengali]

I solely blame our bureaucrat system for our lower ranks. I know the government has tried to reform it but as they call the shots to keep power and influence centralized they do not want to let that happen.

Our politicians are to be blamed for many other aspects but when it comes to red tape I do not blame them here, as this has been going on since 90s. Strong reform is needed in this sector, Bureaucracy wants power to be centralized to Dhaka for their own benefit. Government can start with empowering local governments to start off with to reduce their influence. Why an investment decision of Feni has to come to Dhaka.

Like I say it is not that important at this time.

BD economy is still growing fast and expected to do so till 2035 by all respected economic forecasters.

"Ease of doing buisness" will anyway massively improve in BD as infrastructure and computerisation reaches far greater heights.

BD now has the best secondary education in S Asia according to a recent report but in higher education it is still behind even Pakistan. Will be interesting to see where it is in 2030 in this sector.

People are worrying about a non-issue when compared to the massive inflation that is rampaging through the world.

 

[SD 10]

Constant meddling of US in Bangladesh..looks like Bangladesh have something that US wants and now Bangla are in the crosshairs....tread very lightly Bangladesh, you guys have a good thing going on!

 

[bluesky]

Totally agree with this. Thats what my point was, decentralisation of bureaucratic work.


If government employs them I know for a fact they will even move to hill tracts. Millions are after gov jobs. I have friends who went to big medicals in BD, they now work for gov in regional medicals.

Decentralization does not mean that bureaucrats are employed by the only govt of Bangladesh in Dhaka and the employees go to work in their places of appointment.

If the definition of decentralization is such, then BD is already decentralized throughout all the small districts and sub-division/Thana towns.

BD will probably remain the only country forever without Provinces or Provincial govts. Even a tiny SL has nine Provinces. No political party has ever said anything about bringing changes in the administrative system.

 

[BananaRepublicUK]

We have had this conversation before and we do not agree on this one area.

Not everything done by the private sector can be more efficient.

Even ultra-capitalist USA has tax to gdp ratio of around 25%. - BD should aim for around this figure in the 2040s.

I would be happy with around 30% max.

USA is a corporate welfare state. Big businesses get massive subsidies.

And big transfer of money from Democrat controlled states to Republican controlled states.

Not what I want in BD.

Any money raised above the 10% threshold always ends up misused.

E.g. corporate welfare, military, graft etc