Hey there! Unfortunately I couldn't attend the event, but I would really appreciate if you could address any or all of these questions during the discussion. Thanks in advance for considering them.
1. Why does the government continue to pour money into state-owned sugar and jute mills despite their decades-long history of losses and mismanagement? The focus should be on privatization instead. It's ironic that while they criticize others for wasteful projects, they're perpetuating the same inefficiencies.
2. What justifies giving the central bank more control over private banks when the majority of non-performing loans are concentrated in public sector banks? The central bank's existing arbitrary powers may have contributed to the banking sector's problems. Wouldn't it be better to create a system where depositors have legal recourse to hold their banks accountable, rather than relying solely on central bank oversight?
3. In this new Bangladesh, will there be reforms to limit the sweeping powers of the central bank and Securities Commission? Currently, these regulators can act as judge, jury, and executioner, with the ability to arrest market participants without going through proper judicial processes.
4. Instead of establishing another anti-corruption commission with broad powers, why not adopt a system similar to the U.S. qui tam laws? These laws allow citizens to sue on behalf of the government when they discover fraud against taxpayers, and receive a portion of the recovered funds. The usual excuse about lacking implementation capacity rings hollow – after all, how is the current proposal to assemble an impartial, competent anti-corruption team any more realistic?
5. Why insist on having inefficient state-owned enterprises handle gas exploration and extraction when we could issue private gas leases? We could even implement mandatory local gas reserve requirements, similar to Western Australia's model. If highly efficient, low-corruption governments like Australia's don't believe they have the expertise to develop gas fields directly, why does Bangladesh's government think it can do better? Is this driven by ideological commitment to state control, institutional inertia, or simply the desire to maintain opportunities for rent-seeking?
6. Why isn't the government applying the same efficiency standards to public sector employees as it did to private sector workers? The administration showed no hesitation in shutting down Beximco factories and laying off over 30,000 workers. Where is that same drive for efficiency when it comes to underperforming government employees? Did public sector workers suddenly become more competent under the new administration?
7. Will the government hire more contract judges to address the growing backlog in the court system? And why aren't more businesses utilizing alternative dispute resolution methods instead of relying solely on overcrowded government courts?
8. What is the status of the merchant-centric electricity production model? When will the government finalize and implement rules for merchant licensing and guidelines for Commercial & Industrial Power Purchase Agreements? Will state-owned power plants continue to receive subsidies, forcing private sector players to compete against heavily subsidized government entities with regulatory advantages?
Hey there! Unfortunately I couldn't attend the event, but I would really appreciate if you could address any or all of these questions during the discussion. Thanks in advance for considering them.
1. Why does the government continue to pour money into state-owned sugar and jute mills despite their decades-long history of losses and mismanagement? The focus should be on privatization instead. It's ironic that while they criticize others for wasteful projects, they're perpetuating the same inefficiencies.
2. What justifies giving the central bank more control over private banks when the majority of non-performing loans are concentrated in public sector banks? The central bank's existing arbitrary powers may have contributed to the banking sector's problems. Wouldn't it be better to create a system where depositors have legal recourse to hold their banks accountable, rather than relying solely on central bank oversight?
3. In this new Bangladesh, will there be reforms to limit the sweeping powers of the central bank and Securities Commission? Currently, these regulators can act as judge, jury, and executioner, with the ability to arrest market participants without going through proper judicial processes.
4. Instead of establishing another anti-corruption commission with broad powers, why not adopt a system similar to the U.S. qui tam laws? These laws allow citizens to sue on behalf of the government when they discover fraud against taxpayers, and receive a portion of the recovered funds. The usual excuse about lacking implementation capacity rings hollow – after all, how is the current proposal to assemble an impartial, competent anti-corruption team any more realistic?
5. Why insist on having inefficient state-owned enterprises handle gas exploration and extraction when we could issue private gas leases? We could even implement mandatory local gas reserve requirements, similar to Western Australia's model. If highly efficient, low-corruption governments like Australia's don't believe they have the expertise to develop gas fields directly, why does Bangladesh's government think it can do better? Is this driven by ideological commitment to state control, institutional inertia, or simply the desire to maintain opportunities for rent-seeking?
6. Why isn't the government applying the same efficiency standards to public sector employees as it did to private sector workers? The administration showed no hesitation in shutting down Beximco factories and laying off over 30,000 workers. Where is that same drive for efficiency when it comes to underperforming government employees? Did public sector workers suddenly become more competent under the new administration?
7. Will the government hire more contract judges to address the growing backlog in the court system? And why aren't more businesses utilizing alternative dispute resolution methods instead of relying solely on overcrowded government courts?
8. What is the status of the merchant-centric electricity production model? When will the government finalize and implement rules for merchant licensing and guidelines for Commercial & Industrial Power Purchase Agreements? Will state-owned power plants continue to receive subsidies, forcing private sector players to compete against heavily subsidized government entities with regulatory advantages?