Economist and academic Professor Anu Muhammad has claimed that international financial institutions — including the World Bank, IMF, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) — are determining Bangladesh’s policies, in collaboration with the country’s bureaucracy and business elites.
Speaking at a seminar on LDC Graduation organised by Nagarik Udyog at the Press Institute in Dhaka on Wednesday morning, Anu Muhammad remarked, “Those who made decisions during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure are the same people making decisions under Yunus’s administration.”
He alleged that foreign development partners, who once hailed Sheikh Hasina’s development model as a “miracle,” are again steering policy-making. “The advisers are more enthusiastic about framing policies for foreigners,” he added.
On the issue of secret deals, Anu Muhammad said long-term agreements must be disclosed to the public, as required in a free-market economy.
He argued that the current administration had an opportunity to change course by making previous secret deals public — discouraging future governments from similar agreements — but failed to do so.
Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter, who attended as chief guest, said no final decision had yet been taken on whether Bangladesh would proceed with or delay its graduation from the LDC category. “In reality, the country is not yet ready for the transition, even though we are carrying past statistics. The new government may proceed with graduation, but for now, we are only making some preparations within the existing framework,” she said.
On free trade agreements, Farida Akhter remarked: “FTA essentially means Forced Trade Agreement — without that, it has no real meaning.” The seminar featured discussions on various aspects of LDC graduation and its implications for Bangladesh.
