Staff Correspondent

Former professor of the Economics Department at Jahangirnagar University, Anu Muhammad said,   Rampal Coal Power Plant is a symbol of Indian dominance in Bangladesh. He emphasized the need to find a way to shut down both the Rampal and Rooppur nuclear power plants. 

Though closing them may incur some financial losses, continuing their operation will lead to even greater harm. He added that cancelling the Rampal project could mark the beginning of necessary change. He also stressed the importance of enhancing national capacity in these sectors and others.

He made these remarks as the chief guest at a shadow parliament debate competition titled “The Responsibility of Looting in the Energy Sector During the Past Regime,” organized by Debate for Democracy on Saturday morning at  Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) in Tejgaon, Dhaka.

Professor Anu Muhammad said that during the last government’s tenure—over the past 15 years—so much corruption and looting occurred in the country that it is extremely difficult to quantify in monetary terms. He alleged that this corruption and looting of resources had to be maintained through autocracy and repression by the corrupt, who held onto power without people’s votes and by avoiding elections.

He said a people’s uprising brought down that government and created an opportunity for change. To ensure that change, a vigilant and vocal citizenry is essential. Youths, who helped achieve victory through the mass uprising, must also play a key role.

Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron, who presided over the event, said that during the last regime, under the sole patronage of the fallen Prime Minister, rampant looting took place in Bangladesh’s energy sector. He accused looters of turning the power and energy sector into a haven of irregularities and corruption, just like the financial sector.

To facilitate this, he said, the then Awami League government passed the controversial indemnity law in the power and energy sector in 2010. Its tenure was repeatedly extended to create a legal shield for corruption. He added that thousands of crores of taka worth of projects were undertaken in the name of power production, distribution, transmission, and meter procurement—projects riddled with massive corruption and irregularities.

He made 10 recommendations to ensure fairness and transparency in the power and energy sectors, including: reviewing and publicly disclosing all contracts signed in the sector during the previous regime, and canceling any contract that goes against the national interest; repealing the 2010 Indemnity Ordinance in the power and energy sector; and prosecuting the mafias of the energy sector in a special tribunal. He also stressed the need for accountable and transparent public hearings to ensure uninterrupted quality energy supply.

Debaters from International University and Bangladesh University of Textiles participated in the shadow parliament. The judges for the competition were Abu Muhammad Rais, journalist Mainul Alam, Dr. Tajul Islam Chowdhury Tuhin, journalist Rishan Nasrullah, and journalist Md. Mohiuddin. At the end of the competition, participating teams were awarded trophies, crests, and certificates.