Major political parties are undemocratic: Rehman Sobhan
Staff Correspondent
Rehman Sobhan, a prominent economist, has said that the country’s major political parties are undemocratic, as all power is centralised at the top level of these parties.
The last three elections were flawed and the lawmakers acted as mere rubber stamps, he said while addressing a programme organised by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) at a hotel in Dhaka on Saturday.
The local government system has been rendered dysfunctional, while lawmakers have become landlords in their respective areas, said Rehman Sibhan, who is one of the country’s top public thinkers.
However, the seasoned economist said that the pace of poverty reduction during the period of the previous government was good indeed, despite having many debates over growth and statistics.
Claiming that there is a structural problem contributing to inequality in the country, he said the government’s flawed policy of providing benefits to loan defaulters, helps increase the inequity.
He said that discrimination is increasing in society but is not being addressed, adding that corrective action can be taken if the root causes of the discrimination are identified.
