Muhith irked by media comments on economy

Irked by reports and comments on economic issues, Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday once again advised the media not to make daily comments and reports on economic issues.
He, however, said the government puts emphasis on consultation, open discussions and includes constructive suggestions for the economic development of the country.
"In Bangladesh, we are used to ad-hoc decisions, activities and comments. I have been asking for avoiding giving daily comments for the past several days," he said.
Noting government borrowing from banks, he said there were comments when borrowing went up to Tk 23,000 crore. “But you did not say anything when it declined to Tk 17,000 crore”, he said.
The minister made the remarks at the launch of Background and Technical Framework Papers of the Sixth Five Year Plan (SFYP) of Bangladesh for fiscal 2011-2015 at the Planning Commission.
Planning Minister AK Khandker and Prime Minister's Adviser for Economic Affairs Mashiur Rahman were present at the event, which was also attended by economists.
Earlier Muhith called on analysts to be careful in giving their views on economic issues, saying daily reporting and comments created confusion.
Muhith, referring to an editorial on remittances without mentioning the name of the daily, said: "The suggestions that have been made are worthless. There is nothing new in it."
He said: "The government is not an ass. Government always has to use wisdom to run and its use has been on."
He said many allege that the government does not pay heed to the suggestion of real thinkers.
"I don't accept it," said Muhith, but added that in many cases, research papers become satirical and the scope to add in policies from these papers becomes thin.
The minister said the government encouraged consultations, open discussions and considered the opinions of stakeholders in the interest of transparency and accountability in policy making.
"We want everything to be transparent. It helps raise questions and keeps government careful."
Prime Minister's Adviser for Economic Affairs Mashiur Rahman said the country will be benefited by constructive criticism.
"There may be self satisfaction in negative criticism. It will not do any good to the nation," said Mashiur.
Noting the published papers, he said these published documents should be made available to help university students learn.
The Planning Commission and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) published the Background and Technical Framework papers of the SFYP in six volumes so that policy makers and researchers could get help in times of need.
Published for the first time in Bangladesh, the first two parts of the publication include background and technical perspectives, while the remaining four volumes include analyses on macro economy, its sectors and social sectors.
Muhith, referring to published documents, said politicians did not get enough time to go through them when they are in power. They have to depend on executive summaries, he said.
"Politicians can read these when they are not in power," said Muhith. "It is tough to get time for reading, and sometimes even for sleeping. It is a fact of life."