Anu Muhammad says reforms hollow as 'inequality and poverty deepen'

Despite repeated talks of reform, no meaningful change has taken place in the country, noted economist Professor Anu Muhammad said today.

"In the past year we have heard the word 'reform' more than in the past five decades, yet inequality, unemployment and violence have all risen. The government's position is one of strange indifference," he said.

He was speaking at a citizens' dialogue organised by the Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, at a city hotel.

Prof Anu Muhammad noted that while the state exercises extensive surveillance over citizens, people must also create mechanisms of counter-surveillance and accountability.

"Without such pressure, no meaningful change will be possible," he said.

He added that no sign of reform has been seen in the police, courts, or other state institutions.

To assess progress, he stressed the need to examine inequality across class, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, and physical condition.

International institutions including the World Bank, ADB, USAID and UNDP, along with consultants and bureaucracy, had also shaped outcomes, he said.

He called for their accountability and suggested that a Reform Watch initiative could play a key role.