In the six months or 180 days of the Tarique Rahman government, various positive and promising initiatives and programs have been implemented. Several important steps have been taken in social security, agriculture, education, health, employment, expatriate welfare, environment, sports and civic services.
The Prime Minister is taking quick steps without wasting time in implementing the election promises and is personally supervising them. His government’s initiatives to dig canals, plant trees and reopen closed factories are positive. These families have been given relief by simultaneously paying the arrears of retirement benefits and welfare funds of lakhs of teachers. Some other such good work is being done. However, in the light of the aspirations of the July Revolution, real progress in fulfilling major political commitments such as state reforms, price control and rapid resolution of problems and crises close to the daily lives of the people, including electricity and fuel supply, and law and order control, is not promising.
In the past six months, the ruling BNP has faced a difficult reality regarding the power and energy sector. Just as consumers have been left frustrated, the government has also suffered. The government has not been able to show the expected success in restoring order and peace in this sector, which was turned into a state of loot under the rule of fascist Sheikh Hasina. The government, which came to power with a promise of change, says that they are struggling to clear the garbage they inherited.
Progress in reforming the state structure, the greatest aspiration of the July 24th Revolution, has been very limited. On the one hand, there is scope to raise questions about how efficiently the government has been able to handle the pressure of reforming and restructuring the state based on the July Charter signed and the 31 points declared by the party, on the other hand, controlling prices, maintaining electricity and fuel supplies, creating employment, maintaining law and order at a comfortable level, and revitalizing the administration.
After the July Revolution, one and a half years of the interim government, the BNP formed the government on February 17 with an absolute majority in the 13th National Parliament elections held on February 12. After almost two decades, people’s expectations for a truly representative democratically elected government are skyrocketing. The responsibility of handling the partisan administration and fragile economic situation left by Hasina’s government falls on the Tarique Rahman government. Although the interim government has taken this task forward a lot.
Prime Minister in his first speech
In his first address to the nation on February 18, the day after the formation of the government, new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said that the main priority of the BNP government is to restore peace and security in the minds of the people by improving the law and order situation and strictly controlling corruption. The rule of law, not party or political influence or coercion, will be the final word in running the state.
Tarique Rahman mentioned that the BNP government is determined to break all the syndicates of lawlessness and irregularities in all areas. He said, “Those who voted for BNP or did not vote for anyone, to give them the opportunity to form the government, all of you have equal rights towards this government. The BNP government believes that everyone has their own party, opinion, religion and philosophy, and the state belongs to everyone. In this country, in this state, as a Bangladeshi, you and I have equal rights as every Bangladeshi citizen.”
The Prime Minister said that every constitutional and government and private institution in the country will operate according to statutory policies and rules.
Three priorities for the first cabinet meeting
The first meeting of the cabinet was held on February 18, the first day of office. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan presented the decisions and discussion points of the meeting to the journalists present while leaving after the meeting. The Home Minister said that according to tradition, the cabinet meeting has to be held on the first day of the government. All the cabinet members were present in the meeting, including the advisors. In the meeting, the Prime Minister gave some instructions to the ministers and advisors. The government is setting a priority for 180 days.
Salahuddin said that initially, instructions have been given to control prices and maintain supply, further improve the law and order situation, and ensure that there are no problems in the power and energy sectors (gas and electricity). These are the government’s priorities.
Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan also said that the government’s priority at the moment is to control commodity prices on the occasion of the holy Ramadan, keep the law and order situation bearable for the people, and keep the electricity situation normal. Basically, these three issues have come to the fore.
After the first six months of the government, reports on achievements and limitations have been submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office from all ministries. He is reviewing them. The head of government is looking at the performance reports of each ministry and the minister concerned. Based on the six-month performance reports, there are also discussions on some changes and reshuffles to further accelerate the journey in the future.
The ruling BNP leaders are also realizing that despite the Prime Minister’s efforts, there is a breakdown in teamwork somewhere and that is why deviations are being seen in many areas. This is hurting people’s expectations. Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, a member of the party’s advisory council, while evaluating the government’s six months, told Amar Desh that the simple lifestyle of the head of government and his efforts to work day and night are making people hopeful. At the same time, the place of expectations is being hurt when the reins of commodity prices are not being pulled, sometimes there is an alarming deterioration in law and order, and people are facing difficulties with electricity and gas. Looking at this picture, it seems that there is a deficiency and laxity in teamwork somewhere.
The Prime Minister’s message of change
As the head of government, Tarique Rahman has been able to convey a message of optimism and positive change to the nation. According to government spokesperson Mahdi Amin, the Prime Minister has been able to gain the trust, love and support of the people in six months, protect the interests of people of all classes and professions in light of the election manifesto, and prove his statesmanlike leadership as the Prime Minister of the masses. Political observers are considering the Prime Minister’s political and administrative behavior as a different kind of leadership practice. He is giving special importance to politeness, restraint, courtesy, family values and participatory leadership.
The party’s ministers and MPs’ pledge not to take government plots and duty-free cars after taking oath, the Prime Minister’s use of his personal residence instead of the official residence, the use of personal cars, and the initiative to spend fuel at his own expense are being considered exceptional practices, which have also conveyed a message of personal restraint. Along with various steps to reduce government expenditure, things like limiting one’s VVIP protocol, waiting at traffic signals while moving, walking if there are programs nearby, conducting office activities on Saturdays on weekends, and encouraging young innovators are not just personal behaviors or symbolic steps; rather, they are being considered and appreciated by the general public as efforts to establish a new trend of simplicity, humanity, accountability, public involvement, and participatory leadership in political culture.
Faint achievement in fuel
The oil, gas and power sectors have erased the government’s achievements in the last six months. The supply crisis in this sector was glaring. Due to the latest gas crisis, most of the country’s industrial establishments have been idle for a week. There has been stagnation in the economy. Stoves are not burning in homes. The suffering of vehicle drivers at CNG filling stations has reached its peak. Mainly due to malfunctions in the floating LNG terminal and inability to unload LNG cargo, there has been a severe gas and power crisis in recent days. Industrial production has been disrupted due to power load shedding and gas shortage. Protests have also taken place in different parts of the country in protest of load shedding. There have also been incidents of letters being sent asking for force to secure power installations.
To deal with the situation, the government has taken initiatives to build two more floating LNG terminals and import gas from Myanmar. On the other hand, it has announced a strategy paper to generate 10,000 megawatts of solar power in the next five years. The Prime Minister himself expressed regret last Saturday for the suffering caused by the crisis in the power and fuel sectors. He said that he will announce a 10-year energy plan in Parliament. An international tender has been called for oil and gas exploration in the sea. The deadline for responding to it is November. If foreign companies respond, large gas reserves can be found there. Apart from the tender, there is also an initiative for joint oil and gas exploration by Petrobangla with a US company in the G2G formula.
The Middle East war began on February 28, 10 days after the current government took office. As a result, oil tankers were stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices in the international market skyrocketed. Many suppliers in Bangladesh refused to supply oil. The country’s oil reserves fell to a dangerous level. At one point, the government began rationing fuel oil. Due to this rationing and panic, people had to endure extreme hardship in procuring fuel oil for about two months. There was outcry all around. After the rationing was lifted by increasing the price twice, the long queues at the oil pumps decreased.
However, government spokesman Mahdi Amin is not accepting the allegations of failure in energy, law and order, price control and reforms. He told Amar Desh yesterday that the government may have shortcomings in its success in some areas. The government does not deny responsibility. The government is sorry for the suffering of the people. However, despite the global crisis in energy, Bangladesh has and is coping with the crisis better than other countries. Despite working with fragile law and order forces, it takes immediate action whenever a crime occurs. Duty exemptions have been given in the budget to control prices. Most of the ordinances of the interim government have been made into laws in a very short time to advance reforms.
Mahdi Amin said that the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has worked on transparency, good governance, public welfare, reconstruction of democratic institutions, economic stability, price control, restoration of discipline in the financial sector, return of laundered money, cost savings in various projects, rehabilitation of flood victims, and reconstruction of the health and education sectors during this period.
Slow pace of reforms
The much-awaited 13th National Assembly elections and referendums on reform issues were held simultaneously. When the BNP came to power, it promised to implement the July Charter to the letter, along with significant reforms to the state. In its fifth month in power, the ruling party also formed a committee to amend the constitution. However, the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance, which is demanding reforms rather than constitutional amendments, did not participate in the committee. In this situation, political debates are arising over reforms. With no minimum progress in reforms in six months, many are getting an opportunity to question how much the government has been able to accommodate the public’s aspirations.
The BNP’s election manifesto has a 35-point commitment to constitutional reform. And the first point of that commitment states, ‘The highest priority will be given to implementing the constitutional reform in accordance with the consensus and signing of the July National Charter on October 17, 2025.’ There is room to raise questions about whether the promised ‘highest priority’ has been achieved in six months or not.
Government officials say that the main focus in the first six months has been on implementing social security and public welfare promises. One of the most important programs of the election promise is ‘Family Card’. More than 71,000 families have been covered under it on an experimental basis. 2,500 taka is being paid to the account of the female head of the family every month. After the experimental phase, the family card distribution program was officially started yesterday from Kishoreganj.
‘Farmer Card’ has been launched for farmers. The government claims that more than 20,000 farmer families have come under its purview in the first six months. Card holders are getting 2,500 taka to buy agricultural inputs. In addition, as per the election promise, an initiative has been taken to waive agricultural loans up to 10,000 taka. The government has said that 1.45 million farmer families will directly benefit from this.
Another major commitment related to environment and agriculture was canal re-excavation. BNP has set a target of digging 20,000 kilometers of canals in five years. According to the government’s estimates, about 1,000 kilometers of canals have been dug in 62 districts in the first six months. However, some irregularities and controversies have come to light regarding canal digging and re-excavation.
The election manifesto also promised to plant 250 million trees in five years. The BNP government has claimed to plant more than 25 million trees in the first 180 days. Those concerned say that a significant part of the target is already on the way to implementation. There have been allegations of irregularities, information leakage and a series of allegations against officials and party members at the field level in the case of tree plantation.
In addition, the government has put forward positive steps including hiring 100,000 health workers, free dengue tests in government hospitals, converting 200 government buildings into medical centers, National Rural Development Day, 2,000 mini cold storages, withdrawal of additional charges on prepaid meters, development of upazila hospitals, union-based health units, and the Padma Barrage project.
Observers believe that if the importance and priority of reforms are overshadowed by these populist programs, it could put the party and the government under pressure and challenge in the long run.
Embarrassing law and order situation
The law and order situation has repeatedly put the government in embarrassing situations. Terrorism, extortion, encroachment and political influence are still on the rise. In addition to taking action against the criminals, the ring of political and administrative influence behind these activities is not being broken. Several sensational murders and rapes have put the government under a lot of pressure. In order to deal with them, it has had to promise speedy justice and in a couple of cases, it has had to do so with unusual speed. Many leaders and activists of the ruling party are accusing the government of various crimes. There are fights and murders among themselves. 38 people have lost their lives in six months due to their own conflicts. Although incidents like encroachment, extortion and Mastani are less compared to Hasina’s tenure, they cannot be completely stopped. There have also been several bouts of fights and unrest in educational institutions. Many believe that the display of muscle power by some overzealous leaders and activists to obstruct the programs of the opposition political party has called into question the democratic character of the government.
Government statistics show that in the six months from February to July, 99,992 cases were recorded in the country’s police stations. 13 cases were registered for rioting. 1,791 for murder and 408 cases were registered under the Speedy Trial Act. 11,165 cases were registered for women and child abuse. In addition, 265 cases were registered for robbery, 904 for kidnapping, 512 for kidnapping, 4,808 for theft, 1,591 for burglary and 41,925 cases were registered for other incidents.
In the past six months, several murders have taken place in different parts of the country, including the capital, due to political conflicts, family disputes and gang culture. During this time, incidents of violence against women and children have come to the fore. Among them, the rape and murder of child Ramisa Akhtar (8) in Pallabi, Dhaka in May sparked outrage across the country. The public beating and killing of scrap dealer Lalchand alias Sohag with bricks in front of Mitford Hospital in Old Dhaka created a sensation across the country. It has not been possible to completely stop the violence of robbery and extortion in big cities, including Dhaka.
Regarding the government’s alleged failure to control law and order, spokesperson Mahdi Amin said, the government is working. The verdict in the rape and murder case of child Ramisa was completed in 19 days and the verdict in a child rape case in Meherpur was completed in 29 working days. 10 verdicts were announced in a month in cases under the Prevention of Violence against Women and Children Act. Muzaffar Hossain, a fugitive accused in the murder case of martyred President Ziaur Rahman, has been arrested after 45 years. He also mentioned the initiative to bring back the accused in the Tonu murder case, the accused in the Sharif Osman Hadi murder case and former IGP Benazir Ahmed to the country.
Dissatisfaction with the administration too
After returning to power after almost two decades, the biggest challenge facing the BNP was to make the administration effective and people-oriented. In a decade and a half, reckless partyization, debates over promotions and postings, a crisis of trust among officials, and slow decision-making – all of which made the difficult task of returning the administration to normalcy a priority for the government. While making changes to the administration of the interim government, there have been allegations of bringing back officials loyal to the Awami League in many cases. The government claims that responsible officials have been reshuffled in various ministries and departments. Initiatives have been taken to increase discipline and accountability in the administration.
However, according to public administration experts, the desired momentum in the administration has not yet returned, but rather, partisans with ill intentions and incompetent party members are making a comeback. There are also allegations of appointments in exchange for financial benefits. Especially in the field administration, the public’s expectations of creating an environment free from political influence and delivering government services to the doorsteps of the common people are still far-fetched. BNP and government policymakers say that no other reform will yield lasting results unless the administration is brought to account and efficiency and transparency are increased. Therefore, administrative reform is being prioritized. Many complain that instead of merit and competence, only party loyalty is being given priority again, saying that in most cases, it is like pouring old wine in new bottles.
It has been alleged that, as before, the administration has been filled with a group of opportunists and partisans. At their behest, many things are happening behind the scenes. That is why even though Prime Minister Tarique Rahman wants to make the administration professional and dynamic, it is not being reflected in many cases.
The desired relief in the economy has not returned.
The desired relief in the economy has not returned in six months. The effects of long-standing irregularities, the fragile and weak condition of the banking sector, a mountain of non-performing loans, money laundering and the deficit in revenue collection have not subsided. Along with this, there is inflationary pressure. Export markets have not yet stabilized. In the latest month of July, ready-made garment exports to the main market, the United States, have decreased significantly. Increasing employment and investment is also a big challenge for the government. A mountain of idle money has accumulated in banks. It has set a record of more than four lakh crore taka, but businessmen are not coming forward to invest. Although there are some initiatives to restore their confidence, they are not succeeding due to the gas and electricity crisis.
The Prime Minister had promised to keep the prices of essential commodities within the reach of the common man. This was one of his priorities in his 180 days. But despite some initiatives to control the market, the benefits have not yet fully reached the people in all cases.
