Home
+
Published : 07 Apr 2026, 09:07 PM
Rumeen Farhana has accused the government of filling top posts at Bangladesh Bank and public universities with politically affiliated individuals, raising questions about merit, governance, and the independence of state institutions.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, the Brahmanbaria-2 independent MP said, in South Asia, central banks recruit PhD-trained experts from universities like Princeton or California, while top posts in Bangladesh are going to “BNP election committee members and garment factory MDs”.
She also claimed that public universities have appointed politically affiliated vice-chancellors and pro vice-chancellors.
Rumeen cited the removal of former BB governor Ahsan H Mansur on Feb 25 with the BNP government appointing garment sector businessman Md Mostaqur Rahman -- also a BNP election committee member -- as his replacement.
On Mar 16, seven universities, including Dhaka University, saw changes in vice-chancellors and the University Grants Commission chairmanship.
Reports indicated some appointees had party affiliations or supported political groups.
During the debate, Rumeen also addressed inflation, the economy, democracy, elections, and the July Uprising.
She questioned the balance of power between the president and prime minister, saying: “BNP’s Vision 2030 and 31-point plan called for a proper balance of authority. We expected the president to speak independently beyond cabinet-approved text -- but it did not happen.
“If we cannot allow even this small independence, how can we discuss true balance?”
She reflected on her parliamentary journey, saying that being denied a BNP nomination allowed her to understand the support of millions from Teknaf to Tetulia, which might have been missed in a party-controlled contest.
Highlighting the July Uprising, she emphasised women’s leadership on protest lines, noting the crucial yet often unrecognised role they played.
Rumeen also criticised government policies on employment, inflation, exports, foreign debt, money laundering, and defaulted loans.
Other MPs raised concerns about inflation, presidential impartiality, electoral irregularities, and economic mismanagement, reflecting broad scrutiny of government actions in the session.
