Government ‘secrecy’ prevents disclosure of many developments, Advisor Salehuddin says

He says the costly tunnel built with hundreds of millions sees little traffic

Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed has responded to claims that “nothing is happening”, saying many developments cannot be revealed because of government-imposed “secrecy”.

Speaking at the national award ceremony for DRU’s Best Special Report of the Year on Sunday, he said the interim administration had spent more than a year attempting to “pull the economy and financial sector back from the brink of destruction and return it to a normal footing”.

“Many people on talk shows are saying nothing is being done,” he said. “But there is a lot that cannot be disclosed due to government secrecy.”

Referring to the previous administration’s narrative of development, he said its much-vaunted growth had been driven by large megaprojects that ended up functioning as “monuments”.

“A tunnel was built at a cost of hundreds of millions, but it carries very few vehicles. Rest houses were built in megaproject areas for one to two hundred million. These featured heavily in the narrative, but how much did these economic projects truly benefit ordinary people?”

Salehuddin said he expected the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government after the fall of the Awami League administration in the July Uprising to be continued by the next elected government.

“The government is now heading towards elections. The next three months are crucial,” he said.

“There are many issues the next government must take up. We have broadly saved the economy from near ruin. It is now the responsibility of the incoming government to consolidate it.”

He added that the successor administration would need to refine the economic structure, adding or removing elements as needed. “We have initiated the process; the next government will take it forward.”