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Government should not come in technology's way

Managing Director of Grameen Bank Prof Mohammad Yunus has said that Bangladesh had the potential to develop rapidly provided it can utilise its untapped resources.

Prof. Yunus was speaking as Special Guest at a discussion on 'Poverty Eradication and Employment Generation' at the National Press Club yesterday.

The programme was part of a 'three-day National Level Forum on Election: 2001' jointly organised by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), the Daily Star and the Prothom Alo.

Executive Director of Proshika Dr Qazi Faruque Ahmed presided over the session.

Among others, CPD Chairman Prof. Rehman Sobhan, Managing Director of Palli Karma Shahayak Foundation (PKSF) Dr Salahuddin Ahmed, Senior Research Fellows of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman and Dr Rushidan Islam Rahman, Dr Sajjad Zohir, Dr Atiur Rahman, journalist Ataus Samad, Prof. M M Akash, Badiul Alam Majumder of the Hunger Project, Mujtuba Ahmed Murshed, Khaled Shams of Grameen Bank, Sultan Sharif, Sheikh Nizam and Abdur Rob Bhuiyan took part in the discussion.

Senior Research Fellow of BIDS Binayak Sen presented the policy brief on Poverty Eradication and Employment Generation. The policy brief was prepared by a CPD Task Force.

According to Prof Yunus, the vast population, natural gas reserve and vast water bodies were the prime resources of Bangladesh.

For a smooth development process, Prof Yunus underscored the need for keeping the whole nation united.

"Instead of conflicts among the parties, politics should be based on understanding," he said.

He urged the government to remove all barriers for development of telecommunication in the country which will also mean expansion of information technology.

Prof Yunus observed that weak management in the heart of government activities was seriously hindering progress.

"We have to cross this stumbling block", he said.

Prof Yunus said that the policy makers should not oppose the globalisation process. Rather they should try to use it for poverty alleviation.

"We should not waste time on debating whether globalisation is good or bad but try to derive the positives from it," Yunus said adding that the process could create massive opportunities for our people.

Emphasising on the need for a liberal telecommunication policy, Prof Yunus said that potential resources of the country might never be explored unless the telecommunication system is freed of any barriers.

Prof Yunus opposed the idea of establishing IT villages. Rather he suggested developing a cyber country.

Yunus regretted that water resources of the country was not being used properly.

He also criticised the government for not giving the permission to install fiber optic lines. The government should not become an obstacle in such steps.

Prof Rehman Sobhan opined that the main problem for poverty in the country was structural. The people have become poor because of structural injustice, he said.

He called for an effort to convert microcredit into macrocredit for reducing the poverty level.

Sobhan also felt that primary education and primary health care systems should be upgraded.

Dr Qazi Farouque Ahmed said people should not vote for loan defaulters, terrorists and religious fanatics. These should be the main agenda of the civil society for the coming election.

He also termed the management of past governments as weak and partial. Use of political muscle in administration in the past was responsible for weak management, he said.

Faruque criticised government attempts to evict the people from slum areas. "The poor should raise their voice and fight against injustice," he said.

Faruque said every suggestion made by World Bank (WB) and the International Monitary Fund (IMF) should not be accepted before considering the need of the country.

Dr Atiur Rahman said that everybody should be given the basic economic security and technology should be brought to the doorsteps of people living in the villages.

Dr Salahuddin Ahmed suggested action-oriented programmes instead of policy discussions. He also stressed on bringing the technology to the grass root level.