report in The Daily Star, May 16, 2023
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday feared that the country will face a severe economic crisis in the days to come due to the dollar crisis.
“This is the reality that coal can’t be imported due to the dollar crunch. Not only this, but the traders are also unable to import the necessary goods due to the lack of dollars. The amount of reserves has decreased so much that it is now not possible to import goods,” he said.
Talking to reporters after a meeting at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, Fakhrul also said Bangladesh is currently in an economic crisis. “The reserves have depleted so much that an extreme financial crisis in the country is now only a matter of time.”
He said the dollar crisis will deepen further a few days later when the government will have to repay the loan taken for the Padma Bridge.
Besides, the BNP leader said the country will have to repay Tk15,000 crores from next year for constructing a new third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. “We don’t know from where that money will come.”
He said the Prime Minister tried to give the nation an impression through her press conference that her recent visit to three countries was successful.
“But as far as we know through national and international media, the result of this visit is almost zero. Deals were signed with Japan regarding the business and trade as per pre-discussion. She went to the United States mainly to address a seminar marking the 50-year partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank. It’s very unlikely for the Prime Minister of the country to join such a seminar,” Fakhrul observed.
He also said the Prime Minister went to the UK to attend the coronation of King Charles III where she met the new British Prime Minister and the King as a normal head of government. “We are not aware of any special achievements she gained there either.”
Referring to the Prime Minister’s comment on not importing goods from the country that imposed sanctions on RAB, the BNP leader also wanted to know as to why the Prime Minister has been suddenly spitting venom against the US.
“We wonder why she is suddenly complaining about that sanction after so long. She knows well how the sanctions are imposed. We all know what Bangladesh buys from the United States and its volume. So, we can easily understand that she made such a comment as she is probably irritated for some reasons that are unknown to us,” he observed.
About the government’s decision to cancel special protocol for the envoys of the US and the UK, Fakhrul said the government is angry with the Western countries out of its fear of losing power.
He, however, hoped that the relations of the people of Bangladesh with any country of the world will not be dented.
The BNP leader also slammed the government for the current frequent power cuts and said the government is destroying the power sectors by indulging in corruption and plundering.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/polls-5-cities-jp-doubtful-ecs-control-over-police-3321036
