Show Us This is a New BNP

The people understood that the party and the government simply didn’t listen to them and this is why in the end we had to take to the street in order to remove them.

Surprisingly enough, perhaps, we also found that the interim government was similarly reluctant to listen to the public and to change course, with the notable exception of when the noise was made by one certain small segment of the population.

The challenge before the BNP is to signal that this is a new day.

The knock on them has always been that their statements and promises during the interregnum period and on the campaign trail were nothing more than eyewash and that once in office they would instantly revert to their old way of doing things.

This was the fundamental premise of the critique offered by the Jamaat and the NCP and it would be a shame if they were to be proven right and the 50% of the voters who plumped for the BNP were to be proved wrong.

We understand the government’s desire for a new direction when it comes to monetary policy.

Nor do we wish to cast aspersions on the man who has been picked for the job. It is an unorthodox choice and he does not appear to have the credentials needed for it, however, it remains possible that he would perform with perfect competence.

Our critique lies elsewhere.

The fact remains that one of the key criteria for a central bank governor is that he inspire confidence, both inside the country and out. 

On this count, the new governor decidedly falls short.

Similarly, while the BNP may have no desire to appoint a central bank governor who will operate independently, it is important that they maintain at least the appearance of independence, something the current appointment does not.

And finally we come to the question of the general public.

There can be no question that the summary replacement of Dr Mansur with someone with a slim resume and close ties to the party has shaken public confidence in the new government.

The new government and especially the new PM have come to power riding a wave of goodwill. 

People want to give the government and the PM the benefit of doubt. They want to believe that the new BNP will not be like the old one. They want to believe that this is a government that unlike its predecessors will listen to the people.

There have been a number of missteps taken within the past few weeks that have started to erode this goodwill and this is something that the incoming government can ill afford.

But the Bangladesh Bank governor imbroglio offers a way for the government to show that it is listening and that it possesses the flexibility to admit error and to change course.

To do so would be a powerful thing. 

No Bangladesh government in the past has ever done so. There is no better way to signal that this government will be unlike all the ones before – that it has truly learned and internalized the lessons of the July Uprising – than to show that it listens to the people, and adjusts accordingly.

Far from being seen as weakness, this would be seen as evidence of the party’s break from the toxic tradition of Bangladeshi politics.

Bangladesh has changed and the ruling party must govern this new Bangladesh, not the Bangladesh of old where you could ride roughshod over popular sentiment and govern as you please, without a care for public opinion or ever admitting to error.

There is no better way for the ruling party to signal that it understands this new reality and that recognizes that it is truly a new day in Bangladesh, and that they too have changed their spots accordingly, than for them to quietly walk back the appointment.

The impact it would have on public confidence in them is hard to overstate. 

The people are anxious to see that the new government will not be business as usual. Already there have been a number of worrisome indicators to that effect. 

This would be a perfect way to flip the script and take control of the narrative again.