BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that corruption in Bangladesh has reached new heights, with bribe amounts skyrocketing from one lakh taka to five lakhs.
Speaking at a book launch event in Dhaka on Saturday, Fakhrul cited a prominent businessman who recently shared this alarming shift with him.
The event, held at the CIRDAP auditorium, marked the release of economist and former caretaker government adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman’s new book “Economy, Governance and Power: A Chronicle of Lived Experience”.
The discussion was chaired by Zillur himself, with former Bangladesh Bank governor and economic adviser Salehuddin Ahmed attending as chief guest.
Fakhrul said the surge in bribery reflects a broader failure of governance.
“There is no accountability anywhere. The police remain unchanged. While overnight reform isn’t realistic, we cannot afford to stay idle,” he said. “Democratic practice must resume without delay. Reforms must be carried out through elected representatives in parliament, not by imposition.”
He also warned that global developments, including tariff policies by Donald Trump, could pose serious economic risks for Bangladesh. Political parties, he added, must act in the public interest and contribute positively to national development.
Addressing the same event, Salehuddin Ahmed painted a grim picture of institutional decay.
“There are hardly any functioning institutions left. Legal procedures have been dismantled, and the people involved haven’t changed,” he said. “You can’t just throw everything out and start over. Change has to be managed, with both persuasion and pressure.”
He emphasised that good governance remains a major challenge, pointing to the absence of proper checks and balances on those in power. “Unless fundamental reforms are implemented, no amount of surface-level change will make a difference. Political parties themselves also need reform.”
