If the economy is not democratic, democracy in politics cannot work: Finance Minister

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has described pointless discussion of the previous administration's activities as a waste of time. Stating his position on the matter, he said: 'I do not want to go into discussions about the past days of any government; it is a waste of time.'

He made the remarks while taking part in a discussion meeting organised in Agargaon in the capital on Sunday (8 November) to mark National Statistics Day 2026.

Emphasising economic transformation for the overall progress of the state, the Finance Minister said that if the economy cannot be given a democratic form, it is in no way possible to establish genuine democracy in politics.

He said that when economic equality and fairness are absent, the effectiveness of democracy in politics is hampered, which in turn slows the country's overall progress.

He said that without an accurate flow of information, transparency cannot be brought to any sector. For this reason, he said, the government has given the Bureau of Statistics full institutional independence.

He also warned that any government's manipulation of the state's real data amounts to deceiving itself.

At the discussion, State Minister for Planning Jonaid Abdur Rahim Saki pledged to maintain the objectivity of statistics. He said: 'The government does not want to distort any kind of information. There will be no political interference in producing statistics. The government is working with the aim that people can get reliable information.'

At the same event, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, adviser to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, pointed to the structural weaknesses of the past period. He said: 'During the fascist government, unqualified people received benefits, while qualified people were left out of benefits. As a result, a large part of Bangladesh's limited resources was wasted.'

He also said the present government is advancing institutional reform in the statistics sector to ensure international-standard, accessible and reliable information for the people of the country.

At this discussion meeting organised on National Statistics Day, economic democracy, accurate flow of information and the institutional independence of statistics were at the centre of the discussion.