Photo: Messenger
The budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 will be presented in parliament on June 6, and politicians in their pre-budget remarks say the funds of at least six budgets during the ruling party’s tenure in the last 15 years have been laundered abroad.
They also claim that all those involved in the laundering operations are pro-government and pro-ruling party, adding the dependence on debt has blighted the economy. The low-income groups with a monthly salary of Tk 10,000 are spending Tk 30,000 due to the increase in the price of commodities.
This is because hundreds of corrupt officials, such as former army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed and former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, have been identified, but many of them have not been brought to book in the last 15 years. After laundering money, these people are safely leaving the country with the help of the administration.
President of the Liberal Democratic Party Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad told The Daily Messenger that thousands of crores of taka of the common people had been laundered over the last 15 years and if these funds could be recovered, the budgets for at least five to six years could be made easily.
“Unfortunately, those who laundered money in 15 years did so in collusion with the government. When the launderers are identified, they flee again with the help of the government. Such was the case with Benazir, the emperor of corruption. Another emperor Aziz also followed the same path. In fact, it is not possible for this government to catch the corrupt. Because the government is in power because of these corrupt people,” he said.
He also said, “There is no problem to say that this country is not a country for people to live in. Even the price of eggs has gone out of control. Poor people are not able to buy vegetables. Those with a salary of Tk 10,000 per month are spending Tk 30,000 to survive. All these could have been controlled if corruption could be checked.”
“Besides, the country could have been saved from defaulters and laundered money could have been recovered. This government has failed to control these things. The government must leave by taking responsibility for 15 years of failure,” added Oli.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told The Daily Messenger that the budgets announced in the past could not be implemented and there were heavy deficits. He said the government makes development plans but cannot implement those within the deadlines. “Because of this, expenditures increase a lot, which benefits the Awami League and its allies.
The government can never make and implement the kind of budget needed for the common people of the country.”
Mahmudur Rahman Manna, the convenor of Nagarik Oikya, told The Daily Messenger that the ruling government has been in power for 15 years and blighted the economy. “Newspaper reports say that millions of taka are being laundered every year through dollars. The total amount would be sufficient for making several budgets.”
He said all countries try to increase the size of the budget every year and the Bangladesh government is doing the same. “This time, the size of the budget is probably more than Tk 7.5 lakh crore. I will comment more on what the budget has for the poor after it is presented.”
Jamaat-e-Islami Central Publicity Secretary Advocate Matiur Rahman Akand told The Daily Messenger that in a democratic country, the budget is announced considering the common people’s benefits. “But in the last 15 years, we did not see even a glimpse of that in Bangladesh. Only the government and its beneficiaries benefit from the budget. Money is laundered abroad to establish Begum Para. It seems the upcoming budget will not benefit the common people.”
Messenger/Disha
