Post-election euphoria meets scrutiny in Bangladesh as BNP, under Tarique Rahman’s helm, unveils a cabinet where business backgrounds prevail—70% of its ranks. Election Commission affidavits, pored over by media like Dhaka Tribune, confirm 35 among 50 ministers and state ministers as entrepreneurs.
Specifically, 19 cabinet and 16 junior ministers don the business badge. Lawyers follow suit as the runner-up profession, with overlaps noted. Politics as profession? Reserved for PM Tarique Rahman and Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haq Milan alone, both political stalwarts.
Twenty-five ministers sworn in on February 17 at Dhaka’s parliament included technocrats, setting the stage for a commerce-driven administration.
Enter TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman’s red flag: ‘Ministers prioritizing business over duty invite conflicts that could warp decisions and harm fair competition, ultimately taxing everyday folks,’ he told Dhaka Tribune, advocating strict recusal protocols.
Parliament mirrors this: 59% of 300 MPs (174) are business-linked, 15 from garments. BNP’s 209 seats: 145 business winners. Jamaat-e-Islami’s 68: 20 business MPs.
TIB’s bombshell study by Mohammad Touhidul Islam, presented last week, reveals 236 crorepati MPs (79.46%), including 13 billionaires, per Bonik Barta. BNP shines with 189 (90.87%), Jamaat at 38 (55.07%).
This convergence of wealth, business acumen, and politics promises dynamism but underscores urgent needs for transparency safeguards to prevent policy capture and ensure equitable growth for all Bangladeshis.