A reflection of unpreparedness?

Mridul Chowdhury

Published in the Daily Star on 30 June 2009.

THERE is no doubt that Digital Bangladesh is not only a catch-phrase for the government, but is also a reflection of the common man’s desire for a better and modern Bangladesh. The once popular phrase Shonar Bangla is now being replaced by “Digital Bangladesh.”

The national budget reflects the government’s commitment towards Digital Bangladesh, but possibly falls short with respect to giving a clear direction about the approach it will take to realise the goal. Its commitment is indicated by the fact that the total allocation for ICT-related components has substantially increased from last year.

However, there are also indications that the level of commitment may not be matched by the degree of preparation needed for creating Digital Bangladesh, since it is very much of a cross-cutting issue that permeates across almost all sectors.

What they aren’t Telling us about Cyclone Aila

Fariha Sarawat

Published in the Star Weekend Magazine on 26 June 2009.

We can’t even find dry place to bury the dead, this is worse than Sidr: a resident of Nolia village remarked. Nolia village is located at the interior of the Khulna delta, in the Sutarkhali union of Dacope upazila, and is among the regions worst affected by Cyclone Aila. We have never seen so much water before, not even in ‘88, stranded residents of Nolia village informed us. Making our way into the interiors of the south-western coastal delta of Khulna, much of which now lies inundated in salt water, with plants, fish and vegetation rotting in it, we came across many small villages like Nolia. The sight of dry land and fresh water was an anomaly in our journey.

Budget for recession and recovery

Syeed Ahamed

Published in the Daily Star on 15 June 2009.

INCIDENTALLY when the manifestos for National Election 2008 were being prepared, the world economy was already in recession and the election promises were linked with the recovery. This must have facilitated the budget to address the recession and election promises in chorus and with success.

The budget admits the challenges ahead forecasting a 5.5% GDP growth, but it also aims to change that conservative scenario by promoting investment, decentralisation and infrastructural development. The finance minister has received a mixed (though largely positive) response for various proposals. This article however underscores few uncertainties surrounding the budget proposals.

 

Risks to the economic outlook

Jyoti Rahman

Published in the Daily Star on 14 June 2009.

THE much anticipated and widely leaked budget has finally been declared. This piece will focus on the key macroeconomic forecasts that underpin the budget. The budget rests on a forecast GDP growth of 5.5% and an inflation of 6.5% in 2009-10. These forecasts feature possible impacts of the global recession, including impacts on remittance and exports. The fiscal deficit is forecast to remain within 5% of GDP next year, of which 2 percentage points are expected to be financed from external sources.

Are these forecasts sensible?

The devil is in implementation

Asif Saleh

Published in the Daily Star on 12 June 2009.

THE 2009-10 budget has been announced amid much fanfare. Thanks to the media and initiatives from various business groups, wide scale pre-budget aspirations of people received much air time. The reality, though, is that even the best of budgets and policy initiatives can fail due to issues beyond the control of the finance minister. The devil will not be in the details, but in implementation. So it’s important to get the potential road-blocks identified.

The first cut is the deepest

Syeed Ahamed

Published in the Daily Star on 11 June 2009.

THE finance minister is set to put forward the national budget for fiscal year 2009-10 today. This is the first budget of this government after the restoration of democracy and also the first budget of this finance minister under a democratically elected government.

Over the last few months numerous proposals/demands have been made to the finance minister from different stakeholder groups. At the same time, scores of speculations have been printed about the probable size and composition of the budget. Today, as the finance minister rehearses his budget speech, let’s go over some of the key issues that will be fundamental to assess the new budget once it is announced.

Surviving the Great Recession

Jyoti Rahman

Published in the Forum on 1 June 2009.

This piece explores how the budget can be tailored to weather the global financial crisis.