Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain on Sunday said that civil society must play a decisive role in sustaining reform initiatives taken by the interim government.
“We could not meet all expectations, but we laid important groundwork,” he said while addressing the inauguration programme of the “Bangladesh Reform Tracker” by the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre here as the chief guest.
The adviser said the government faced severe structural and administrative challenges after assuming office, including a weakened state apparatus and limited institutional capacity.
He said initiatives such as the formation of reform commissions and the National Consensus Commission reflected the government’s commitment to reform, despite time constraints and resistance from vested interests.
Completing all changes within a short period was unrealistic, he said, adding that political parties must now carry the reform process forward.
Highlighting labour law reforms, the adviser described them as a major achievement, noting that the changes were undertaken in consultation with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and amid engagement with the European Union and US trade delegations.
These reforms will have long-term positive implications, he added.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, convenor of the Citizen’s Platform and distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), presided over the event.
He said reforms cannot be effective or sustainable without active participation from citizens.
About the Bangladesh Reform Tracker, he said it will monitor the implementation and progress of the government’s reform measures.
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