Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin on Friday strongly criticised what he described as a deeply entrenched 'nexus' working against reforms in Bangladesh, involving the bureaucracy, business community, military, media and even religious institutions.
Addressing the opening session of the SAFA International Conference at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel as the chief guest, Bashir Uddin said, "We are witnessing a hypocritically criminalised nexus that obstructs progress and accountability at every level of society. Even the Imam of the national mosque had to flee - a sign of how deep the problem runs."
Referring to the resistance to reform as a persistent, society-wide issue, he linked it to past popular movements, including the historic August 5 uprising, which, he noted, came at the cost of 'thousands of lives and continued suffering.'
Calling on accounting and finance professionals to take the lead, the Adviser underscored the importance of transparency and compliance.
"This is an august gathering of professionals, and you have a responsibility to ensure transparent and fair financial reporting," he said.
Bashir called for the establishment of a culture of compliance and a fair distribution of wealth to support economic justice.
"We need to move towards what this country deserves. If we unite for the right reasons, Bangladesh has a golden future," he added.
