Top-down budget approach fails to address local needs

Staff Reporter :

Rights activists and economists at a dialogue on Saturday criticised the current budget proposal, its passage, and implementation process, describing it as undemocratic and ineffective in addressing local issues or involving relevant stakeholders.

The Democratic Budget Movement (DBM), a platform of civil society organisations, organised the event in the capital, calling for reforms to democratise the budget process and ensure more effective implementation.

Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue and an economist, remarked that the budget process lacks democratic principles.

He stressed that proposals should originate from local representatives to reflect the specific needs of their communities.

“A substantial amount of public money is wasted due to the undemocratic nature of the budget process,” he said, advocating for local monitoring to ensure accountability and proposing the establishment of a commission to reform the budget system.

However, Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman, joint secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, opposed the idea, stating that local budget demands often prioritise less critical issues.

“Local communities sometimes focus on religious purposes rather than national priorities such as education and healthcare,” he argued.

DBM member Zakia Shishir criticised the top-down approach of the current budget process, which she said fails to recognise local needs and instead allocates resources to less urgent sectors.

Marium Nesa, an official from ActionAid Bangladesh, highlighted the significant disparity between public demands and the approved budget, while Sekender Ali Mina, executive director of Safety and Rights, asserted that discriminatory budget allocations exacerbate inequalities at the grassroots level.

Speakers also pointed out that local communities are often unaware of their budget allocations and called for enhanced accountability from local authorities regarding the use of public funds.

Other participants included Mirza Shawkat Ali, director of the Department of Environment; Aman Rahman, vice-president of DBM; and Khalid Pasha Joy, joint general secretary of DBM.