Staff Reporter :
Awami League (AL) general secretary and road transport and bridges minister, Obaidul Quader, addressed concerns regarding the decline in Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserve during a press conference held at the political office of AL president in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Saturday.
Responding to a question from a journalist about the accessibility to the central bank, Quader stated, “In which country in the world can you enter the central bank freely? Why do you need to enter the bank when all the necessary information and updates are available online?”
Quader dismissed claims of a drastic decline in reserves, saying, “Who told you that? Where did you get that? We have the account.” When journalists mentioned information provided by the governor of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) indicating
a significant decrease, Quader countered, “Then, you better ask the governor why it (reserve) came down to this level. This is not what we know. The reserve now stands at between USD 19-20 billion as far as we know.”
In response to queries about economists’ concerns regarding the dwindling forex reserve, Quader pointed to Bangladesh’s historical context, stating, “How much did we have after independence? Did we have dollars at the beginning of the journey? We now have around USD 19-20 billion. Is it any less? Our export income is rising. The inflow of remittance is also growing. If these keep growing, so will be the reserve.”
Quader emphasized the role of stability in governance, attributing Bangladesh’s development to the continuity and stability of the government. He further praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, highlighting her support for the people of Bangladesh and her efforts in uniting the Awami League party.
Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, organizing secretary Mirza Azam and Sujit Roy Nandi, science and technology affairs secretary Md Abdus Sabur, and liberation war affairs secretary Mrinal Kanti Das were also present at the press briefing.
