Commodore Jasim Uddin Buiyan (Retd) :
The foundational crisis facing Bangladesh today is not merely economic; it is a profound failure of institutional integrity and moral conscience that poses an existential threat to national security.
The nation stands at a dangerous crossroads where the very mechanisms of governance, public safety, and economic stability are paralysed by rampant corruption and a deeply cynical organisational culture.
This article argues that given the systemic depth of this decay, the only viable path to reform key state sectors, such as Biman Bangladesh Airlines and the Chittagong Port, is through the mandated infusion of world-class foreign management and expertise, thereby isolating vital institutions from the local ecosystem of graft and inefficiency.
The Collapse of Moral Authority and the Rise of Materialism:
Bangladeshi society once honoured education, honesty, piety, and service. Today, the public space is increasingly ruled by the uneducated, corrupt, fanatical, and power-hungry. This moral inversion marks the collapse of our national conscience.
Corruption now thrives not from poverty but from greed. Even the privileged exploit power shamelessly, driven by an insatiable hunger for wealth. Ethics and civic values have vanished, replaced by a corrosive materialism that erodes both character and patriotism.
In this climate, personal gain outweighs duty, and loyalty to nation or organization fades. Corruption has become not an exception but very engine of the system flowing seamlessly from top to bottom.
The Evidence of Institutional Decay: From Petty Theft to National Disaster Corruption in Bangladesh has reached staggering levels, roughly 60% of government employees are involved. Personal staff of ministers and MPs now act as brokers of influence and graft, while Anti-Corruption Commission probes rarely lead to action.
This paralysis stems from a culture of liberty “Kaker Goshto Kake Khaina” (a crow never eats another crow). Traditional inquiries and slow courts cannot fight this rot.
A powerful illustration of the resistance to reform comes from an individual experience: in 2004, while serving on deputation in an agency, a list of nearly 100 corrupt officials was compiled with a proposal for swift, severe punishment.
The initiative failed due to the lack of political will at the highest level, proving that internal purification is often politically unfeasible.
Contrast this administrative paralysis with the moral resilience observed elsewhere. In Japan, a bus driver was dismissed and forfeited $84,000 in retirement benefits for misappropriating only $7 (1,000 Yen) in bus fares, a demonstration of zero tolerance for even petty corruption.
Furthermore, when Japan’s electronic toll collection system failed for 38 hours, over 24,000 drivers voluntarily paid their tolls online after the fix, even though they could have easily evaded payment.
This is a powerful testament to a culture where integrity prevails when technology fails, a moral foundation frankly absent in Bangladesh.
Consecutive Fires Expose National Security Failure:
The deepest consequence of administrative failure is the compromise of national security, which encompasses the integrity of strategic infrastructure and public safety.
The recent sequence of devastating, consecutive fires, in Mirpur Rupnagar, the Export Processing Zone (EPZ Ctg) and the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 14,16, 18 Oct 2025 respectively, serves as irrefutable evidence of a profound institutional breakdown.
The airport fire exposed critical lapses in emergency management: fire service units reportedly ran out of water, pointing to a systemic failure to install, maintain, or effectively utilise essential safety systems like sprinklers, smoke detectors, and adequate water reserves.
The organisational culture appears to favour “chasing the kite” (launching investigations and engaging in blame games after the disaster) over ensuring “foolproof protection of the ear” (implementing rigorous preventative measures). The absence of an effective, instant punishment system allows this gross negligence to persist.
The Case for External Intervention: Biman and the Chittagong Port The operational weakness of two strategic assets, Biman Bangladesh Airlines and the Chittagong Port, highlights the urgent need for a radical shift in management strategy.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines: The national flag carrier’s consistent failure to achieve profitability stands in sharp contrast to the success of state-owned carriers like Emirates Airlines, which thrives under world-class, autonomous foreign management.
While Biman attempted reforms, such as its conversion to a Public Limited Company (PLC) in July 2007 under then-CEO Dr. M. A. Momen, a move that included a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to shed over 1,800 staff, these efforts were ultimately stifled.
The public record indicates that despite the structural shift, Biman continued to suffer from “excessive political interference” and bureaucratic complexities.
Any major restructuring plan championed by Dr. Momen would have inevitably encountered the formidable resistance of the entrenched bureaucracy, leading to its ultimate failure and his transfer in September 2008. This history clearly demonstrates that the system resists self-correction.
Chittagong Port: Recognising the critical bottleneck posed by local management, the government has adopted a practical strategy for its primary economic gateway. The government plans to bring in foreign companies to manage several key terminals to improve efficiency and international competitiveness.
This strategy is explicitly based on the rationale that Bangladesh “lacks the necessary technology, expertise, and experience” to modernise the port on its own.
The involvement of global players like the UAE’s DP World is being pursued, with the Bangladesh Navy currently holding an interim operational role over the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT).
This strategic move at the Chittagong Port provides a powerful, tangible precedent for the necessary overhaul of Biman and other vital state entities.
The Final Imperative: A Special Arrangement for Transformation Given the profound ethical decline and the absence of political will for genuine internal reform, a ‘Special Arrangement’ must be implemented across all critical state sectors to secure the nation’s future.
This is the final imperative. This arrangement necessitates:
1. Mandatory Foreign Management: Immediately hiring world-class foreign executive teams for organisations like Biman and granting them complete commercial and administrative autonomy, free from local political or bureaucratic interference.
2. Rapid Institutional Transformation: Using this external authority to bypass the entrenched bureaucratic resistance, ensuring the “instant transformation” required to make these entities efficient, profitable, and secure.
This pragmatic approach of hiring management for national security is not an act of surrender, but a strategic investment in the nation’s future capability.
The ultimate goal of this externally driven transformation is to mentor, train, and instill world-class corporate governance standards in local personnel.
It is a temporary corrective phase, not a permanent dependency. As capable Bangladeshi professionals emerge, those proven in efficiency, integrity, and global expertise, they must gradually assume executive and management roles.
This phased transition will safeguard national assets today while building the foundation for self-reliance and full national ownership tomorrow.
At the same time, proven proactive and honest Bangladeshi personalities from the military, bureaucracy, and other professions, should be integrated into this system, provided there is no political interference.
The truth is, when foreign management takes charge, politicians hesitate to meddle, allowing merit, professionalism, and discipline to flourish.
By embracing this radical yet disciplined strategy, as already evident in the Chittagong Port model, Bangladesh can arrest institutional decay and rebuild the administrative core of the state.
It is an urgent national imperative to transform a democracy that merely exists in form into one that functions with integrity, efficiency, and national security.
