Nahid stresses reform in BTV speech
Staff Reporter :
Ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary election, National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam on Sunday delivered a televised address outlining a broad political and policy roadmap focused on state reform, democratic restructuring and accountable governance.
The pre-recorded speech was aired on Bangladesh Television (BTV) at 7:15pm. In his address, Nahid said the existing state structure has failed to meet public aspirations and called for deep and comprehensive reforms across political, administrative and economic institutions.
He alleged that Bangladesh’s political system has long suffered from excessive centralisation of power, a politicised administration and a persistent crisis of confidence in the electoral process, claiming that key institutions have increasingly served the interests of a particular political group rather than the public at large.
Emphasising the need for democratic renewal, he urged curbing political influence over state bodies, safeguarding freedoms and opposition space, and ensuring greater citizen participation through structural reforms.
Turning to the economy, the NCP convener criticised widening inequality and pledged to prioritise job creation, inflation control and the strengthening of social safety net programmes.
He said economic growth had failed to translate into broad-based welfare and argued that ordinary people continued to struggle under rising living costs.
Nahid promised that if entrusted with forming the government, the NCP would establish a fair, transparent and people-friendly market system.
He said ensuring access to essential commodities at reasonable prices was a core responsibility of a welfare-oriented state, particularly at a time when uncontrolled price hikes were pushing citizens to the brink.
Nahid claimed that Bangladesh consistently records the highest prices for daily necessities among South Asian countries, attributing this to what he described as a corrupt nexus of businessmen, politicians and bureaucrats who manipulate markets for personal gain.
“If we are given the responsibility of governing, stabilising commodity prices will be one of our top priorities,” he said.
He pledged to dismantle syndicates involving traders, politicians and officials accused of creating artificial shortages, market manipulation and illegal hoarding.
Such groups, he said, would be brought under a strict legal framework and face swift trials and severe punishment if found guilty.
Nahid also said the state would ensure that farmers could sell their crops without paying extortion or unofficial levies, and that wholesale traders would not be forced to make illicit payments.
Eliminating such practices, he argued, would help guarantee fair prices for agricultural produce and reduce unnecessary cost burdens on consumers.
Blaming extortionists and middlemen for inflating prices nationwide, he said an NCP-led government would expand fair-price market mechanisms and Open Market Sale (OMS) programmes so that lower- and middle-income households could purchase essentials at affordable rates.
To reduce vulnerability in supply chains, Nahid said dependence on a single neighbouring country for imports would be lowered by diversifying sources, preventing any external leverage over essential goods.
He also promised measures to boost competition by identifying new business entrepreneurs and providing them with easy access to credit and state support.
Further proposals included expanding cold storage facilities for agricultural products, modernising supply management through digital market systems, improving transport efficiency while ensuring fair costs, and adopting advance government planning for seasonal commodities by purchasing and storing goods ahead of peak demand.
Addressing the health sector, Nahid rejected official claims of progress, alleging that ordinary citizens still do not receive adequate services.
He described the sector as hostage to an institutionalised “culture of plunder” and called for urgent reforms to ensure accountability, accessibility and quality healthcare for all.
Concluding his address, Nahid Islam framed the NCP’s agenda as a push for systemic change, saying meaningful reform was essential to restore public trust, protect democratic space and build an accountable state responsive to citizens’ needs.