TDS Desk:

Economist Prof Anu Muhammad today alleged that Bangladesh’s power and energy ministry has long been dominated by multinational companies.

Speaking at a roundtable on “Energy Sector Reform and CAB’s 13-point Demand”, organised by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) at CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka, he said some advisers and special assistants during the interim government acted as corporate lobbyists to secure deals for foreign firms.

“In the contracts that are signed, people from the same side sit on both sides of the table,” he said. “As a result, Bangladesh has spent a huge amount of resources and is constantly getting trapped in a cycle of dependency.”

He drew parallels between the ongoing global oil crisis, triggered by the Middle East conflict, and the fallout from the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, warning the newly elected government faces a severe energy challenge just a month into its tenure. He urged authorities to dismantle the “VIP culture,” citing excessive consumption by influential groups as a key problem.

Prof Anu Muhammad criticised the country’s import-reliant power structure, saying it was part of a master plan devised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2010.

He also accused former US Ambassador Peter Haas of lobbying for American firms to secure offshore oil and gas blocks under production-sharing contracts favouring foreign companies.

He backed CAB’s 13-point demands, calling for full national ownership of natural resources, a ban on exports, rapid development of renewable energy, and accountability for “energy crimes.” He suggested installing solar panels in cantonments and wind projects along the coast.

Narsingdi-5 lawmaker Md Ashraf Uddin, former interim government adviser Farida Akhter, former CPB general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, and Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Huq were among the speakers at the event.