Bangladesh’s Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud has cautioned that democracy by itself cannot guarantee economic development unless politics becomes genuinely welfare-oriented. Speaking at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) annual research conference in Dhaka, he argued that when politics turns into a pursuit of privileges rather than public service, it attracts youth seeking livelihood opportunities rather than civic engagement. He also warned that vested business interests can form powerful circles that obstruct welfare-driven policymaking. Dr. Mahmud emphasized that the country’s education system is producing unemployed graduates, and that behavioral norms and values must be studied to understand development barriers. He noted that limited reforms cannot solve deep-rooted issues such as collusion between bureaucracy and business or tax evasion, calling for broader structural reforms. The adviser stressed that effective democracy should aim to build an equitable, poverty-free society, but lamented that Bangladesh still struggles to establish even a functional democratic system. BIDS Director General Prof. A.K.M. Enamul Haque added that the two-day conference would present around fifty research papers addressing unemployment, poverty, and health sector challenges.
পরিকল্পনা উপদেষ্টা ড. ওয়াহিদ উদ্দিন মাহমুদ বলেছেন, শুধুমাত্র গণতন্ত্রের মাধ্যমে অর্থনৈতিক উন্নয়ন সম্ভব নয়। রাজনীতি যদি জনকল্যাণমুখী না হয়ে শুধু সুযোগ-সুবিধা দেওয়ার মতো হয়ে যায়, তাহলে যুবসমাজ ক্যাডারভিত্তিক জীবিকা অর্জনের পথ হিসেবে রাজনীতিকেই বেছে নেব
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