Muhith reacts to Guardian report on Bangladesh

 

AMA Muhith 

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Sunday said when the world’s leading dailies like the Guardian speak about the prospects of country’s economy then everyone becomes elated, but when the government told the same thing it did not sound good to some people.
“Our character is that when the Economist, Wall Street Journal and the Guardian write something positive (about Bangladesh) then everyone become elated. But, when we speak the same thing it doesn’t sound right,” he told reporters in reply to their queries at his Secretariat office.
The finance minister was talking to reporters after two separate delegations of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) and Institute of Cost Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) met him at his Secretariat office.
Taking a swipe at a research think tank without mentioning its name, Muhith said: “Its findings are rubbish. I doubt if there is any scholar in it…. and in recent times, many newspapers publish their stories,”
He also said that the think tank currently say that the government will not be able to achieve its expected GDP growth. “It goes for only negatives.”
The finance minister said what he would like to do. “I tell you, whenever I’m comparatively free, I would like to take a training course on economic reporters.”
Asked to comment about the outgoing calendar year, Muhith said that the year was good and there was not any disaster in the year although some days are still left. “This year can be termed a disaster-free year till now.”
He, however, said that the country lost some of its renowned personalities in the year in various fields -- like Khan Sarwar Murshid and Prof Kabir Chowdhury.
The finance minister said that the president will deliver his new year’s speech in the next session of parliament. Besides, he said he (Muhith) will also place his six-month statement in parliament that will cover the economic aspects.
The Guardian newspaper recently said Bangladesh is among a number of emerging countries that could overtake the west by 2050, as they are growing fast.
"As the west remains mired in gloom and even the BRICS start to plateau, attention is turning to this group of countries, many of which not so long ago were rudely dismissed as basket cases," said Larry Elliott, economics editor of the London-based newspaper, in a write-up on Tuesday.
As even BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) plateau, other countries, from Bangladesh to Mexico, are coming up fast and could overtake the west by 2050, he said.
"Bangladesh and the Philippines have been helped by remittances sent home from expatriates working overseas. Mexico and Indonesia have generated strong domestic demand from their large populations."