Dhaka, April 11 (AHN) Rumeen Farhana, a Bangladeshi independent lawmaker, has slammed the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government over the appointment of party-linked figures to key positions, including the Governor of Bangladesh Bank and Vice Chancellors of several public universities, local media reported this week.

Speaking during a parliamentary session, Farhana said, “In every country, the Central Bank is the regulatory authority for financial institutions and acts as the government’s bank. Looking at other South Asian countries, one sees highly qualified individuals with PhDs, from institutions like Princeton, appointed to Central Banks. In contrast, after the formation of the new government in Bangladesh, the person appointed (as Bangladesh Bank Governor) was a member of BNP's election committee and Managing Director of a sweater factory."

“The same pattern is evident in the appointments of Vice Chancellors at universities, where party-affiliated VCs and pro-VCs have been installed. Being politically active is not condemnable, but if one cannot be appointed without party affiliation, that is unfortunate," Bangladesh’s leading newspaper Daily Star quoted Farhana as saying.

A former BNP leader, Farhana contested the February 12 national election as an independent candidate from the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency after the party allocated the seat to an alliance partner.

She further claimed that the 2024 July protests were aimed to build an inclusive Bangladesh, while lamenting the declining role of women in significant decision-making processes.

“Women were at the forefront of this movement. We saw a wave of young, new faces. Yet within a year, those women seem to have disappeared. Why?” the lawmaker questioned.

“Women are needed at the front of marches; they stand as shields against police tear gas and batons, and they help in times of turmoil. Yet, once everything is settled, women are treated as objects -- ridiculed for their clothes, their faces, their words, their laughter,” she added.

Raising concerns over the balance of power between Bangladesh's President and the Prime Minister, Farhana said, “That is why we had expected the President, this time, to deliver a speech of his own rather than merely read out a cabinet-approved text. But once again, we saw the President compelled to deliver a speech cleared by the cabinet."

"If we cannot allow the President even this small measure of independence, then what kind of balance are we talking about?” she questioned.