Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has said that political democracy cannot function effectively without economic democracy, stressing the need to ensure equal economic opportunities for all.

He made the remarks at a discussion meeting marking National Statistics Day 2026 at the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Sunday (November 8).

The finance minister described discussions about the activities of the previous government as a waste of time. “I do not want to go into discussions about the past activities of any government. It is a waste of time,” he said.

He said development is hindered when the economy is not democratic. If economic democracy can be established, the country will also be able to achieve political democracy at a meaningful level.

“Unless the economy is democratic, political democracy can never function,” he added.

Emphasising the importance of accurate information, Amir Khasru said transparency cannot be ensured without reliable data. The government is working to bring transparency to information and has granted full independence to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) to achieve this goal.

He also said that any government manipulating national data would essentially be deceiving itself.

Planning State Minister Zunaid Abdur Rahim Saki said the government had no intention of distorting information and that there would be no political interference in the preparation of statistics. The government is working to ensure that people have access to reliable information, he added.

Economic Affairs and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said incompetent individuals had enjoyed privileges during the previous authoritarian government, while qualified people were deprived of opportunities. As a result, a significant portion of Bangladesh’s limited resources had been wasted.

He also said the government was pursuing reforms to ensure reliable, internationally recognised and easily accessible statistics.