Too Much Expected, Too Little Delivered

One of the major allegations against the previous regime, which ruled from 2009 to 2024, was widespread irregularities and corruption in the planning and management of the energy and power sectors. Many large-scale infrastructure projects were indeed built during that period.

- Saleque Sufi

Too much was expected from the interim government that took over state governance after the administration led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a mass movement triggered by Gen Z. The movement of 2024 began as an apparently innocuous student protest against inequality but quickly grew into a nationwide uprising. Ordinary citizens joined the students, enduring clashes with law enforcement agencies. As the unrest intensified, leaders of the ruling party fled the country, and the government collapsed.

An interim government led by internationally reputed Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus assumed power, promising a free, fair, and participatory general election, along with essential reforms and neutral trials for those responsible for mass killings in July and August 2024. A year and a month have since passed, but both Bangladesh and the world have witnessed little meaningful change. Most conditions remain the same. No major reforms have been implemented, and questions are mounting about the fairness of ongoing trials. The interim government has announced that the general election will be held in the 2nd week of February 2026. With less than four months remaining, it is highly unlikely that any significant transformations will take place. Bangladesh now stands in a situation aptly described as “crackling clouds bringing little rain.”

This analysis does not aim to cover every sector. Its scope is limited to the energy and power sectors and their implications for sustainable economic development.