Dhaka gets empty basket, Delhi allowed all it wanted Faisal Rahim After the much-hyped Sheikh Hasina - Manmohan Singh summit in India last week, the question which agitates the public mind is: What does the balance-sheet of bilateral ties between the two friendly neighbours now look like? Hasina?s Government has agreed to give a significant number of real concessions and benefits to India ?- but what has Dhaka received? There are quite cogent reasons for the Bangladeshis to scrutinise what economic weakling Dhaka gained from Delhi, the third strongest economic powerhouse of the world. The people want to know how business will benefit from the ?opening of a new era of political relations with India? is a new question the country?s business community is now thinking about following the Prime Minister?s visit to Delhi. With the opening of transit to India?s northeast, Bangladesh may see a new garment industry growing in the state of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram in the first place to beat back Bangladesh?s domestic RMG sector. Moreover, with the growth of a new socio-economic perspective, most FDI flows may find a new destination now to the Indian northeast at the cost of Bangladesh, experts here say. Most likely Indian investment from the capital-rich western wing may now pour in to the northeast which India so far denied to Bangladesh to protect its market there. Multimodal transit, security threats Now fabrics and machinery may come from western India to use cheaper manpower of the northeast and eventually Bangladesh may face the pressure from both in the Western part of India as well as from its northeast. Moreover, India is already lobbying with major multilateral agencies and bilateral donors to put in their resources to the northeast to beat back insurgency at a time when Bangladesh foreign ministry and other investment promotion agencies are passing easy time without any vision or strategy how to face the new situation now in the process of making. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has agreed during her visit to provide transit to India by road, railway and waterways, albeit under the cover of regional connectivity along with so many other consequential concessions. But what she has secured in return is a big question now facing increasing scrutiny as she got back an almost empty basket however, opening a new window of threats to Bangladesh domestic manufacturing and business. The Indian press The Indian press on conclusion of the visit applauded Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for achieving everything that India wanted from the visit. It includes multimodal transit to India?s northeast through Bangladesh, right to use Chittagong and Mongla port, besides firm commitment of Bangladesh Prime Minister to fight Indian insurgents and working closely with Delhi in Bangladesh?s domestic politics. At certain stage, as newspaper report said, Sheikh Hasina and Sonia Ghandi and their children in informal chats and expression of fraternity presented the impression to the media of a family reunion in the sideline of diplomatic festivities. Hasina went to the extent of saying that late Indira Ghandi was like a mother to her; and she is now trying to follow policies in Bangladesh similar to those once followed by Mahatma Ghandi and Pandit Jawharlal Nehru. Unresolved issues Sheikh Hasina made no secret of the scheme when she said on return from Delhi that apart from closer diplomatic and political ties with India, she wants to integrate Bangladesh with the Bengali spirit of West Bengal. What Sheikh Hasina got in return is a big question. Observers say, she failed to resolve water issues, Tipaimukh dam issues, linkage to isolated chhitmahal or enclaves, duty-free market access of Bangladesh exports to Indian market and removal of para-tariff and non-tariff barriers, except an assurance from the Indian government that they would make duty-free export of some products easier to the Indian market. Even Indian finance minister Praban Mukherjee, who worked as a post-box of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to Indian administration, avoided naming the list of products as Bangladesh was pushing for, saying Delhi would take care of it later. Breaking diplomatic norms, Hasina even visited his New Delhi home for seeing her ailing wife. But their heart remained unmoved as far as they did not make any substantive concession to the Prime Minister in this regard except the big promise. It looked like an one way traffic, said an observer pointing to the joint communiqu頩ssued after the visit. The most significant part of the new political alignment is a total surrender of Bangladesh economy and infrastructure to Indian monopolistic control. Here in this case India offered loans to the tune of US$ 1.0 billion for Bangladesh infrastructure development linked to widening roads, ports, highways, dredging rivers and other facilities which would create additional capacity for multi-modal transport to support Indian transit connectivity through Bangladesh. News report said it may take at least three year to set up cross border power grid and the electricity is yet to be generated at Tripura passing equipment through Bangladesh opening the transit route in the first place for the purpose. Analysts say three-year period is a very long time: ?- Why is the government depending on India for the purpose without exploiting the time and resources to set up its own plants to become self-reliant? Telecom, submarine cable, Padma bridge Indian telecommunication companies have already bought Warid Telecom of Bangladesh and the government allowed it breaking existing law on transfer of such utility to third party only to accommodate India?s move to establish control on Bangladesh telecommunication system. The Indian companies are also vying to share the submarine cable landing station of Cox?s Bazar to extend its telecommunication network to Indian northeast. The government has also decided to buy 100 buses from India to strengthen the transportation system of Dhaka city. Moreover, sources close to diplomatic circle said Dhaka has already informally decided to give construction contract of Padma bridge to Indian conglomerate Tata and the design lay out of the bridge has been developed accordingly to build a steel frame bridge. India will also sell railway logistics to Bangladesh, provide dredging ships and equipment, in addition to taking over maintenance of such work related to developing transit network. Opposition parties In the end the control of the country?s economy is quickly passing to Indian hand and this is how Sheikh Hasina is moving to integrate Bangladesh with Indian economy and institutions. She possibly believed that once such integration will be at work, India will take active interest in Bangladesh to see that parties opposing such sell-out ?- such as BNP or Jammat and such other parties ?- would never have the opportunity to come to power. India will take care of it to protect its interest. Very interestingly, the 47 member trade delegation entourage with the Prime Minister has hardly any known face, except the BGMEA and BKMEA president. Most participants in the business entourage were party men who takes interest in it more as jamboree in a diplomatic mission. A banker led the delegation who was never visible in past trade negotiation with India. |
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