NextFin News - The promise of a transparent "New Bangladesh" has hit a bureaucratic wall as Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) issued a blistering critique of the country’s interim administration for failing to revive the national Information Commission. Speaking at a press conference in Dhaka on Sunday, March 8, 2026, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman accused the interim government of maintaining a "culture of secrecy" by leaving the oversight body dysfunctional for eighteen months, despite having a clear mandate for reform following the collapse of the previous regime.
The Information Commission, designed to be the ultimate arbiter of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, has remained largely paralyzed since the transition of power. While the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, was initially hailed as a corrective force against the "kleptocratic" tendencies of the 16-year Awami League rule, TIB’s latest assessment suggests that the new leadership has succumbed to the same institutional inertia. Iftekharuzzaman noted that the failure to appoint commissioners and empower the body suggests the interim government "had something to hide," pointing to several key state decisions made behind closed doors without public scrutiny.
This institutional vacuum has tangible consequences for governance and anti-corruption efforts. Without a functional commission, citizens and journalists have no recourse when government agencies ignore RTI requests. Data from the Right to Information Forum indicates that the backlog of unresolved complaints has surged, effectively granting civil servants immunity from transparency requirements. The irony is sharp: an administration brought in to dismantle a system of state-sponsored opacity is now being accused of scrubbing its own digital footprint. TIB recently alleged that critical state decisions and information published on government websites during the interim period have been systematically removed, a move Iftekharuzzaman described as "unethical and contrary to state interests."
The struggle to operationalize the commission highlights a deeper structural malaise in the Bangladeshi bureaucracy. Historically, the country has struggled to transition from a colonial-era mindset of "official secrets" to a modern framework of open governance. Under the previous administration, the Information Commission was often staffed by loyalists who viewed their role as protecting the state from inquiry rather than facilitating it. By failing to appoint independent, reform-minded leadership to the commission, the interim government has missed a critical window to institutionalize accountability before the upcoming 2026 parliamentary elections.
The stakes for the interim government are rising as it nears the end of its tenure. Critics argue that by keeping the Information Commission ineffective, the administration is setting a dangerous precedent for the next elected government. If a reformist interim body cannot tolerate transparency, there is little hope that a partisan political government will do so. The Right to Information Forum has now called for immediate legislative amendments to the RTI Act to ensure the commission’s independence from executive interference, though such changes seem unlikely to materialize before the transition of power.
Ultimately, the paralysis of the Information Commission serves as a barometer for the broader success of the interim government’s reform agenda. While significant strides have been made in stabilizing the macroeconomy and initiating judicial reviews, the "right to know" remains a secondary priority. As the March 2026 deadline for political transition approaches, the lack of a functional transparency watchdog leaves a significant gap in the country’s democratic architecture, one that may take years to repair under a new political dispensation.
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