The Tamesis
May 15, 2026
Dhaka – The Prime Minister’s quote that I used as the title of this column is as sweet to the ears as it is and constitutes the most important policy directive this country needs to take. In most rural areas, the police are the first point of contact between the people and the state. If the experience is one of respect and dignity, public confidence in government will soar.
Rather, it is one of the most important law and order institutions in the country, one that has been most abused by past governments and today’s ruling party. If the Prime Minister can truly transform it into an institution for non-political purposes, he will make a huge difference to the poor and powerless majority who suffer from legal abuse and corruption. This will be a transformation that will change the process of governance in Bangladesh in many important ways and other institutions such as intelligence agencies will become more effective and people-friendly.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the academic excellence of public universities, which will also be discussed in this column.
Before delving into the above topics, please allow me to share a story about the Prime Minister that impressed me deeply. A few weeks ago, Tarique Rahman invited members of the Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh (Noab) to exchange views on the industry. He was casual, polite and started the session with a personal story which put us all at ease. He said he took office during Ramadan. Since he works late, he and his staff need to eat iftar in the office. He found out that the Iftar package offered by Parjatan Corporation Hotel cost Tk 900 per person. He searched and considered various iftar food combinations and finally found a healthy and nutritious option priced at only Tk 150. He chose iftar packages for his office. Then he gave us a surprise and said he was going to treat us to lunch for the same price. It consists of white rice, vegetables, lau chingri (gourd and shrimp – small varieties) and lentils, served fresh and hot. It may not be the most expensive lunch, but it’s light, simple, and delicious.
His tireless search for the most economical and healthful iftar and lunch options should lead him to find more cost-effective and efficient government management options. If one walks into our secretariat, the most shocking sight to them is that the apex governance body has effectively been transformed into a parking lot with two-lane and three-lane expensive SUVs and luxury cars – each worth crores of rupees – making it difficult to walk from one ministry to another. Not only are these vehicles expensive to purchase and maintain, but these gas-guzzling monsters drain the public treasury every day. Fuel costs are already high and are sure to rise in the future. Even district officials are equipped with these expensive and self-aggrandizing vehicles, creating a disgusting contrast with the impoverished public they are tasked to serve. This may be the first place where our new Prime Minister can look into and use his ‘simple living’ philosophy to reduce administrative costs. Just ask the price of these vehicles and the cost of fuel and maintenance and the Prime Minister will know what we are talking about.
Returning to his presentation, we want to focus on the two areas we started with: police and public universities.
Speaking at the just-concluded Police Week, the Prime Minister said, “My message is clear: the police administration does not belong to any political party and must operate in accordance with the law.” He further elaborated, requiring the police authorities to remain neutral and operate strictly in accordance with the law, so that the police department can become a reliable support center that people can trust when they need it.
Later, on Tuesday, during his first visit to Dhaka University since taking office, the prime minister noted that the institution’s low international rankings were “largely due to politically influenced faculty recruitment, insufficient emphasis on academic performance and lack of research”.
These comments are extremely relevant regarding two of the most important institutions in nation-building: law enforcement and educational excellence. His speech was very encouraging for us and as independent media we have developed professional cooperation in these areas.
Let’s start with the police. It is most impressive and mind-boggling for a sitting Prime Minister that the police do not belong to any political party. If he really thinks so, then he must give the police real institutional and functional autonomy. It is a basic reality that the police become a tool to suppress opposition or dissident voices because the current government and the ruling party want it to be so. If a senior official refuses to obey partisan instructions from the leader of the ruling party, action will inevitably be taken against them, and if they persist, action will ensue.
The Prime Minister must realize that the main reason for the political use (and indeed misuse) of the police is the government and the ruling party itself. If it was to be stopped, it had to start at his doorstep. What confidence do police officials have to act independently when ministers or MPs pass completely unreasonable orders to harass their political, party, business or family rivals? Police officials can only act independently if there are official procedures in place to protect them. Even their bosses “advise” them to follow the rules. So if the Prime Minister really wants to establish that “the police do not belong to any political party”, then he has a duty to develop an official code of conduct for the police on how to deal with MPs and senior leaders of the ruling party, and another set of codes of conduct for his party leaders on how to deal with the police. It must also be remembered that the police themselves, especially senior officers approaching retirement, use the police to curry favor with the powers that be, seeing it as an opportunity for last-minute promotions, perks, UN missions and positions.
The Prime Minister hit the nail on the head when he said the reason our public universities are ranked so shamefully low is due to the political nature of faculty recruitment and promotion.
Before going any further, we want to forcefully state that despite government pressure, partisanship, and a culture of cronyism, there are many faculty at public universities who have survived politicization, continued to practice academic work, and earned the respect of their students and the academic community. They must be given the recognition they deserve.
Yes, partisan recruitment is significantly responsible for the destruction of academic excellence at our public universities. However, as we have written before, the main culprit here is the appointment of vice-chancellors and teachers indulged in party politics. They formed the pink, white and blue group as they contested university elections. These groups are linked to the student body and jointly decide on the selection and functioning of the VC, House Provost, House Tutor, and sometimes even the Dean when their chosen party is in power.
As political power changes, the way public universities are governed changes, as does the recruitment process, the academic climate, and the intellectual freedom of faculty. Because of this, our prestigious universities have lost prestige, honor and quality over the years.
We selected the Prime Minister’s two latest statements because we believe they touch on two fundamental areas on Bangladesh’s path forward: good governance and knowledge capacity building.
Depoliticizing the police requires winning two tough battles: first, convincing the leaders of the ruling party to no longer view the police as an extension of the party cadre; This goes on for so long that they may have forgotten what it feels like to be independent.
In order to restore professionalism in the police and intelligence agencies (our headlines on May 12, 2026 revealed how Sheikh Hasina’s close ally S Alam took over Social Islamic Bank by outright abusing DGFI’s mandate), a crucial clear relationship must be established between how the police serve the elected government and how they do not serve the partisan interests of the ruling party ministers and leaders. This clarity is extremely important and a prerequisite for restoring professionalism within the police force. We don’t need to invent it, just learn from every democracy in the world where this technology exists. The Prime Minister’s desire that “the police do not belong to any political party” will never hold true if we do not stress it clearly.
Depoliticizing and restoring academic freedom and excellence in public universities is another important task we must accomplish if we are to be part of a world that accelerates progress in science, technology, good governance, and productivity management. Venture capitalists are appointed first based on merit, ethical character, and intellectual honesty. Give them full authority and support them in running institutions based on merit rather than politics. Convince faculty not to toe political lines within the university. We welcome them to do so as citizens, but not as teachers. We might be able to communicate to our students that politics is vital to democracy and the progress of a country. But there are many destructive aspects of partisan politics on campus that we have seen and fallen victim to in the past.
Fifty-five years have passed since our independence. Yes, we built some roads, bridges, factories and buildings. But we have yet to create a public institution that operates on a basis of merit, ethics and fairness. In fact, we have destroyed those things that exist.
The Prime Minister’s speech can set us on a new path. But will it?
Mahfuz Anam is the editor and publisher of The Daily Star.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
