An instruction of Bangladesh Bank (BB) to four state owned commercial banks (SCBs) to keep their 3500 branches open throughout the country on Saturday to facilitate the submission of nomination papers of 50 female candidates to reserved seats of parliament has stirred widespread criticism.
Bankers and political observers were rather skeptical by the BB’s instruction terming it quite unjustified and unwarranted to serve only 50 ladies in which 60,000 bank employees were kept on ready opening the shutters on a public holiday.
They said only a common sense judgment say 50 ladies could at best use 50 branches individually or could use one single branch together in the capital to file the nomination papers. With the submission of their nominations over yesterday one would see that they have not used all 3500 branches but the BB has acted on request of the Election Commission to keep all those branches open all over the country raising question about the very justification, public expenditure and unnecessary disturbance to bank employees on the public holiday.
This is because the opening of all those branches on the public holiday has cost the
banks an additional expenditure of over Tk 50 crore and the question is who will bear the cost, albeit the unnecessary cost without valid justification.
Questions have also arisen that the nomination papers may be submitted on Sunday as it was scheduled for two days-Saturday and Sunday. The date may even be extended to Monday to avoid the additional expenditure.
Some observers said female reserved seats have no definite area constituency and as such they could submit the nomination papers in a branch or in several branches in the capital.
Some of them even raised the justification of running 50 female seats on the basis of selection to parliament. They must face electorate to be elected and become accountable to voters. Many women MPs are elected now and the question is why they can’t be elected and instead of becoming instrumental of political selection process with under hand deal reportedly marred with money and corruption.
Terming the BB’s decision “too much,” former central bank governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said, “Only some specific branches at upazila and district level could be opened for this purpose but not all of them.”
It was not the national election and so why all of the branches remained open for only 50 people, he questioned.
“The decision of BB was unwise as it only added unnecessary operating cost to the state-owned banks,” he noted.
“I don’t see the justification of keeping open all the branches of SCBs,” former finance adviser of the caretaker government Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam told The New Nation yesterday.
He added: Branches could remain open on limited basis but not as a whole. Only opening the branches in district towns and in the capital was enough.
The central bank on Thursday asked the banks-Sonali, Janata, Agrani and Rupali-to keep open their 3,500 branches for the convenience of 50 women candidates, who will submit their nominations by Sunday.
The polls for reserved women seats are scheduled for April 3.
Nomination papers will be scrutinized on March 11 and the aspirants can withdraw from the race until March 18.
Reserved seats are distributed among parties based on their representation in Parliament.
