Vision of working-class people could not prevail: Prof Rehman Sobhan

Noted economist Prof Rehman Sobhan has said the long-cherished vision of establishing a more egalitarian society, prioritising the working class people, has been lost as the business class now dominates all the political and economical aspects of the country. 

He made the comments in a programme on Wednesday organised by the BIDS to mark the memory of Dr Abdul Gafur, a renowned researcher. 

Former governor of Bangladesh Bank, Dr Atiur Rahman presented a paper titled "Freedom Struggle from Language Movement to Liberation War: Development of the Middle class in East Bengal."
"The events of 1975 in Bangladesh were rooted in a contradiction between the aspirations of the middle class and the post-liberation agenda of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which aimed to build a more egalitarian society," Rehman Sobhan said.

The liberation war was fought by working-class people who believed in this vision, which required the withdrawal of Pakistan and the expansion of the state sector to create space for the emergence of a new social order, said Prof Sobhan, who is an advocate for policies and practices that prioritise the needs and rights of marginalized communities.

"However, the business elite, or Burjwazis, sought to recapture the power they had enjoyed under Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan's rule in the 1960s. They found support within the Awami League and other segments of society, which led to the events of 1975," he said.

In his keynote paper, Dr. Atiur discussed how the development of the middle class in East Bengal was achieved through the Language Movement, the six-point demand of Bangabandhu, the mass uprising of '69, the election of '70, and the liberation war of '71.

He stated that the power of the middle class was with the general public due to political leadership. As a result, all classes were able to unite and end the blockade in Pakistan.
 
BIDS Director-General Binayak Sen chaired the event. He mentioned that in the 1960s, the middle class in East Bengal was only 5%. The number has now increased sixfold to 30%. However, he expressed concern that the middle class is not receiving its fair share from the financial sector. The middle class is not playing a role in social development because there is no previous culture in the middle. Therefore, the middle class needs to be involved in the economy to boost development.

Who was Dr. Abdul Gafur?

Dr Abdul Gafur was a renowned economist and research director of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and retired from BIDS in 1995. He made significant contributions to the study of the economics of development and poverty reduction in Bangladesh.  Gafur was a strong advocate of the need for policymakers to consider the welfare of the poorest sections of society in their development plans.

He was also a mentor to many young researchers and scholars, inspiring them to undertake research that would have a positive impact on society. Gafur passed away in 2014, but his legacy continues to inspire new generations of economists and researchers in Bangladesh and beyond.