Opinion Padma in the middle

Exasperated,the World Bank cancelled its component of $1.2 billion on June 29. It was certainly a wake-up call for the government. Indeed,it was a huge embarrassment. In public,though,the prime minister and her cabinet went on the defensive with the spurious argument that the World Bank’s allegations against Abul and other officials,as well as private individuals,were yet to be proved. It did not occur to the government that the allegations were good enough reason for action against the minister and everyone else named by the World Bank. Instead,the prime minister and nearly everyone who matters in her government took to a new strategy for the construction of the bridge. The country was informed that despite the withdrawal of the World Bank from the scene,there were two remaining donors for the bridge,namely the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). There was no need to worry,the government appeared to be suggesting. But then the ADB and Jica made it known that their loans for the bridge would remain suspended until matters were sorted out. Obviously,with the World Bank taking itself out of the picture,the two others did not feel comfortable staying on.

To go back to the government’s reaction to the World Bank’s withdrawal,one cannot but conclude that the Bangladesh authorities find themselves in rather hot water these days. This is in spite of the government’s loud reassurances to the country that the finances withdrawn by the World Bank would be acquired from Malaysia. But the idea did not gain much ground. The government explained that the Malaysian authorities would form a consortium in Dubai in order to raise funds for the Padma Bridge project. People remained unimpressed,but the government has not given up on the idea as yet.

A surprising new element came into the picture when senior government functionaries began speaking of possible Chinese cooperation in the construction of the bridge. Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam’s reference to Beijing as a friend of Dhaka was an early sign of the government’s developing strategy towards ensuring funds for the project. The Chinese,one might suggest,would be delighted to come in,given that they have,in recent times,been involved in projects of various degrees in Bangladesh. But that again depends whether the prime minister and her cabinet are able to persuade the World Bank to come back to the project now that the minister tainted with corruption allegations is gone. It is rather curious that for all its fulminations against the World Bank — Sheikh Hasina has spoken publicly of the corruption she thinks the Bank is riddled with — the Bangladesh government still clings to the hope that the global lender,mollified by corrective action in Dhaka,will return with its loan for the bridge project. So far,the World Bank has said not a word.

The prospect of a Chinese entry into the project will raise eyebrows in Delhi. It will be seen as one more sign of China’s growing influence in the region,especially at a time when India and Bangladesh have been cementing bilateral relations across the spectrum. The impasse over sharing the Teesta waters remains. The land boundary agreement is yet to be in place. But for all these impediments,Dhaka and Delhi are in a comfort zone. If and when the Chinese walk into the Padma Bridge scene,some geopolitical tremors are likely to shake up the landscape.

The dilemma for Bangladesh’s government is clear: its sense of pride does not allow it to genuflect before the World Bank,yet it must eat humble pie if it means to have that bridge span the river Padma.

The writer is executive editor,‘The Daily Star’,Dhaka
express@expressindia.com