Bangladesh is poised to continue economic growth in the coming year, but it’s governance remains a source of concerns, writes Distinguished Professor Ali Riaz, in an essay published in the East Asia Forum. The essay is titled “Looking beyond the good economic news in Bangladesh”.

Riaz highlights the economic forecasts of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Asian Development Bank published this month. He also noted the warnings by these multilateral bodies about the banking sector and contends that it reflects the overall poor governance and cronyism.

He argues that the deterioration in governance, especially lack of accountability and transparency, are deeply disconcerting. Riaz contends that recent separate mass protests demonstrate the growing discontent among common people.

The economy, politics and public policy online magazine East Asia Forum is published by Australian Nation University.