Ports, power, and the perils of an interim mandate |
Photo caption: Sultan Ahmad bin Sulayem, the Chairman of DP World of the United Emirates (UAE), and also the Chairman of the Ports, Customs, and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), seen in the photo enjoying use of holy Kaaba’s cloth (kiswah) as carpet – Photo: United States Department of Justice
There are moments in a nation’s political life when restraint is not timidity but wisdom. Bangladesh, under a Yunus-led interim government, finds itself at precisely such a moment. Interim administrations exist to keep the lights on, not to rearrange the house. Yet the handling of the Chattogram Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT)—and the flirtation with DP World—suggests an authority overreach that raises troubling questions about sovereignty, transparency, and judgment.
Start with first principles. Chattogram Port is not just another infrastructure asset. It handles roughly 93% of Bangladesh’s imports and exports. It is, in effect, the country’s economic jugular vein. Decisions about who operates its terminals, under what terms, and with what safeguards are matters of national sovereignty. They demand democratic legitimacy, parliamentary scrutiny, and public consent. An interim government—unelected, time-bound, and designed to be neutral—has none of these. Even if negotiations stop short of a final signature, advancing a concession framework of this magnitude risks preempting the will of the next elected government.
Then there is the choice of partner. DP World is often presented as a global logistics giant with technical expertise. That is the sales pitch. But reputations in geopolitics are never built on brochures alone. DP World’s activities have been under scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions, with controversies surrounding port concessions, labor practices, and strategic leverage. For a........