ICT Syndicate Remains Unchanged Despite Power Shift: Is the New Center of Power Trapped in the Political Net of the Hasina-Joy and Palak-Sami Axis?

Although the government of Sheikh Hasina fell following the historic student-people mass uprising of July-August, the roots of the sinister force occupying the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and startup sectors have not yet been uprooted. The former Minister of State for ICT, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, and the controversial former Managing Director (MD) of Startup Bangladesh Limited, Sami Ahmed, were the main implementers of the “Smart Bangladesh” agenda of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her former ICT advisor, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. There are allegations that under the direct patronage of this Joy-Palak-Sami political triangle, state funds worth hundreds of crores of Taka, project tenders, and international exposure within the ICT sector were funneled into the pockets of a specific beneficiary syndicate. At the center of this beneficiary axis were a few platforms like ShareTrip, Anchorless Bangladesh, Agroshift, Chaldal, ShopUp, and GoZayaan. The primary objective of the “Digital and Smart Bangladesh” created by Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Palak was to polish their political image and build a personal venture network. Sami Ahmed was placed in the top position of Startup Bangladesh primarily due to his personal closeness to Joy and Palak. Despite managing public funds, he focused on protecting the political interests of the Awami government and granting funds to specific companies instead of remaining neutral. A chilling picture emerges when analyzing how the large startups sheltered under this sphere swallowed the entire ecosystem. ShareTrip was showcased at almost every national and international ICT event, alongside receiving crores of Taka in government equity investment. Chaldal received follow-on funding multiple times despite already dominating the market. ShopUp and GoZayaan secured an almost exclusive presence in Palak’s policy-making forums. Agroshift and Anchorless Bangladesh received special privileges in state grants and international roadshows. Policy advantages and prized tenders always went to this syndicate. As a result, promising independent startups were pushed out of funding and market competition. Even during the bloody student-people movement, Palak and Sami Ahmed tried to save the government’s image by organizing a “Startup Summit.” Although Palak and Sami Ahmed were removed after Sheikh Hasina fled, the core funding platforms of the sphere they built are now attempting to shed their skins in the new political reality. Crowding around the new centers of power, they are seeking to cover up their past misdeeds and scheming to grab state benefits once again. The tech community says that if this “ICT crony capitalism” created by the Hasina-Joy-Palak axis is not completely uprooted, merit will not be evaluated in the new Bangladesh achieved through the blood of the youth. Demands are immediately arising to publicly release audit reports of all venture investments, ICT tenders, and events conducted over the past 15 years.