Civil society and experts from South Asia, Japan, and beyond slammed JICA’s MIDI Master Plan as a false “Singapore dream.” They warned of 100,000 displacements, fossil lock-in, ecosystem destruction, and debt urging renewables, just transition, and community-led resilience instead.
Civil society leaders, community representatives, and international energy experts from Bangladesh, Japan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Australia, and across South Asia have sounded the alarm over the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-backed Moheshkhali-Matarbari Integrated Infrastructure Development (MIDI) Master Plan.
At an online seminar titled “MIDI Master Plan: Bluffing about Benefits!”, hosted by the Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), speakers denounced the plan as a dangerous bluff designed to sell a “Singapore-style dream” at the cost of communities, ecosystems, and Bangladesh’s energy future.
A “Singapore Dream” at local communities’ expense
Keynote presenter Hasan Mehedi, Member Secretary of BWGED, cautioned that the project’s glossy promises of prosperity conceal harsh realities. He warned that more than 100,000 people face displacement, while job creation figures are “grossly over-projected.” With the plan under review for nine months, Mehedi raised concerns about political influence from Japanese energy interests and criticized the lack of consultation with civil society or independent experts.
Fossil lock-in and climate contradictions
From Japan, Yuki Tanabe, Program Director at JACSES, emphasized that the MIDI plan would forcibly uproot between 100,000–116,000 people, destroy coastal ecosystems, and lock Bangladesh into decades of fossil fuel dependency. He slammed JICA for backing LNG expansion despite the G7 pledge to end fossil fuel finance, warning the plan mirrors flaws in Bangladesh’s energy roadmap by overestimating demand and exposing the country to global gas price shocks.
He also flagged Japan’s push for hydrogen and ammonia in the plan as “unrealistic, costly, environmentally risky, and a direct threat to mangroves and communities.”
Experts dismiss inflated benefits
Bareesh Hasan Chowdhury, Campaign and Policy Coordinator at BELA, highlighted that faulty demand forecasts, inflated economic returns, and the revival of shelved coal projects expose the plan as fundamentally flawed. Without fresh Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and genuine community consultation, Chowdhury warned, the MIDI project will entrench Bangladesh in a destructive fossil cycle.
Makiko Arima, Senior Finance Campaigner at Oil Change International, noted the irony: “Japan’s gas demand is shrinking at home, yet JICA and JBIC are exporting LNG and ammonia power abroad, pushing Bangladesh into energy insecurity.”
Abul Kalam Azad, Manager of Just Energy Transition at ActionAid, added, “We are already suffering from land grabs and ecosystem destruction. The MIDI master plan isn’t development, it’s destruction.”
From Pakistan, Hussain Jarwar, CEO of Indus Consortium, linked the plan to regional instability, warning it risks repeating Pakistan’s crisis of debt, pollution, and energy insecurity in Bangladesh.
Call for regional solidarity and just transition
The webinar closed with a unified call to action. Participants demanded: JICA and JBIC halt all fossil fuel projects under the MIDI plan. The Bangladesh government suspend land acquisition and engage affected communities. Policymakers prioritize renewables, just transition pathways, and climate resilience over fossil fuel dependency.
Speakers stressed that sustainable development must protect people, ecosystems, and the climate not sacrifice them for short-term profits and fossil fuel dependency.
