The air is heavy. Not so much because of the haze winter brings along with it but because of forebodings. Even the approaching December 16, the proudest day in the annals of the Bangalee nation, has failed to remove the eerie gloom that has enveloped the country. At a time when people were supposed to be preparing themselves for celebration of the triumphant occasion, they are in fact compelled to keep their fingers crossed. They can smell something ominous round the corner. Life for them has virtually come to a standstill. How will they survive the economic paralysis caused by the on-going political crisis?
Sure enough, people in this part of the world are known for their exceptional resilience. Forty-three years ago they were put to the greatest test ever and they rose to the demand of the time. Yet it was a war in which they had no difficulty to identify the enemy but today they are not so sure. Then they were a party to a noble cause, today there is no such cause in sight. No one cares for them, nor are they interested in the prescriptions put forward as a panacea for all the nation's troubles. What they feel in the heart of their hearts is that no one cares for them. Further they realise that in the name of serving them, they are in fact given a raw deal. At stake is the life and livelihoods of the majority of the population.
The farmer in a northern district, who cultivates seasonal vegetables -particularly the perishable varieties - hoping that his produces would fetch him enough proceedings for his family for the entire year now faces an uncertain economic future. Producers of cabbage, cauliflower, radish, brinjal or eggplant and the likes have to harvest their produces within a short period for sale. They usually target the city markets or areas where such vegetables do not grow. Now that transportation of such vegetables has become almost impossible, tonnes of these items rot either in crop fields or after their harvest. There is no customer for such huge quantities of vegetables. Similar is the condition of the florists in the western part of the country. Some farmers have turned to flower cultivation, giving up their traditional farming of paddy and other crops. Economic break-down is now staring in the faces of all such cultivators.
Similarly, dairy farmers or milkmen in Sirajganj and Rangpur cannot deliver their milk to the companies responsible for collecting and selling them in packets in a pasteurised condition. Local demand is too low to cope with the production and thus the price comes down abnormally. Their livelihood too is threatened. Similarly, fishermen are facing enormous problem in transporting their fish to their intended destinations and some varieties cannot be preserved for long even if those are kept under freezing condition. Small fishermen are the ones who bear the greatest brunt if their catches have no demand in the market.
If people and goods cannot move from one place to another, the internal trade of a country collapses. Export and import of essentials are sure to suffer crushing blows if the condition continues for weeks together. How telling it can be is best illustrated by the abnormally soaring prices of onion. A kilogram of onion is now selling at Tk 120-130; soon this may cross the 150 (Tk) mark. Had there been no communication disruption, onion price would have by now come down to Tk 40-50 a kilogram. Like the producers of vegetable, flower, fish and milk, the importers of onions or any other perishable commodities are incurring enormous losses.
Losses to the producers and traders will never be compensated and at the same time the customers in cities and elsewhere will either have to do away with much of their requirement or pay abnormally high prices to meet those needs. The longer the impasse will be the greater the pain. Already the political turmoil is hurting the common people and soon it will be unbearable for them. But the long-term impact is likely to be more dangerous than the short-term effect. Many families will find themselves on the verge of economic ruination. Families which have lost their only earning members to the political violence stand little chance of putting things together. Sufferings at the individual and family levels will only continue to mount if a political settlement is further deferred.
How outrageous and ignominious! People are not keeping well because of all the wrong reasons. People in general here are hard-working and have proved their worth by keeping the wheel of economic progress running. But now they are not receiving the treatment they deserve. Their right to unhindered movement is denied. Most of their basic rights are kept on hold. Above everything else they run the risk of falling victim to sudden deadly attacks anywhere on their way home or to workplaces. Such a stifling situation in the month of victory for the nation is unacceptable. People cannot even breathe freely. Should they put up with such an oppressive situation for long? If past is any guide, here is a people that has always taken the right decision in the face of intimidation and danger. No one knows how the common people will react once it goes beyond tolerance.
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