The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken an initiative for a clean-up movement. He calls on countrymen to fulfil Gandhi's dream by ridding the country of dirt by 2019 to make the towns and cities of India more livable. The worst livable city, Dhaka, as assessed by Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) in 2013 is a bad sign in spite of a lot of successes we achieved. The initiatives of environment clean-up will not be successfully effective unless there is political clean-up with firm political commitment and moral purity as a nation with a view to building a better society. The moral purity of the general people and political commitment will lead us to be cautious to make environment livable for today and for the next generation. The top rank or near the top rank of corruption for several years as assessed by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) ruined our image to the world and presented us to all as the most corrupt nation. Is it not a stigma for us? The rank may have improved at present and that does not help rebuild our image to others or does not mean that the corruption is reduced at all. Our space of prestige and pride had been smashed by the top rank of corruption in the world. Our moral purity has been spoiled to a greater extent as we do not care about the ethics or rules in many cases. As such, our acceptability to others has been downgraded. So, we have the stigma.. The environment is the worst due to our insincerity arising from such dishonesty and immorality as well. The nation should take appropriate initiatives to clean the politics and ensure moral purity and environment.
Political clean-up:
Who is not aggrieved for the political battle of the country? Most of the leaders in the politics abuse the power getting the mandate of the people. They get the mandate of people but work against people. In the most of cases they want to grab the power to make money with building a mountain of wealth outside the country. Most of them work and talk as if they have no backbone to tell the truth and uphold morality. The party does not exercise the democratic rules for electing leader within the party as well as in the government when it is in the driving seat of the state. We do not want such ill-minded political leadership. We need good people and party in politics with strong ethical standards for the betterment of the countrymen and the nation. Who will take the initiative for such clean-up? The clean-up initiatives of any big party will be highly accepted to general people and other parties will be following that that to bring their acceptability to the people. So, it is time to turn around the political clean-up. Political clean-up will ensure better politics, better rule of law, better governance in the party, corporate and state arenas. Environment clean-up will be a very inherent initiative for a much-cleaned up and dedicated political party as a part of state governance.
Moral clean-up or moral purity:
We have lack of moral purity as a nation. We are religious but I am not ashamed to say that we are one of the worst nations in the world morally. Someone may differ with me and be angry or upset for such comments. Corruption has been institutionalised in such a way that it is a well known practice to all in the institutions from top to bottom and patronised by any powerful group or groups sometimes even under the political umbrella. Morality has been thrown away in such a way that we cannot distinguish between the evil work and good work. The tale of corruption we know and do not feel it is a crime or forbidden. Where more than 90 per cent people are religious, how can we be so depraved in processing and preparing such adulterated foods to ruin an emerging nation? Why do not we come to our sense? So, we must take an initiative on moral clean-up or moral purity to keep the nation in a safe zone from corruption and all sorts of evil work for a better nation. If the politics is cleaned up, it could lead to moral purity. .
Environmental clean-up:
Like Modi government, yes, we should make our environment clean. As stated earlier, the rule of law and moral purity would help us to launch a movement of environment clean-up. Somebody or any organisation or government may take such a clean-up movement to make the environment clean and make the air fresh as we need. National consciousness is a big issue to ensure environment cleanness. We will use environment-friendly materials for our work. We will not throw any non-degradable materials on road or any place to make it dirty like pet bottle, plastics or abandoned materials without managing it scientifically. Government may introduce some projects to make the environment and air clean from industrial pollution and modern living hazard. The people with strong morality will be definitely cautious to make the environment livable for their next generation.
Only environment clean-up movement will not work. We have to work for a better society arising from ethical leadership and moral consciousness of the people. If the leaders are ethically sound and people are morally strong, they will contribute to clean environment.
The writer is an Associate Member of ICAB and Head of Finance of Venture Investment Partners Bangladesh Ltd (VIPB).
Email: roy_dipok@yahoo.com
Towards three cleanup movements for a better society
Dipok Kumar Roy | Published: March 21, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: March 20, 2015 21:00:42
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