Extortion: Effective remedy should follow diagnosis

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Shamsul Huq Zahid
If corruption is systemic, extortion is endemic in Bangladesh. Both the vices are committed visibly and also invisibly and almost with total impunity.
The national attention was focused on the issue of corruption indulged in by politicians and high government officials abusing their power and authority during the two-year rule of the military-backed caretaker government. That is, apparently, now history.
There is an estimate how corruption hurts the economy. According to the World Bank (WB), widespread corruption robs the economy of its normal two per cent growth annually. But what is about extortion?
There is no credible or even incredible estimate on the money the extortionists earn annually and its impact on the economy. But it should run into billions, given the widespread reach of the extortionists who include men in or without uniform and young and old.
Businesses, real estate developers, transport owners and individual home- builders are the prime targets of both petty as well as high-profile extortionists. The latter, however, are the behind-the-scene operators.
Citizens, for long, have witnessed ups and downs in the incidences of extortion. It may sound harsh though, the fact remains that the rate goes up in the initial years of any political government. So-called local level leaders and workers of the ruling party -- notwithstanding the periodic changes in political power matrix -- in different wards of cities and towns and highways force traders and transport owners to pay unauthorised toll. The incidences of such extortion go up during the observance of different occasions of national importance. Small grocery owners at the ward level are not even spared.
The acts of extortion have been on the rise in the recent months, particularly in major cities and transport sector. And the other day, the incumbent food and disaster management minister speaking at a function in Dhaka alleged that extortions in the transport sector were largely responsible for the hike in the prices of essential commodities in the markets, a problem troubling the government much on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan.
Though there are other factors contributing to the price-increase, the soft-spoken food minister deserves appreciation for pinpointing a long-standing problem that no government in the past had tried to address with due urgency.
However, there is a good sign this time. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given her personal attention to the issue. While presiding over the cabinet meeting last Monday, she directed the relevant authorities to take stern actions against extortionists immediately. She also warned that none, including ministers, lawmakers, politicians, irrespective of their party affiliations, would be spared if found involved in acts of extortions.
The Prime Minister, reportedly, asked the home ministry to be tough on the extortionists and advised the home minister to engage the lawmakers of the Dhaka city in the efforts for curbing the incidences of extortions. Accordingly, the home minister convened an emergency meeting with all the MPs of Dhaka city constituencies yesterday. The government does enjoy an advantage here since all the MPs belong to the ruling Awami League.
The rise in the incidences of extortion is, actually, manifestation of the overall slide in the law and order situation in recent days. Almost everyday, armed street muggers and robbers are killing or injuring people across the country, particularly in Dhaka and Chittagong.
But, in most cases, extortions, as a matter of tradition, are carried out by a section of miscreants in the name of the ruling party or its front organisations. The police, for understandable reasons, do hesitate to take actions against such extortionists.
Besides, the image of the police as far as unauthorised toll-collection is concerned is not clean. A section of policemen, allegedly, collect tolls from drug peddlers, transport owners and drivers and footpath vendors.
The reason behind the Prime Minister's directive to hold a meeting between the home minister and the local MPs, it seems, was to ask the MPs to rein in the ruling party men involved in extortions and other criminal activities. So, if the MPs mean business, the police are expected to swing into action in curbing criminal activities.
The people in general do strongly favour the effective use of the services of the members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The RAB personnel have been carrying out commendable job in rounding up the religious militants. They were, however, particularly instrumental in improving the law and order situation until recently. But an effective involvement of the RAB in the matters of law and order maintenance, for reasons best known to the authorities concerned, has been curbed lately.
It is not extortion alone, the law and order situation should be viewed in totality. Otherwise, extortionists eliminated from the transport sector would take up other criminal activities, including mugging and robbery. So, multi-pronged actions are necessary to remove extortionists and other criminals responsible for hike in the prices of essentials and also ensure security and safety of the citizens.