Are things changing for better?
Saturday, 26 December 2009
Shamsher Chowdhury
I do not think things are changing for better.
The traffic jam is worse than what it was a year ago or so. The only thing new is various directives by a number of busy bodies from the police chief up to the highest authority of the government. I do not know of others, my experience tells me that the way governments operate in this country it is most unlikely that we shall see any improvement in the overall situation In the meantime one comes across programmes and planning exercises being worked out by all kinds of experts enriching the information base of the their expertise. The talk show specialists also are busy displaying their bit of wisdom through the electronic media. There is talk of executing ambitious projects by way of constructing circular railways over the existing path ways. These programmes are yet to be finalized and even if these were to take off in the shortest period of time from today there is no guaranteeing of the fact that they would be completed within the tenure of this government. These are costly and complex projects. Without external funding assistance government alone does not have funds to carry out such projects on its own.
We have already experienced the snail's speed at which projects are carried out and implemented in this country. As regards funding from external sources, already government has hit the snag particularly with regard to obtaining of funding from the World Bank (WB) due to government's proposed changes in the public procurement rules. None other than the Finance Minster told the media the other day that implementation of projects may slow down further if the matter is not resolved through negotiation with the WB authorities. Besides, he has also expressed his reservations about the ultimate success of the private/ public partnership in development projects.
The entire issue of manpower export and its ailments not only have further aggravated but also continue to be in a state of disaster. The other day as reported in one of the dailies a woman was beaten to death by a fraud manpower agent and his henchmen somewhere in Kernigan. Every day we come across in the media about our poor workers languishing in jails in some country or the other. Not only that they are being pushed out of countries on grounds of their work permits or other related documents permitting them to work are either incomplete or fakes. Cheated at both ends, the manpower agents within the country and contracting companies It is both shocking and disgusting to find that in just eight years as many as 15 thousand of our overseas workers died in different countries. Interestingly this statistics was disclosed by a source of the government. I find it absurd that here too "the heart attack theory" is being applied at random. We are indeed an ungrateful nation to be basking on their free flow of remittances into the country so unhesitatingly that has over the years helped us maintaining healthy balance in our foreign currency reserves.
In the meantime, systematic elimination of BDR personnel through some engineered heart attacks continue. These BDR personnel were taken into custody, following the revolt of 25/26 February. The number of the dead has now crossed the half century mark. Deaths on the highways have become a regular feature. On an average, anywhere between two to five persons are dying in these accidents on a daily basis There is absolutely no monitoring and management of the traffic plying on the highways, particularly the killer buses. Of late, there are simply too many accidental deaths of numerous dimension and magnitude.
While prices are galloping and going out of reach of the common man, the only thing that seems to have become cheaper by the day is the cost of human lives. Neither the administration nor the civil society not even the rich and the powerful seem to be at all concerned about it.
Changing names and indulging in blame games has been the most favorite pastime of our political leaders, past and present. In many of my columns over the years I have discussed the matter in some details. I find the entire matter to be nothing but reflection of poor tastes on the part of those who indulge in these acts. This is not only unbecoming of any political leader but also sheer wastage of time and certainly counterproductive. The only purpose these activities serve is spreading bad blood not only on a national scale but also at personal levels. This is indeed poor politics, politics that resemble like the two village 'Matbars' taking to the field to settle their age-old personal scores against one another. All said and done, I find this latest action in the name change game in changing the name of ZIA International Airport, is taking things rather too far.
I say with "charity for all and malice towards none" that we Bengalis slowly and surely are turning into a suiciding nation. We have lost our zeal for self-development. No self-respecting nation can afford such cheap and meaningless indulgences. This country is full of sycophants from ministers down to intellectuals and beyond. We thrive on chaos and confusion. We rejoice at the miseries and misfortunes of the others.
You see it will take more than slogans and empty rhetoric to put this nation on the right track. First and foremost, our political leaderships and people on the frontline have to change their mode of operations. They must be of impeccable of character, high integrity and full of patriotism, only then we are likely to develop ourselves as a respectable nation.
(The writer can be reached at e-mail: chowdhury.shamsher@yahoo.com)
I do not think things are changing for better.
The traffic jam is worse than what it was a year ago or so. The only thing new is various directives by a number of busy bodies from the police chief up to the highest authority of the government. I do not know of others, my experience tells me that the way governments operate in this country it is most unlikely that we shall see any improvement in the overall situation In the meantime one comes across programmes and planning exercises being worked out by all kinds of experts enriching the information base of the their expertise. The talk show specialists also are busy displaying their bit of wisdom through the electronic media. There is talk of executing ambitious projects by way of constructing circular railways over the existing path ways. These programmes are yet to be finalized and even if these were to take off in the shortest period of time from today there is no guaranteeing of the fact that they would be completed within the tenure of this government. These are costly and complex projects. Without external funding assistance government alone does not have funds to carry out such projects on its own.
We have already experienced the snail's speed at which projects are carried out and implemented in this country. As regards funding from external sources, already government has hit the snag particularly with regard to obtaining of funding from the World Bank (WB) due to government's proposed changes in the public procurement rules. None other than the Finance Minster told the media the other day that implementation of projects may slow down further if the matter is not resolved through negotiation with the WB authorities. Besides, he has also expressed his reservations about the ultimate success of the private/ public partnership in development projects.
The entire issue of manpower export and its ailments not only have further aggravated but also continue to be in a state of disaster. The other day as reported in one of the dailies a woman was beaten to death by a fraud manpower agent and his henchmen somewhere in Kernigan. Every day we come across in the media about our poor workers languishing in jails in some country or the other. Not only that they are being pushed out of countries on grounds of their work permits or other related documents permitting them to work are either incomplete or fakes. Cheated at both ends, the manpower agents within the country and contracting companies It is both shocking and disgusting to find that in just eight years as many as 15 thousand of our overseas workers died in different countries. Interestingly this statistics was disclosed by a source of the government. I find it absurd that here too "the heart attack theory" is being applied at random. We are indeed an ungrateful nation to be basking on their free flow of remittances into the country so unhesitatingly that has over the years helped us maintaining healthy balance in our foreign currency reserves.
In the meantime, systematic elimination of BDR personnel through some engineered heart attacks continue. These BDR personnel were taken into custody, following the revolt of 25/26 February. The number of the dead has now crossed the half century mark. Deaths on the highways have become a regular feature. On an average, anywhere between two to five persons are dying in these accidents on a daily basis There is absolutely no monitoring and management of the traffic plying on the highways, particularly the killer buses. Of late, there are simply too many accidental deaths of numerous dimension and magnitude.
While prices are galloping and going out of reach of the common man, the only thing that seems to have become cheaper by the day is the cost of human lives. Neither the administration nor the civil society not even the rich and the powerful seem to be at all concerned about it.
Changing names and indulging in blame games has been the most favorite pastime of our political leaders, past and present. In many of my columns over the years I have discussed the matter in some details. I find the entire matter to be nothing but reflection of poor tastes on the part of those who indulge in these acts. This is not only unbecoming of any political leader but also sheer wastage of time and certainly counterproductive. The only purpose these activities serve is spreading bad blood not only on a national scale but also at personal levels. This is indeed poor politics, politics that resemble like the two village 'Matbars' taking to the field to settle their age-old personal scores against one another. All said and done, I find this latest action in the name change game in changing the name of ZIA International Airport, is taking things rather too far.
I say with "charity for all and malice towards none" that we Bengalis slowly and surely are turning into a suiciding nation. We have lost our zeal for self-development. No self-respecting nation can afford such cheap and meaningless indulgences. This country is full of sycophants from ministers down to intellectuals and beyond. We thrive on chaos and confusion. We rejoice at the miseries and misfortunes of the others.
You see it will take more than slogans and empty rhetoric to put this nation on the right track. First and foremost, our political leaderships and people on the frontline have to change their mode of operations. They must be of impeccable of character, high integrity and full of patriotism, only then we are likely to develop ourselves as a respectable nation.
(The writer can be reached at e-mail: chowdhury.shamsher@yahoo.com)