Crime surge impairs government's image
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Enayet Rasul Bhuiyan
THE Awami League government which was in power in 2001 and faced elections, was full of confidence that it would be elected to power again. This expectation was born out of a sense of having done well in areas such as increasing food production, keeping prices of essentials affordable and stable for the common man and other anticipated results. But the outcome of that election surprised the Awami Leaguers the most. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), their main opponent in that election, won a stunning victory. Not only did they win but they had won overwhelmingly.
Political pundits were at a loss to explain why electoral triumph was denied by the people to the Awami League at that time. It was completely unexpected to the Awami leaders. They were oozing with confidence that they got their act together by feeding people with cheap rice and keeping prices of essentials stable. So, why should they not be again massively returned to power ?
Some think-tank bodies at that time carried out surveys to find out the reasons or if there was one all important reason for the debacle faced by the Awami League. The queries came up with different reasons but these were all secondary to one common reason mentioned by the greatest number of respondents. It was what they perceived to be the very great failure of the then Awami League government in maintaining law and order. Law and order conditions -- specially all sorts of serious crimes in organised form -- were considered to be too high and very poorly addressed during that Awami League stint from 1997 to 2001. Therefore, the Awami League had to pay through the nose as voters said 'no' to its bid for another term in governance. It should be also notable that the BNP government that followed lost no time in setting up the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The RAB's unconventional but effective ways of dealing with crimes and criminality were also highly appreciated by people. The formation of RAB and its doing of useful work in improving law order were considered as one of the few positive things done by the BNP government in the public interest.
Thus, there is a lesson from history to be remembered and well understood by the present top leadership of the present government. The people of Bangladesh like people everywhere in the world put a very high premium on the safety and security of their lives and properties. There is no way for the incumbent government in Bangladesh to underestimate this singularly very important aspiration on the part of the people. In fact, unabated problems of law and order carries all the potentials of creating a nemesis for Awami League in just the manner it happened last time. So, even in their narrow party interests, the Awami League top brass should be discussing and girding up their loins to give very focused attention towards law and order conditions which seem to be free falling.
All media reports converge on the point that law and order conditions have taken a nose-dive in the country following the election triumph of the Awami-League led alliance. The slide has different aspects to it such as supporters of the ruling party launching attacks on their political opponents and the so called rival activists of the student wing of the ruling party clashing among themselves and paralysing the centres of higher education. But what is of greater significance to people and businesses is the sway over their lives again by crime dons who once fled the country and seem to be laying their networks and firming them up again. Businesses in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country who were largely relieved of extortion in the last couple of years are again facing the full brunt of it. The gangs in many cases also behave as if they are immune from any law enforcement actions as they enjoy affinity with the powerful ones who matter in the government. The police also appear to be a changed lot. They were refreshingly different in their activism during the caretaker government. But they seem to be again their old selves, hardly responding to the needs or calls of people for protection. Rather, they are alleged to have lapsed back again to bribery and sheltering of criminals as in the past. The RAB is but a shadow of its former self. It has been seen active during the last few weeks but its actions are nothing so extensive or effective as were noted in the past.
Thus, the government should sit up and take a hard look at the sliding law and order conditions . It is emerging as a very serious concern for the people and a proper response from the government is overdue. The problem must be addressed before it takes further toll or the grip of the underworld grows stronger. But effective addressing of this problem will require, above everything else, enough political resolve from the highest position of the government to turn against the criminals without any fear or favour.
THE Awami League government which was in power in 2001 and faced elections, was full of confidence that it would be elected to power again. This expectation was born out of a sense of having done well in areas such as increasing food production, keeping prices of essentials affordable and stable for the common man and other anticipated results. But the outcome of that election surprised the Awami Leaguers the most. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), their main opponent in that election, won a stunning victory. Not only did they win but they had won overwhelmingly.
Political pundits were at a loss to explain why electoral triumph was denied by the people to the Awami League at that time. It was completely unexpected to the Awami leaders. They were oozing with confidence that they got their act together by feeding people with cheap rice and keeping prices of essentials stable. So, why should they not be again massively returned to power ?
Some think-tank bodies at that time carried out surveys to find out the reasons or if there was one all important reason for the debacle faced by the Awami League. The queries came up with different reasons but these were all secondary to one common reason mentioned by the greatest number of respondents. It was what they perceived to be the very great failure of the then Awami League government in maintaining law and order. Law and order conditions -- specially all sorts of serious crimes in organised form -- were considered to be too high and very poorly addressed during that Awami League stint from 1997 to 2001. Therefore, the Awami League had to pay through the nose as voters said 'no' to its bid for another term in governance. It should be also notable that the BNP government that followed lost no time in setting up the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The RAB's unconventional but effective ways of dealing with crimes and criminality were also highly appreciated by people. The formation of RAB and its doing of useful work in improving law order were considered as one of the few positive things done by the BNP government in the public interest.
Thus, there is a lesson from history to be remembered and well understood by the present top leadership of the present government. The people of Bangladesh like people everywhere in the world put a very high premium on the safety and security of their lives and properties. There is no way for the incumbent government in Bangladesh to underestimate this singularly very important aspiration on the part of the people. In fact, unabated problems of law and order carries all the potentials of creating a nemesis for Awami League in just the manner it happened last time. So, even in their narrow party interests, the Awami League top brass should be discussing and girding up their loins to give very focused attention towards law and order conditions which seem to be free falling.
All media reports converge on the point that law and order conditions have taken a nose-dive in the country following the election triumph of the Awami-League led alliance. The slide has different aspects to it such as supporters of the ruling party launching attacks on their political opponents and the so called rival activists of the student wing of the ruling party clashing among themselves and paralysing the centres of higher education. But what is of greater significance to people and businesses is the sway over their lives again by crime dons who once fled the country and seem to be laying their networks and firming them up again. Businesses in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country who were largely relieved of extortion in the last couple of years are again facing the full brunt of it. The gangs in many cases also behave as if they are immune from any law enforcement actions as they enjoy affinity with the powerful ones who matter in the government. The police also appear to be a changed lot. They were refreshingly different in their activism during the caretaker government. But they seem to be again their old selves, hardly responding to the needs or calls of people for protection. Rather, they are alleged to have lapsed back again to bribery and sheltering of criminals as in the past. The RAB is but a shadow of its former self. It has been seen active during the last few weeks but its actions are nothing so extensive or effective as were noted in the past.
Thus, the government should sit up and take a hard look at the sliding law and order conditions . It is emerging as a very serious concern for the people and a proper response from the government is overdue. The problem must be addressed before it takes further toll or the grip of the underworld grows stronger. But effective addressing of this problem will require, above everything else, enough political resolve from the highest position of the government to turn against the criminals without any fear or favour.