Government needs to redeem its promises
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Abrar Ahmed
People in general have the experience of mainly mal-governance of the country during the last 21 months. They are nursing a sense of being massively deceived by what were stated from the highest levels and what actually followed. The most important pre-election promise of the ruling party was carrying out of drastic changes for the better in every sphere of national life. But what people actually find everywhere is anything but these anticipated healthy changes.
People in the country, especially in the two major cities of Dhaka and Chittagong, are suffering badly from insufficient power supply, poor water supply, gas shortage, traffic jams and inefficient urban governance in other areas as a whole. The crises in these areas have only deepened for them. Now, they do not even hear any optimistic words from those in charge that their sufferings could ease any in the near future.
In fact, conditions are sensed to be even worse than under the previous unelected government in the very vital area of law and order notwithstanding intermittent swearing by the head of the relevant ministry about steps being taken for a turnaround. Members of the country's police force have transformed back to their decadent, corrupt and inefficient selves . The police are allegedly considered to be making up for lost time under the caretaker authorities when their corruptions and bribery remained somewhat suppressed.
The police are largely found not discharging with any sincerity their professional duties. They are rather seen to be obsessed with only rendering services to their political bosses regardless of whether such services are detrimental to the legitimate expectation and needs of law enforcement by law abiding citizens. Organised extortion activities, kidnapping for ransom, grabbing of properties by goons, murders carried out by hired killers and other serious crimes, have mounted to an unprecedented high level. Even the police and concerned members of the ruling party do not reject such observations.
The business community is disheartened as they find fair ways of winning business contracts getting closed for them. Elements claiming to be loyal to the ruling party, they or rival ones claiming such affinity, are seen to be successfully keeping away all genuine bidders for government contracts for supply, building projects or services no matter how under qualified or incompetent they would be to win these bids. Even for getting very high valued government contracts, the rules on tendering that had been introduced at donors' insistence to promote transparency and fitness for the works, are being allegedly relaxed to make way for those having connections with the ruling party with hardly any concern about their suitability or capability to be able to competently engage in such works.
The aim to lower the prices of essential consumption goods was the most heard slogan of the incumbents in power before the election. The present commerce minister who has been entrusted with these tasks, promised to people many times that they they would uniquely experience substantially lowered prices of essential goods on a sustainable basis. But what things have followed in the last twenty-one months in relation to price normalisation have been possibly the worst deceits wrought on the people by the government.
It was charged that the caretaker government had started cases against many persons on political grounds. The present law minister pledged review of these cases and acquittal of deserving ones after impartial examination of the cases. Many have been acquitted after such reviews. But nearly all of them belong to the ruling party or have association with it. This has allegedly created suspicion about the fairness of the judicial system as such.
Government allowed mass promotions of civil servants at mid and higher levels on a scale that had no precedent probably in the administrative history of this country. The worth of the promotions given to many are alleged to be on the basis of their loyalty to the ruling party whereas many who deserved promotions for their relative seniority, experience and competence, they were bypassed by the promotion process. It should be obvious how such questionable promotions would not be making the members of civil services as a whole any happier, fitter or more dedicated to doing their jobs well. Many senior and efficient civil servants have been made officers on special duty (OSDs) which means they are now officers with no jobs to perform. They are unlikely to get posting again under the present government as they have been considered to be as not loyal to the ruling party.
In the economic spheres, government like Emperor Nero of Rome who is remembered for playing the flute while Rome was put on fire, is withholding badly needed and highly deserved governmental assistance to the export oriented garments industries. This is like government willfully and quietly presiding over the destruction of the most important export oriented and highest employment giving industry that could be developed in this country since its independence. The conditions of the Chittagong port, the country's economic lifeline, is deteriorating fast after it improved much under the past government. Hardly any convincing signs are there that the government truly realizes the very great importance of running well the operations of this port.
Government also scoffed at the idea of setting up a special squad of the police to protect industries, specially garments industries, when the same is badly needed according to experts. Two creations of the previous government, Better Business Forum (BBF) and the Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) were praised by almost everybody. The sustainability of these two bodies was highly recommended by experts for achieving a better business environment in all respects. But both the BBF and RRC have practically ceased to exist.
The above is only a short list of the government's lapses in governance so far. A longer list of the lapses can be made. But that is not possible within the limitations of this write-up. Only the purpose here is to draw attention of the highest leadership that their understandable engagement with external issues ought not to detract attention away from the very important need to address very pressing internal governance issues including some basic ones.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is most welcome to go on acquiring a higher prominence as a global leader. But her own people only want her to deliver them from the various great sufferings they are going through in their every day life or for her greater attention to these problems. They have essentially voted her to power with this objective in view.
People in general have the experience of mainly mal-governance of the country during the last 21 months. They are nursing a sense of being massively deceived by what were stated from the highest levels and what actually followed. The most important pre-election promise of the ruling party was carrying out of drastic changes for the better in every sphere of national life. But what people actually find everywhere is anything but these anticipated healthy changes.
People in the country, especially in the two major cities of Dhaka and Chittagong, are suffering badly from insufficient power supply, poor water supply, gas shortage, traffic jams and inefficient urban governance in other areas as a whole. The crises in these areas have only deepened for them. Now, they do not even hear any optimistic words from those in charge that their sufferings could ease any in the near future.
In fact, conditions are sensed to be even worse than under the previous unelected government in the very vital area of law and order notwithstanding intermittent swearing by the head of the relevant ministry about steps being taken for a turnaround. Members of the country's police force have transformed back to their decadent, corrupt and inefficient selves . The police are allegedly considered to be making up for lost time under the caretaker authorities when their corruptions and bribery remained somewhat suppressed.
The police are largely found not discharging with any sincerity their professional duties. They are rather seen to be obsessed with only rendering services to their political bosses regardless of whether such services are detrimental to the legitimate expectation and needs of law enforcement by law abiding citizens. Organised extortion activities, kidnapping for ransom, grabbing of properties by goons, murders carried out by hired killers and other serious crimes, have mounted to an unprecedented high level. Even the police and concerned members of the ruling party do not reject such observations.
The business community is disheartened as they find fair ways of winning business contracts getting closed for them. Elements claiming to be loyal to the ruling party, they or rival ones claiming such affinity, are seen to be successfully keeping away all genuine bidders for government contracts for supply, building projects or services no matter how under qualified or incompetent they would be to win these bids. Even for getting very high valued government contracts, the rules on tendering that had been introduced at donors' insistence to promote transparency and fitness for the works, are being allegedly relaxed to make way for those having connections with the ruling party with hardly any concern about their suitability or capability to be able to competently engage in such works.
The aim to lower the prices of essential consumption goods was the most heard slogan of the incumbents in power before the election. The present commerce minister who has been entrusted with these tasks, promised to people many times that they they would uniquely experience substantially lowered prices of essential goods on a sustainable basis. But what things have followed in the last twenty-one months in relation to price normalisation have been possibly the worst deceits wrought on the people by the government.
It was charged that the caretaker government had started cases against many persons on political grounds. The present law minister pledged review of these cases and acquittal of deserving ones after impartial examination of the cases. Many have been acquitted after such reviews. But nearly all of them belong to the ruling party or have association with it. This has allegedly created suspicion about the fairness of the judicial system as such.
Government allowed mass promotions of civil servants at mid and higher levels on a scale that had no precedent probably in the administrative history of this country. The worth of the promotions given to many are alleged to be on the basis of their loyalty to the ruling party whereas many who deserved promotions for their relative seniority, experience and competence, they were bypassed by the promotion process. It should be obvious how such questionable promotions would not be making the members of civil services as a whole any happier, fitter or more dedicated to doing their jobs well. Many senior and efficient civil servants have been made officers on special duty (OSDs) which means they are now officers with no jobs to perform. They are unlikely to get posting again under the present government as they have been considered to be as not loyal to the ruling party.
In the economic spheres, government like Emperor Nero of Rome who is remembered for playing the flute while Rome was put on fire, is withholding badly needed and highly deserved governmental assistance to the export oriented garments industries. This is like government willfully and quietly presiding over the destruction of the most important export oriented and highest employment giving industry that could be developed in this country since its independence. The conditions of the Chittagong port, the country's economic lifeline, is deteriorating fast after it improved much under the past government. Hardly any convincing signs are there that the government truly realizes the very great importance of running well the operations of this port.
Government also scoffed at the idea of setting up a special squad of the police to protect industries, specially garments industries, when the same is badly needed according to experts. Two creations of the previous government, Better Business Forum (BBF) and the Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) were praised by almost everybody. The sustainability of these two bodies was highly recommended by experts for achieving a better business environment in all respects. But both the BBF and RRC have practically ceased to exist.
The above is only a short list of the government's lapses in governance so far. A longer list of the lapses can be made. But that is not possible within the limitations of this write-up. Only the purpose here is to draw attention of the highest leadership that their understandable engagement with external issues ought not to detract attention away from the very important need to address very pressing internal governance issues including some basic ones.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is most welcome to go on acquiring a higher prominence as a global leader. But her own people only want her to deliver them from the various great sufferings they are going through in their every day life or for her greater attention to these problems. They have essentially voted her to power with this objective in view.