How to meet the basic needs of public officials
Saturday, 18 August 2007
Abdul Khaleque
THE reported government move for enhancing the official land price and the registration fee by 200 per cent to 1150 per cent would raise the cost of land purchase, when it becomes effective. Then, it may create a situation when demand for land would significantly recede putting especially the poor potential sellers in villages in great difficulties. They may not be able to procure money for marriage of their daughters or sending wards for higher education. While real estate companies are apprehensive that it would hit their business hard, many members of the young generation including younger officials of government, who are not owning individual residential accommodation in any urban area, may wonder whether the move has neglected one of their major basic needs.
Many fear that the move would indirectly stoke corruption in public offices and state-owned bodies by mounting compulsion upon officials for accumulating more through legal or illegal means for the fulfilment of one of their basic dreams of life. They say, not without reasons, that a society, where the government is oblivious of the need for helping the new generation to fulfil their basic needs, is bound to find itself in more and greater troubles. The warning may be particularly serious and worrisome if the young are involved in governance as mechanics of the statecraft.
The contemplated move is said to be a step for clogging one of the major sources of undisclosed but not corruption-tainted money. The report about the move for effecting a hike in the official land price and registration fee appeared concurrently with a news item that said the government is planning to construct in the Mirpur area of the capital 22000 flats, each 1000 to 800 square feet in size, for sale to people of the medium and low-income groups. According to the chairman of the National Housing Authority (NHA), the designated agency to execute the plan, every such flat would cost around Tk 1.8 million to Tk 1.9 million. At a time of gushing flow of money, when one estimate is that the black money amounts to about Tk 7000 billion, the figure of Tk 1.8 million or Tk 1.9 million may seem like peanut to many. But can an honest official of any rank see as much own money in his or her hand in this country where public servants and other public sector officials are poorly paid because of inadequacy of state funds?
Constantly torn between low pay and higher need for family expenditure, honest officials can normally see as much money of their own at their hands only on retirement when their pensions are commuted and provident funds withdrawn. Again, what is the guarantee to any official who is yet far away from the retiring age, that the NHA would go on taking such housing schemes all the time for enabling him or her to purchase an accommodation on retirement? If the past examples in this regard are indicators, similar schemes may not be taken up for implementation too soon. Apparently, younger officials may not find good reasons to rest assured of having their personal accommodations after retirement. Few of them may like to return to their rural homes after having lived in the urban areas throughout their working years. Is not the clear possibility is that an urge would remain in many of them for accumulating unearned money through corruption or whatever ways possible for the fulfilment of their basic dreams?
Since governance, including running the Anti-Corruption Commission, would be always the job of individuals, the state should find out how to fight corruption by minimising vulnerability of the would-be corrupt by helping them to fulfil their basic needs. Otherwise, the fight against corruption might become periodically too difficult, if not impossible. The government has to also ensure that demand for land would not dampen to cause anxiety to poor sellers. A way out should be worked out.
THE reported government move for enhancing the official land price and the registration fee by 200 per cent to 1150 per cent would raise the cost of land purchase, when it becomes effective. Then, it may create a situation when demand for land would significantly recede putting especially the poor potential sellers in villages in great difficulties. They may not be able to procure money for marriage of their daughters or sending wards for higher education. While real estate companies are apprehensive that it would hit their business hard, many members of the young generation including younger officials of government, who are not owning individual residential accommodation in any urban area, may wonder whether the move has neglected one of their major basic needs.
Many fear that the move would indirectly stoke corruption in public offices and state-owned bodies by mounting compulsion upon officials for accumulating more through legal or illegal means for the fulfilment of one of their basic dreams of life. They say, not without reasons, that a society, where the government is oblivious of the need for helping the new generation to fulfil their basic needs, is bound to find itself in more and greater troubles. The warning may be particularly serious and worrisome if the young are involved in governance as mechanics of the statecraft.
The contemplated move is said to be a step for clogging one of the major sources of undisclosed but not corruption-tainted money. The report about the move for effecting a hike in the official land price and registration fee appeared concurrently with a news item that said the government is planning to construct in the Mirpur area of the capital 22000 flats, each 1000 to 800 square feet in size, for sale to people of the medium and low-income groups. According to the chairman of the National Housing Authority (NHA), the designated agency to execute the plan, every such flat would cost around Tk 1.8 million to Tk 1.9 million. At a time of gushing flow of money, when one estimate is that the black money amounts to about Tk 7000 billion, the figure of Tk 1.8 million or Tk 1.9 million may seem like peanut to many. But can an honest official of any rank see as much own money in his or her hand in this country where public servants and other public sector officials are poorly paid because of inadequacy of state funds?
Constantly torn between low pay and higher need for family expenditure, honest officials can normally see as much money of their own at their hands only on retirement when their pensions are commuted and provident funds withdrawn. Again, what is the guarantee to any official who is yet far away from the retiring age, that the NHA would go on taking such housing schemes all the time for enabling him or her to purchase an accommodation on retirement? If the past examples in this regard are indicators, similar schemes may not be taken up for implementation too soon. Apparently, younger officials may not find good reasons to rest assured of having their personal accommodations after retirement. Few of them may like to return to their rural homes after having lived in the urban areas throughout their working years. Is not the clear possibility is that an urge would remain in many of them for accumulating unearned money through corruption or whatever ways possible for the fulfilment of their basic dreams?
Since governance, including running the Anti-Corruption Commission, would be always the job of individuals, the state should find out how to fight corruption by minimising vulnerability of the would-be corrupt by helping them to fulfil their basic needs. Otherwise, the fight against corruption might become periodically too difficult, if not impossible. The government has to also ensure that demand for land would not dampen to cause anxiety to poor sellers. A way out should be worked out.