More equal than others

Shamsul Huq Zahid We often hear our leaders saying that all citizens are equal in the eye of the law and to put more emphasis on their statements they quote from certain provisions of the Constitution. But some people are always more equal than others and they enjoy some privileges over others. The State at times makes laws to offer such privileges to a particular section of people. None has reasons to feel aggrieved if special privileges are given to the weaker sections or mentally or physically challenged people. But that does not happen always. The fact that the lawmakers in Bangladesh are more equal than others in many respects has rather been very obvious. Through their actions, some of them, particularly those belonging to the ruling party/parties, make it known to the people who have elected them. They go beyond what the laws and rules permit to take undue advantages, financial or otherwise, for themselves and for a few others loyal to them. And the high command of the ruling party/parties, in most cases, appears to be lenient towards this muscle-flexing type of lawmakers. Members of Parliament (MPs) started enjoying the special privilege of importing cars duty-free from 1988. They can import normal cars at less than half the market prices and in the case of luxury cars the price difference is several times more. General Ershad while in power in 1988 offered the privilege to the lawmakers in the face of strong criticism from wider sections of society. Surprisingly, two major political parties--- the Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ---which have been at the helm of the statecraft alternately since 1991, have not scrapped the provision. They decided to bear with the public criticism to keep the lawmakers happy. The army-backed caretaker administration between 2007 and 2008 had done away with the privilege through an ordinance. But the ordinance was not ratified by the incumbent AL government thus providing for continuation of the privilege. However, the National Board of Revenue in 2010 issued a statutory regulatory order (SRO) allowing a lawmaker to make the duty-free import of a car only after two years from the date of his/her oath-taking. That restriction has, however, been lifted last week to help the lawmakers, who were elected in recent by-elections, to avail of the facility. From now on anyone elected even for a day as a lawmaker will be entitled to the duty-free import facility. All but 65 MPs of the current parliament, reportedly, have availed the duty-free car import facility. The MPs who could ignore the lure of duty-free import facility include Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia. According to a media report, the duty-free import of cars by incumbent MPs has cost the public exchequer a sum of Tk 10 billion. A number of MPs have imported large four-wheelers having greater engine capacity. The NBR has been deprived of a big chunk of revenue mainly because of the import of these vehicles that are normally subjected to around 500 per cent duty and taxes. The present government during the first year of its tenure initiated a move to import vehicles for the lawmakers at the expense of the public exchequer to avoid massive irregularities detected in the past in such imports. Many former MPs, allegedly, sold their import permits to others, mainly rich businessmen. The law enforcers seized such vehicles during the two-year rule of the immediate past caretaker government. However, the government abandoned the plan for importing vehicles for MPs at its own cost, apparently, because of a substantial amount of financial involvement. Each of the MPs is now receiving a transport allowance of Tk.40, 000 per month. The amount is, however, higher than their monthly remuneration of the MPs by Tk. 12,500. There should be no reason to dispute the transport allowance the lawmakers have been receiving for they are required to visit their constituencies extensively. Yet there are complaints that a good number of them very rarely visit their constituencies. Such avoidance might be financially helpful for the MPs in question. But it would ultimately exact a cost during next balloting when the electorates would get the opportunity to 'teach' the negligent lawmakers. The duty-free car import facility being enjoyed by the MPs has been belittling their image in the public eye. The lawmakers do know it yet they are sticking to the privilege. And the party that takes over power appears to be unwilling to part with the facility. Possibly, time has come to make a decision in this respect in line with the people's expectations. The onus this time will lie with the next government. [email protected]