People want to be free from the stifling conditions

If Aristotle's famous saying, "One swallow does not make a spring" holds, one demon owl (barn owl) should not make a winter either. Right now developments all around are nightmarish with the exposure of dubious elements one after another in high positions. Bureaucracy, however, has not maligned itself for the first time. Polemic against corruption notwithstanding, the country's bureaucracy has been pampered for much too long.
The reason behind this is overreliance of political functionaries on the bureaucracy and perhaps a symbiotic relationship between the two. Since bureaucracy remains well entrenched and political power is transitory, there is a valid reason for the latter showing nerves in dealing with the former unless the political supremos have larger than life profiles or Himalayan personalities. After years of turning a blind eye to bribery and corruption in the administration, the recent drive by the government against such moral turpitude and material malpractice stands hardly any chance of culminating into a logical conclusion. There is a fear, "given the one, the other will follow".
Making such juicy but stinking scandals public may have diverted people's attention from the more catastrophic looting of wealth from banks in the form of non-performing loans (NPLs) estimated at 1.45 trillion by December, 2023. The amount of money thus misappropriated and laundered by a single person to destinations abroad is many times more than the combined illegal wealth acquired by people in government service, although the total asset accumulated by each of the corrupt in the latter category is staggering.
Now what remains unspelt is that politics and bureaucracy are birds of a feather that flock together. Or, else the scandalous developments could not take place at all. It is unbelievable that only one organ has been affected by the gangrene whereas the rest is healthy and wholesome. The combined cancerous impact has encouraged the privileged sections on all fronts including businesspeople to go whole hog for exploiting every opportunity in mindlessly advancing their interests.
Market has turned into a killing field where the common people are being literally slaughtered thanks to the outrageous profiteering motive of business syndicates. They know well enough that the administration not known for enviable integrity plays to the gallery and would not or could not opt for the comprehensive surgery needed to cure the disease. Meanwhile they take full advantage of the situation to arbitrarily hike prices of essentials. Consumers, except those who are filthy rich, are gasping for breath.
How can anyone explain the atrocious price hike of onions at this time of the year? This item was priced between Tk 70 and 80 even during the Eid-ul-Adha. Now its market prices vary between Tk 110 and 120. Costlier by Tk 40-50 within three weeks! Rarely are the growers of onion responsible for this cut-throat price hike. There is a limit to making profit. Traders who are least concerned about the common people's suffering are playing a villainous role in the process. They are creating a society where the big fish swallow the small fries. Had they any responsibility towards their compatriots now reeling from abnormal inflation, they could keep the price reasonable. Even then the profit would be enough for them.
Let it be noted that green chilli may be short in supply this time around every year and even then the price of this spice between Tk300-500 has no justification. All other vegetables are much too dear and the staples have also registered a price increase by Tk 10-12 over the past weeks. People are struggling to survive in this hostile market regime with the supply of nutrient components to their daily diet decreasing every passing day. Governance has evidently wobbled. This portends an ominous future for both the government and the people. Signs on social and education fronts are equally gloomy. There is a serious need to urgently take the disparate and deviated forces under control before the situation worsens further.

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