Wealth ceiling for the public leaders
Monday, 11 February 2008
Muhammad Samsul Hoque
GREED and corruption go hand in hand in the accumulation of wealth. The Holy Qur'an prohibits accumulation of wealth.
Economic and social justice remain the obligation of the state as written in the Constitution of the People' s Republic of Bangladesh.
Securing basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care and ensuring equal opportunities remain the constitutional responsibility of our state.
Article 19(2) of the Constitution of Bangladesh makes the State duty bound to "adopt effective measures to remove social and economic inequality between man and man and to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth among citizens and of opportunities in order to attain a uniform level of economic development throughout the Republic".
The Constitution's article 28(4) requires the State to make special provisions for the advancement of the economically backward sections of society.
Key functionaries of the State are the elected public leaders. Before they enter office it is a mandatory constitutional requirement for them to take oath to preserve, protect and uphold the Constitution.
So, to maintain sanctity of their oath of ensuring equitable distribution of wealth among citizens and remove inequality they cannot be allowed to become symbols of inequality. If they are tempted to accumulate wealth it should be difficult for them to adopt effective measures to remove social and economic inequality. And such hypocrisy should not be tolerated by the people.
The present government says it wants to materialise the dream of the people to facilitate election of honest persons as their representatives from local to national levels. The government claims it is thinking to adopt appropriate measures in this direction.
The idea presented herein might suit the government's plan. Take the instance of union parishads. Usually the most wealthy and influential persons are elected as chairmen. A majority of them can and do ensure that they are not chosen by the common people.
They get their sycophants and cadres to ensure that they become chairmen. The wealthy, good or bad, can influence the common people in many ways the world over. An honest and educated person with other qualities may find it not easy to raise his voice against people with ill-gotten wealth and influence. The wealthy and influential, if allowed to contest polls could simply buy votes or use their influence to get elected. It sends a wrong message to the young. The newer generations learn from it that only wealth is required to obtain the prestigious positions in the society. It would encourage them to engage themselves in accumulating wealth disregarding ethical values.
If encouraged, this trend could lead the nation to intellectual bankruptcy. It made ours a land of corruption. It caused us shame.
Again, if the wealthy and the influential are elected to high public offices they would monopolise state power and there would be none to oppose their misdeeds. An individual should not be allowed to hold more than one public office at a time. Similarly an influential person should also be restrained from occupying a position to further his influence. A big businessman, if allowed to do politics and become a minister, would simply remain busy to expand his business interests. He would never become a pro-people public leader nor care to solve the problems facing the have-nots. Lust and greed are inherent in every human being. When an individual becomes powerful he can satisfy his growing lust and greed. This is how corruption spreads in any society including ours. Keeping lust and greed under check moral and spiritual motivation needs to be incorporated in our education system. We also need education to inspire us to develop human qualities. Before that can be done, discipline needs to be restored by legal action to restrain political parties from nominating "armed cadres" to parliamentary seats.
An honest politician or a public leader, local or national, commands respect. This is more valuable than material wealth. A corrupt and wealthy businessman does not deserve this honour. Unless restricted a few people would monopolise all resources of the country in gross violation of the teachings of Holy Quran and the provisions of our Constitution.
A public leader should aspire for public esteem, not wealth. A public leader must have a sacrificing spirit. Neither he nor his family members should run after wealth when millions go unfed and suffer in various ways due to poverty.
It is quite unfortunate that a majority of our population have not learnt to dislike and keep away from people who practise the opposite of what they preach and don't hesitate to patronise wrong doers. Might be it is the after effect of centuries of foreign rule. But enough is enough. We have no time to waste anymore.
To address the situation I would like to suggest making laws to disqualify the businessmen and big landlords from contesting elections. Besides, an appropriate wealth ceiling should be fixed for the public leaders as well as their dependants. The idea does not go against the letter and spirit of the Constitution. Such laws would bring equality among the citizens and help advance the cause of the poor and the resourceless section of the society. It would also help check corruption. It would encourage the emergence of educated, wise and honest persons as public leaders as the people expect.
We find instances of unlettered but wise rural persons, who failing to educate all their children, give more of their property to the uneducated and poor sons or daughters, sometimes with the consent of the better off among them. Every human being should have such basic sense of justice.
GREED and corruption go hand in hand in the accumulation of wealth. The Holy Qur'an prohibits accumulation of wealth.
Economic and social justice remain the obligation of the state as written in the Constitution of the People' s Republic of Bangladesh.
Securing basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care and ensuring equal opportunities remain the constitutional responsibility of our state.
Article 19(2) of the Constitution of Bangladesh makes the State duty bound to "adopt effective measures to remove social and economic inequality between man and man and to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth among citizens and of opportunities in order to attain a uniform level of economic development throughout the Republic".
The Constitution's article 28(4) requires the State to make special provisions for the advancement of the economically backward sections of society.
Key functionaries of the State are the elected public leaders. Before they enter office it is a mandatory constitutional requirement for them to take oath to preserve, protect and uphold the Constitution.
So, to maintain sanctity of their oath of ensuring equitable distribution of wealth among citizens and remove inequality they cannot be allowed to become symbols of inequality. If they are tempted to accumulate wealth it should be difficult for them to adopt effective measures to remove social and economic inequality. And such hypocrisy should not be tolerated by the people.
The present government says it wants to materialise the dream of the people to facilitate election of honest persons as their representatives from local to national levels. The government claims it is thinking to adopt appropriate measures in this direction.
The idea presented herein might suit the government's plan. Take the instance of union parishads. Usually the most wealthy and influential persons are elected as chairmen. A majority of them can and do ensure that they are not chosen by the common people.
They get their sycophants and cadres to ensure that they become chairmen. The wealthy, good or bad, can influence the common people in many ways the world over. An honest and educated person with other qualities may find it not easy to raise his voice against people with ill-gotten wealth and influence. The wealthy and influential, if allowed to contest polls could simply buy votes or use their influence to get elected. It sends a wrong message to the young. The newer generations learn from it that only wealth is required to obtain the prestigious positions in the society. It would encourage them to engage themselves in accumulating wealth disregarding ethical values.
If encouraged, this trend could lead the nation to intellectual bankruptcy. It made ours a land of corruption. It caused us shame.
Again, if the wealthy and the influential are elected to high public offices they would monopolise state power and there would be none to oppose their misdeeds. An individual should not be allowed to hold more than one public office at a time. Similarly an influential person should also be restrained from occupying a position to further his influence. A big businessman, if allowed to do politics and become a minister, would simply remain busy to expand his business interests. He would never become a pro-people public leader nor care to solve the problems facing the have-nots. Lust and greed are inherent in every human being. When an individual becomes powerful he can satisfy his growing lust and greed. This is how corruption spreads in any society including ours. Keeping lust and greed under check moral and spiritual motivation needs to be incorporated in our education system. We also need education to inspire us to develop human qualities. Before that can be done, discipline needs to be restored by legal action to restrain political parties from nominating "armed cadres" to parliamentary seats.
An honest politician or a public leader, local or national, commands respect. This is more valuable than material wealth. A corrupt and wealthy businessman does not deserve this honour. Unless restricted a few people would monopolise all resources of the country in gross violation of the teachings of Holy Quran and the provisions of our Constitution.
A public leader should aspire for public esteem, not wealth. A public leader must have a sacrificing spirit. Neither he nor his family members should run after wealth when millions go unfed and suffer in various ways due to poverty.
It is quite unfortunate that a majority of our population have not learnt to dislike and keep away from people who practise the opposite of what they preach and don't hesitate to patronise wrong doers. Might be it is the after effect of centuries of foreign rule. But enough is enough. We have no time to waste anymore.
To address the situation I would like to suggest making laws to disqualify the businessmen and big landlords from contesting elections. Besides, an appropriate wealth ceiling should be fixed for the public leaders as well as their dependants. The idea does not go against the letter and spirit of the Constitution. Such laws would bring equality among the citizens and help advance the cause of the poor and the resourceless section of the society. It would also help check corruption. It would encourage the emergence of educated, wise and honest persons as public leaders as the people expect.
We find instances of unlettered but wise rural persons, who failing to educate all their children, give more of their property to the uneducated and poor sons or daughters, sometimes with the consent of the better off among them. Every human being should have such basic sense of justice.