Dear All,
I would request you to read the following email. It is about my
experience.
Zia, IITM
Is courtesy foreign to RAB?
I was walking by Aarong and Manikmiah Avenue a few days(10/1/08)
back when I saw a shinny looking blue Nissan Patrol (Dhaka gha 02
3447) stationed next to the road where it read in bright colors 'no
parking.' I was mildly amused and was thinking who is this 'rich guy
having no civic senses.' To top it off, there was parking space
available next to the car. I took interest and peeked in to see that
it was none other than a RAB's car where a young adult and a small
girl were seated. Without paying much attention I moved to a close-
by house and ran my errands and returned after around 25 minutes and
saw that the Nissan Patrol was still resolutely standing in the same
position whereas there were three parkings open where the driver
could have easily pulled into. The young adult and child were not
there and I could easily put two and two together and realized that
the 'official car' was being used for shopping at Aarong or a mall
close it. This practice is common in Bangladesh and most people
abuse the system and no pointing fingers at this wrong deed are ever
labeled at anyone. This sorry state of affairs needs to change
however.
Coming back to the 'Nissan Patrol, I saw the driver ( Monir -he had
a batch) standing approximately 15 yards away next to a 'cigarette
stand' talking with a traffic police. I could visible see that
traffic congestion was being created due to this car, which in the
first place, had been parked in the 'no parking zone' (actually
right under the sign of no parking) that can be spotted at least
from fifty yards away. I very politely requested the traffic police
that this car needs to be parked in the right spot so as to avoid
traffic jam. He mumbled something that I could not decipher. I then
went to the driver (Monir) and only suggested that perhaps slightly
moving the car and parking it in the very next spot would be helpful
for the traffic. Knowing that I am talking with a RAB person I was
very courteous and used the most respectful tone. To my utter
surprise, the Driver (Monir) responded with ferocious comments and
wanted to proof to me that what I had said was not at all true and
that I have used the wrong word ¡blocking the road.¢ He acted like a
sovereign king and spoke with venom; he proved to me that he
believed in being the law and, therefore, he is above the law. After
being jolted with verbal harassment, I stepped a few steps away from
this RAB driver and waited another two or three minutes to see if
good senses prevailed on him or not. It was no surprise to me to see
that he continued to portray the face of defiance as if he had
achieved a miraculous success.
Indeed he was successful for me to bring this out into the public.
Some of you may think why I should be wasting my time in writing
about such a petty matter. I would strongly ascribe to the matter
not being petty but a matter of mis-use of power that needs to stop
point blank. He was a RAB and I was the small guy on the street and
it seemed to me that during his barrage of words 'survival of the
fittest' was being played again that I do not subscribe to. Should
it not be more like survival of honest behavior and law abiding
actions? This small incidence gives me the belief that RAB perhaps
needs to re-train their drivers or hire polite individuals,
otherwise random backlashes like my comments may be floated by
others receiving bitter interactions with RAB, thereby reducing the
good deeds of RAB in Bangladesh. Additionally, RAB has pervaded the
mindsets and pyche of the nation which is compared to unquestionable
justice and fairness. When a RAB car is being used for personal
pleasure of shopping then surely the officer and his/her family is
not projecting the untarnished image of RAB itself, which surely
sends wrong signals to fellow mortals like myself who are
inconsequential in matters of personal power but we can be the
blazing cannons of collective conscience. Once the collective
conscience gathers moss, sticks or bullets would be futile an
exercise in bringing back the trust that the citizens bestow on RAB.
So, let us share these small but ¡stories of learning¢ to move
Bangladesh forward. It would be helpful for someone with connection
to the right sources to discuss these matters and take corrective
action. I am a law abiding citizen wanting timely efforts at
building a ¡positive social face¢ to our law enforcing authorities.
Is it not high time?
Ziaur Rahman, CEO, IITM
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