| Shall we fail the nation again? We are passing through a critical juncture of our history. We have to rise as a nation as we did in 1971, this time to stamp out corruption from the body politic of this nation. It is the corruption of our political and social elites, the high and the mighty in different strata of our society which has made our country one of the poorest of the poor nations of the world. If we cannot combat this level of corruption effectively, no grandeur poverty alleviation plan, no infusion of massive external aid and no elected government will be able to lift us from the abyss of poverty and make us a proud nation that we all want to be. We in the past have made many ambitious poverty alleviation plans. We have had billions of dollars of aid from rich foreign friendly countries. We also had elected governments to our credit. But all the money has gone down the drain. Why? It is simply because the corrupt political elites went about building their own personal fortunes and fortunes for their coterie at the cost of the development of the country and the wellbeing of the people. Corruption spread fast far and wide. Could it have been otherwise? No. There is a saying that a fish begins to rot from the head. Thanks to declaration of state of emergency by the President and a very bold, patriotic and pro people policy of this interim government and of course the solid support of the armed forces behind the government it is for the first time in the history of this country that some very high profile former ministers including two former ministers, former law makers and business men have been arrested on charges of corruption , some having been punished by speedy trial courts, some already facing trial in courts and many more in the process of being put on trial while a good number of them are on the run having fled the country. It is a gigantic task arraigning these high profile people considering the limited resources at the disposal of the government and the judiciary. But come what may these people who have plundered our state wealth and property at will misusing their power and authority and who have turned billionaires over night must be tried and punished for the crimes they have committed and for the poverty, the misery and the indignity they have inflicted on the people and the country. These are the people who cried hoarse for democracy, people's welfare and development of the country before elections. But once elected, they very conveniently forgot democracy, people and the country. They remained focused on how to make fortunes and grab land and property for themselves, for their family members and for their cronies and henchmen. As their saga of corruption unfolds through the media, we as people of this country are ashamed of having been ruled and governed by these people. But lo and behold! They have no shame or qualms whatsoever. They are shameless. They have no compunction. Ask them about their corruption charges and horrendous wrong doings. They and their countless lawyers will dismiss them as politically motivated. Ask them how come they have become so fabulously rich when they had none of it before they came to power. Pat come the reply: it is through our honest and legitimate income. Ask them how is it that they have umpteen bank accounts in their own names, in the name of their family members and in some cases in the name of family trusts and foundations with tell tale evidence of massive corruption. They would just say that they have done nothing wrong. Ask them why they had awarded a contract to an undeserving firm ignoring laid down procedures which entailed enormous loss to the state. They would simply say that they have done nothing wrong. They lie with such ease and finesse that it is difficult to say whether they do it congenitally or compulsively. Put them in jail. They will either fall sick or feign sickness and manage a hospital cabin with minimum of luxury they are used to enjoying. Release them on bail. They are perfectly as healthy as ever. Let them go abroad on parole for medical treatment because they are afflicted with ailments which can not be treated in this country. They will go to the most expensive hospital in Singapore or Bangkok or in the USA and will be accompanied by the full retinue of their spouse, children and close relatives for duration of two months or more as if they are on a long vacation. Where does such huge money in foreign exchange come from? Obviously from their honest and legitimate income! These are the people we have to deal with. Those who do wrongs but when confronted with evidence of their wrong doings admit their fault and sound apologetic are seemingly people who deserve to be treated with compassion. But those who have no sense of guilt and no repentance for the harm they have caused to others are the most dangerous human species. They must be tried and punished. It is appallingly disquieting to hear that of late most of these people have been granted bail and for some their trial proceedings have been stayed by the higher judiciary for two months or so. We know very well that it is only under emergency rules that these people can be swiftly tried and punished. Higher judiciary has the prerogative to over rule the verdict of the lower judiciary. But let the trial proceedings of lower courts go ahead unhindered. With due respect to our judiciary and the legal fraternity let me say in all humility that we owe it to our conscience as educated and patriotic people of this country to see to it that those who have committed crime and sullied the name of this country by their wrong doings are tried and punished no matter who they are and under what law they have been tried. Should we fail to do justice and allow the criminals to go unpunished, it will only strengthen the hands of those who do rough justice on the streets and lynch a common thief because they believe that the thief will not be punished by the due process of the judicial system. Let us not fail the nation. Adnan Shams is an MBA from University of Queensland and Secretary General of WATCH BANGLADESH |
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