------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Zoglul Husain zoglul@hotmail.co.uk
Thank you, Dr Shabbir A Bashar, for raising some probing and piercing questions, which at the same time are brilliant. However, it would be for us together to find the answers as well as the solutions to the problems and to implement them in Bangladesh. We together are certainly capable of doing them, provided we unite and have confidence in our sustained efforts.
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:38:22 +0600
Subject: The Crisis In Bangladesh
From: bdmailer@gmail.com
To: dhakamails@yahoogroups.com
By: Shabbir A Bashar, PhD
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Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:38:22 +0600
Subject: The Crisis In Bangladesh
From: bdmailer@gmail.com
To: dhakamails@yahoogroups.com
The Crisis In Bangladesh
By: Shabbir A Bashar, PhD
shabbir_bashar@yahoo.com
It is hard to remember when Bangladesh looked closer to being a failed state than everyday that passes by. One cannot read a Bangladeshi newspaper for the fear of finding worse news than the day before; yet one's worst fears come true with chronic regularity. Power shortage, heat, ruling party mafia going crazy with their rampant rages of crimes, grid-locked traffic reaching a level of degeneracy, a broken law and order situation not to mention a dysfunctional justice system are all but symptoms of Bangladesh's failure in just about every field.
People in Bangladesh love to blame their leaders for all the evils. It is not even worth to talk about the political mudslinging and finger pointing that goes amongst and between the parties. My simple question to ordinary Bangladeshis is if all the miseries are a result of the leadership, then where do these leaders come from? Are they an alien force sent down upon this country of 160 million people to sabotage their existence or are the leaders home grown? Who voted them into office? This is by no means a political question to a country that is sharply divided along political parties based on a rotating dynastic system. Do the voters not have any responsibility at all to think about their own destiny when they keep electing people who they are only going to end up blaming? Do they have no responsibility to "check out the goods" before they buy them? Would they marry off their children to a monster?
What percentage of the population pays income tax? What portion of the revenue that is to be used for the most basic needs such as healthcare, education, housing and food comes from the Bangladeshi tax payer themselves? How can people expect the government (regardless of who happens to be ruling the country at any given time) to provide for them when they themselves apparently fail to see the connection between their social responsibility and their civic expectations? Bangladesh is no longer part of a colony. No one is looting its wealth and no one is responsible for sustaining it either. Is it that the mentality of being ruled - and therefore relegation of responsibility - runs so deep that they have forgotten to think? I am puzzled and simultaneously reminded of the saying, "God helps those who help themselves". How are people in Bangladesh helping themselves by cheating the system? Just how long do they think they can rely on foreign aid and loans - in other words - ordinary folks like themselves in other countries?
Lack of foresight and forward planning specifically is what has caused the crisis now facing Bangladesh. Those entrusted with making these key policy decisions seem far too occupied with trivial things like changing names of institutions - only to be changed again by their successors; they are far too busy giving themselves raises and increasing their perks; they are far too busy exacting revenge on their opponents etc. The ruling class has no vested interest in developing internal resources since they are not directly affected by its many failures: they have access to hospitals in India, Thailand, Singapore, UK or the USA; likewise their children are educated abroad and they have a guaranteed income in Bangladesh. They pay lip service to development and progress but clearly their heart is not in it.
The ruled are in deep slumber and refuse to think for themselves - perhaps for fear of retribution. Whatever thought that seems to go through their mind is about how to defeat the system. Some of them believe in someone's daughter; others in someone's wife and yet others in the literal powers of holy books. Rather than scrutinizing causes and effects, their decisions often seem like immature outburst of sentimental tantrums. They are easily exploited by the ruling class and get used for fighting latter's proxy - often violent and ugly - wars. Instead of exercising their rights and responsibilities, the ruled just accept and execute what is dictated to them. When the rulers change, so does their destiny. Only thing is, over the last several decades of Bangladesh's existence, their destiny only seems to be taking a dive. The poor are getting poorer; the rich are getting not only richer but also fewer in number as a percentage of the growing population.
For any nation to succeed or to be at least viable, there has to be a large middle class - the backbone that holds it all together. That has eroded away in Bangladesh like osteoporosis. Wealth is so acutely concentrated that the difference between the "haves" and the "have nots" is now a quantum leap. Those who have money go unchallenged; those who do not are nothing but disenfranchised neo-slaves of the nation. Bangladesh is a divided and a weak nation. Blaming its leaders for all its failures is just a facade of a much deeper problem: Bangladeshis seem to lack basic management skills to sustain themselves. It is as though the country is running around like a random particle wearing itself out fast. It is in dire need of direction.
Where did the cohesive social values go? Why do we read about young girls killing themselves in shame after being attacked or taunted by young men? Why do we see pictures of men chasing other men with meat cleavers just to win a government contract? Why have all the major educational institutes turned into dens of crime and violence? Why are garments owners not paying their workers well? Why are the so called micro-credit loan sharks charging astronomical interest rates to exploit the poorest of the poor? Is everything the fault of political leaders? What are the parents doing not teaching their children about simple human values? Why is there so much hatred, intolerance and greed instead of respect for another human being, tolerance for differences and patience?
Come on now - isn't this crisis the making of a larger number of the 160 million population than just the 1% of so called political leaders? At the end of the day, one can only fool oneself - think about it!
It is hard to remember when Bangladesh looked closer to being a failed state than everyday that passes by. One cannot read a Bangladeshi newspaper for the fear of finding worse news than the day before; yet one's worst fears come true with chronic regularity. Power shortage, heat, ruling party mafia going crazy with their rampant rages of crimes, grid-locked traffic reaching a level of degeneracy, a broken law and order situation not to mention a dysfunctional justice system are all but symptoms of Bangladesh's failure in just about every field.
People in Bangladesh love to blame their leaders for all the evils. It is not even worth to talk about the political mudslinging and finger pointing that goes amongst and between the parties. My simple question to ordinary Bangladeshis is if all the miseries are a result of the leadership, then where do these leaders come from? Are they an alien force sent down upon this country of 160 million people to sabotage their existence or are the leaders home grown? Who voted them into office? This is by no means a political question to a country that is sharply divided along political parties based on a rotating dynastic system. Do the voters not have any responsibility at all to think about their own destiny when they keep electing people who they are only going to end up blaming? Do they have no responsibility to "check out the goods" before they buy them? Would they marry off their children to a monster?
What percentage of the population pays income tax? What portion of the revenue that is to be used for the most basic needs such as healthcare, education, housing and food comes from the Bangladeshi tax payer themselves? How can people expect the government (regardless of who happens to be ruling the country at any given time) to provide for them when they themselves apparently fail to see the connection between their social responsibility and their civic expectations? Bangladesh is no longer part of a colony. No one is looting its wealth and no one is responsible for sustaining it either. Is it that the mentality of being ruled - and therefore relegation of responsibility - runs so deep that they have forgotten to think? I am puzzled and simultaneously reminded of the saying, "God helps those who help themselves". How are people in Bangladesh helping themselves by cheating the system? Just how long do they think they can rely on foreign aid and loans - in other words - ordinary folks like themselves in other countries?
Lack of foresight and forward planning specifically is what has caused the crisis now facing Bangladesh. Those entrusted with making these key policy decisions seem far too occupied with trivial things like changing names of institutions - only to be changed again by their successors; they are far too busy giving themselves raises and increasing their perks; they are far too busy exacting revenge on their opponents etc. The ruling class has no vested interest in developing internal resources since they are not directly affected by its many failures: they have access to hospitals in India, Thailand, Singapore, UK or the USA; likewise their children are educated abroad and they have a guaranteed income in Bangladesh. They pay lip service to development and progress but clearly their heart is not in it.
The ruled are in deep slumber and refuse to think for themselves - perhaps for fear of retribution. Whatever thought that seems to go through their mind is about how to defeat the system. Some of them believe in someone's daughter; others in someone's wife and yet others in the literal powers of holy books. Rather than scrutinizing causes and effects, their decisions often seem like immature outburst of sentimental tantrums. They are easily exploited by the ruling class and get used for fighting latter's proxy - often violent and ugly - wars. Instead of exercising their rights and responsibilities, the ruled just accept and execute what is dictated to them. When the rulers change, so does their destiny. Only thing is, over the last several decades of Bangladesh's existence, their destiny only seems to be taking a dive. The poor are getting poorer; the rich are getting not only richer but also fewer in number as a percentage of the growing population.
For any nation to succeed or to be at least viable, there has to be a large middle class - the backbone that holds it all together. That has eroded away in Bangladesh like osteoporosis. Wealth is so acutely concentrated that the difference between the "haves" and the "have nots" is now a quantum leap. Those who have money go unchallenged; those who do not are nothing but disenfranchised neo-slaves of the nation. Bangladesh is a divided and a weak nation. Blaming its leaders for all its failures is just a facade of a much deeper problem: Bangladeshis seem to lack basic management skills to sustain themselves. It is as though the country is running around like a random particle wearing itself out fast. It is in dire need of direction.
Where did the cohesive social values go? Why do we read about young girls killing themselves in shame after being attacked or taunted by young men? Why do we see pictures of men chasing other men with meat cleavers just to win a government contract? Why have all the major educational institutes turned into dens of crime and violence? Why are garments owners not paying their workers well? Why are the so called micro-credit loan sharks charging astronomical interest rates to exploit the poorest of the poor? Is everything the fault of political leaders? What are the parents doing not teaching their children about simple human values? Why is there so much hatred, intolerance and greed instead of respect for another human being, tolerance for differences and patience?
Come on now - isn't this crisis the making of a larger number of the 160 million population than just the 1% of so called political leaders? At the end of the day, one can only fool oneself - think about it!
Yours truly,
Shabbir A Bashar, PhD
Fremont, California, USA
United States
Fremont, California, USA
United States
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