No peace for the government
The government has hard juggling act to keep up – amending the Constitution, trying the war criminals, implementing agreements with India, while dealing with anthrax, floods, crime and corruption all at the same time
by ANWAR PARVEZ HALIM
The government is not at peace. It is juggling several issues at once and it is not an easy job. There is the matter of amending the Constitution, trying the war criminals, bringing back the killers convicted in the Bangabandhu Murder Case, implementing the agreements signed with India and a host of other incomplete agendas. Then there have been the sudden floods, the onset of anthrax, food deficit, energy and fuel crisis. As if this was not enough, the leaders and workers of the ruling party are involved in uncontrolled extortion, violence, taking bribes for appointments and so on. Law and order has deteriorated. The government's image has taken a further blow with the ruling party's Nurunnabi Shawon's alleged involvement in the killing of Jubo League activist Ibrahim.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the outset has been issuing stern warnings regarding such issues, but who is listening. With work not be prioritized, administrative work is suffering. The government is paying attention to only sensitive issues and so even those responsible in the administration find themselves at a loss. There is a marked lack of coordination among the party, the government and in the administration. Despite the Prime Minister's specific directives, the ministers and important leaders of the party have been continuously issuing all sorts of irresponsible statements and speeches.
Amendment of the Constitution
After the annulment of the Fifth Amendment, the special committee formed for the amendment of the Constitution hasn't been able to go far. The preamble of the Constitution was supposed to have been finalized within September, but that hasn't happened. According to the court ruling, religion-based politics is supposed to be banned. However, many of the concerned persons are unwilling to make any amendment that will go against the religious sentiments of the people. Even the Prime Minister is against taking any such step. With the Seventh Amendment being cancelled, the committee is having to look into this matter too. They are at a complete loss as this means taking penal measures against the ruling alliance's ally Ershad for having taken over power unlawfully. The government may also bring in changes to the caretaker system which will most likely bring vehement protest from the opposition.
War crimes trial
The government wants to hurry up and complete the war crimes trial, but is having to adhere to the legal process. Jamaat and BNP contend that the government is using this trial simply to lash out at its opposition. The government is having to ensure that the trial maintains international tribunal standards. Sources say that there is a lack of logistic support and coordination where the trial is concerned. It does not look like the accused war criminals will be tried any time soon. So while they had taken up this issue with gusto, policy makers in the government are opting to go slow on this for the time being.
India puts on the pressure
While the government has finalized the matter of granting India transit facilities and use of the port, it is keeping the matter totally hazy so as not to provoke any opposition protest. It has opted to go slow on this issue too, but India is not having any of this. It is pressuring the government to come out in the clear about these agreements and implement them immediately.
After Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Bangladesh in August, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting in Delhi with his cabinet members and secretaries. He instructed his administration to ensure that they extend utmost cooperation to Bangladesh to do away with all the haziness regarding the agreements and get cracking to their implementation with no further delay. It is learnt that Delhi has given Dhaka up till December to materialise the agreements. Manmohan Singh is scheduled to visit Dhaka in December this year or early next year. He wants to see some palpable action from Dhaka before that.
Then the issue of sending to Bangladeshi troops to Afghanistan suddenly cropped up-putting the sovernment in an uncomfortable situation.
According to sources within the ruling party, the opposition may take up a movement if the government goes for rapid implementation of the agreements. With other domestic issues and crises in the forefront, the situation may turn ugly. The government, thus, finds itself between a rock and a hard place. During a recent presidium meeting of Awami League, the leaders said it would be wise to be stern against any opposition movement, but the Prime Minister said they must practice caution.
The added angst of anthrax
On top of all its crises, the government is now having to deal with the outbreak of anthrax. And the onset of sudden floods.
Experts compare the economic losses of the anthrax outbreak to that of bird flu. It is not just the livestock business that is suffering, but the tanneries too. Butchers are anxious as innumerable others who are directly and indirectly connected with livestock.
By putting out a red alert concerning anthrax, things are likely to get worse. And with Qurbani Eid coming up, the crisis deepens. Experts feel the government is not taking adequate measures to contain the situation.
With heavy rains in India's Assam and Meghalaya, Bangladesh's Jamalpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Sirajganj, Rajbari, Faridpur, Maulvibazar, Shariatpur, Manikganj and Munshiganj districts are now inundated. Crops on 28,419.5 hectares of land in this region are under water. Yet Food Minister Dr. Abdur Razzak refuses to acknowledge that there are any floods.
The people of the area are suffering intensely. There is an acute shortage of drinking water and of fodder for the livestock, a spread of water-borne diseases, a dearth of employment for the poor and more. The farmers are at a loss. Government relief is not enough to meet the demands of the hungry flood victims. It is unusual to have floods in September and the government is having to focus much attention on this problem.
Food stocks fall
The Food Department is having problems with food grain collection this Boro season. It has a target to collect 12 lac tons of rice, but so far has only managed to collect five lac 41 thousand tons. Experts put this down to incompetence, inefficiency, irregularities and corruption from the policy makers down to the field level officials.
With the government's food stock falling by 50%, the government is under pressure to import. Food security is a serious cause of concern. The combined stock rice and wheat at the beginning of last month was 6 lac 533 metric tones. During the corresponding period last year it was 12 lac 57 thousand 964 metric tones. Over the past month and a half this hasn't improved. On the contrary, rice from this reserve was being sold in the open market during Ramadan.
In July and August this year, 2 lac 56 thousand metric tones of food grain was imported at a cost US$ 105,800,000. Yet in the corresponding period of the previous year, no import of food grain was needed at all. The central bank says that large volumes of food grain is being imported to ensure food security. This has put up import costs and put pressure on the foreign currency reserves. Remittances are down, there is no increase in export revenue.
Jubo League and Chhatra League go berserk
Jubo League, Chhatra League and greedy leaders of the ruling party are a bane for the government. Well wishers of the government maintain that the activities of these groups are running the sincere efforts of the Prime Minister. Even 21 months into power, the government has failed to rein these unruly quarters in. The government's failure in this regard is mysterious.
If corruption was the downfall of the alliance government, it looks like this government hasn't learnt a lesson. Government party people took crores of taka in bribes for the appointment 32 thousand primary school teachers. Now the 43 thousand who had paid bribes but did not get the jobs are trying to get their money back. They are paying bribes to get the original bribe returned. There is pressure on the administration to appoint party workers even if they don't have the merit. If this corruption is resisted, the government party hoodlums go berserk on a smashing spree, breaking everything in sight.
Jubo League and Chhatra League hoodlums disrupt the written exam being taken for appointment to the post of Office Assistant at the Pabna district Deputy Commissioner's office. Fifteen persons including the ADC were hurt in the attack. On September 19 the exam for appointment to 15 posts at Panchagarh Health Department was taken. As the chosen candidates of the local MP and Awami League leaders did not appear on the later list of those qualifying for the oral exam, the Civil Surgeon's office was smashed up. It is the same story all over the country. Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, the Acting President of the party says, "Things will be fixed when the Prime Minister returns." Critics respond, "If the Prime Minister has to look after every detail personally, what are the ministers there for?"
Bangladesh fall back in Global Competitiveness
According to the Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) 2010-2011, Bangladesh ranks 107 among 139 countries. Last year its rank was 106. This report was released by the Switzerland-based World Economic Forum on September 9 this year. It was released in Bangladesh on September 16 by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
On the same day, CPD released a report on the business competitiveness situation in Bangladesh. CPD's spokesperson told the media that the survey was conducted by talking to 90 big businessmen of Bangladesh, all with wealth over 10 crore each.
Businessmen say, there is still widespread corruption in Bangladesh. One has to pay bribes to get any work done. The government still awards work to their favoured ones. They also feel that in 2009, freedom of the press has been hit harder than in previous years.
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