News Analysis: It's law that must rule
Farid Hossain
If this is not anarchy what else is?
They gave a straight message: the law breakers must remain beyond the reach of the long hand of law. And only the law breakers will decide if they have really violated law and, if so, how they should be punished.
On Sunday, thousands of transport workers took to the streets and used buses to block roads at Gabtoli in the capital after a magistrate punished seven errant drivers. The drivers -- three holding fake licence and four having no licence at all -- were arrested, handcuffed and handed over to police. The action enraged the transport workers and owners who blocked roads halting traffic in the area for over three hours and confined the magistrate to a bus company's office before being forced to reduce the punishment to a token fine of Tk 5 each and allowed to go under police escort.
The outburst, the latest wave of transport-related lawlessness to hit the country, underlined the difficulties even the well-meaning officials face to discipline the mostly lawless transport sector. Nothing but anarchy rules when law enforcers are forced to flee the wrath of the lawbreakers. What is even more distressing is that those who defy laws get a pat on the back by none other than a government leader like Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, who happens to be the top leader of road transport workers.
Shajahan Khan, president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, has found himself at the centre of public criticism for his insistence that Bangladesh Road Transport Authority waive the requirement of skill tests for a driver before he gets a licence. He has reportedly requested BRTA to issue about 28,000 driving licence without any skill tests to people listed by his federation. Even though he subsequently modified his statement slightly, the shipping minister is firm on his stand that drivers don't need education to get licence. Any one who can differentiate between a cow and a goat is good enough to get a driving licence, the minister says. It is as good as saying that we need butchers --not trained and registered surgeons -- to conduct surgeries in hospitals.
Bangladesh needs up to 20 lakh drivers -- double the present number -- to operate over 15 lakh vehicles now on he roads. The high demand does not mean that BRTA should issue driving licence without any skill tests as suggested by the shipping minister.
True, getting a genuine driving license is a lengthy process and one has to go through lots of tests starting from the stage of a learner to qualify to operate heavy vehicles like buses and trucks. But no one should be allowed to skip the tests.
Many license-holders have skipped the tests thanks to support from leaders like Shajahan Khan and the BRTA itself. Many are holding fake licenses and many others are simply driving without bothering to get any sort of license.
No wonder over 60 percent of 10 lakh drivers in the country hold fake licenses. No wonder roads in Bangladesh are the world's deadliest with road accidents accounting for nearly 4,000 deaths annually according to official estimate and more than 15,000 by unofficial but reliable count. No wonder Bangladesh is losing celebrities and talented people like Mishuk Munier and Tareque Masud in road crashes, blamed on reckless and unskilled driving, faulty vehicles and defiance of traffic rules.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=200086__._,_.___
