Let change be ushered in soon
In the aftermath of the landslide victory of the Mohajote led by AL in the recently held Parliamentary election, the AL chief and the Prime Minister of the new government Sheikh Hasina asked her party men to refrain from arranging victory celebration that might lead to inter-party clashes. But before the AL chief could take the reins of administration, some incidents of clashes, looting and even killing took place in different parts of the country perhaps taking advantage of apparent police inaction in the transition period.
As newspaper reports reveal, on Jan 1, two days after the announcement of the election result, some mastans allegedly belonging to AL assaulted Mamunur Rashid, a businessman in the Pallabi area of the city, and looted some shops and houses in that area. However, Eliasuddin Mollah, a newly elected M.P. belonging to AL from that area denied their connection with AL.
On the other hand, as reports indicated in the newspapers, two AL workers of Bogra were killed by unidentified assailants on December 31 last and one Abdur Razzaq, organizing secretary of Ghorasal ward AL was killed by terrorists as a sequel to business feuds. As reports reveal some 46 people in different parts of the country were injured in inter-party clashes. In the latest incident it was learnt from newspaper report that one Nazrul Islam, a Sechasebok Dal leader of ward no 56 was gunned down on Jan 6 last in the Bijoynagar area of the city as a sequel to feuds relating to extortion and possession of markets in that area.
With Sheikh Hasina stepping into office as the new PM of the country with a mix breed of committed young and matured politicians as ministers in her cabinet, the key question that reverberates all over the country is that a change must be in the offing. People have voted the AL led grand alliance to power to see an end to corruption, terrorism, misrule and nepotism. The new government must take tough stance to stop the mastans and godfathers' return to politics and business.
The foremost challenge facing the new government however, is to take up the task of trying the war criminals and break the price syndicates that have added to the miseries of the people.
Hopefully, in happy coincidence with the new government taking up the reins of administration, the price of paddy has come down by Tk. 100 per maund in many areas of the country and the price of soybean oil has come down by Tk. 20 per litre in the retail market. People believe with fuel oil price drastically coming down in the international market there is no reason to keep the diesel price so high in the country that pushes the expenses for irrigation, power and transportation so high. It was heartening to learn that the new government in its first cabinet meeting took some decisions to reduce diesel price and allow subsidy to fertilizer.
Now the attention of the new prime minister should also be aimed at soothing inter-party tensions, clashes and conflicts and repairing the economy that suffered most during the alliance rule. Her commitment to make multi-party democracy work, her effort to make the economy produce what people need to consume and put an end to the practice of systematic official lying might transform the country to bear the envisaged fruits. Needless to mention, fundamental changes are needed to rescue the economy from work stoppages and closure, debt burden, corruption, and colossal unemployment problem of about 20 million youths.
The country's largely illiterate and overwhelmingly poor electorate, despite all the handicaps, are now well informed. Dull and stereotyped propaganda and rhetoric indulged in during the electioneering did not appeal to them. The government must heed the fact that there was no scope for indulging in rhetoric this time because they would be judged by their track records.
People also believe that those days were gone when rice could be made available to the populace at 10 taka per kg. and fertilizer distributed free of cost to every farmer. What people expect is that price of food stuff should be within their purchasing power and fertilizer distribution should be free from any bottleneck and hurdles.
Indeed the new government need not look beyond the immediate past regime for lessons about the predicament into which a democratic government, just for lack of sensibility and realistic appraisal of people's sentiment can easily slide. People are fed up with politician's venality, economic deterioration and social tension, agitation in the streets and workplaces, and insecurity even within the safe boundary of their houses.
The challenge facing the new administration is how to stem the eroding public confidence in government. The first prerequisite is probity on the part of the leaders matched by tough and consistent enforcement of laws without malice or favour as Sahara Khatun, the new Minister in charge of Home Affairs has announced immediately after assuming office. The new Home Minister has made it plain that her government would book the criminals, terrorists and their godfathers regardless of their party affiliations and bring them to justice. Reduction of corruption in public life would restore confidence of the people and inspire them to work for the growth of the country.
The task for the new prime minister and her cabinet might appear to be most challenging in as much as they inherit a dismaying legacy of moral malaise, sycophancy, economic stagnation exacerbated by shortfall in food production in consequence of inadequate importance given to agriculture, population pressure and unemployment problem.
LGED Minister's reaction to the culture of sycophancy exhibited by the employees as the ministers entered into their offices on the first day has given people a feeling that the new government wants work from the officials and employees and no adoration.
A task force may be instituted to see as to how a vast cohort of youths can be provided with employment by opening new areas like handicrafts development, leather bag and shoe making, jute carpet manufacturing, in line with the developed countries of the world with an effort to capture foreign market. Also livestock, poultry, pisciculture and flower cultivation are some of the potential and viable sectors that must be geared up for absorbing the youth forces.
The benefits of economic growth must be distributed more evenly. Such growth which was spurred by fitful economic liberalization following western model or forced by the affluent world has tended to benefit only the privileged few . The poor who constitute almost 60 per cent of the 150 million people in the country must be provided access to educational and employment opportunities to reap the benefits. Otherwise, the fast growing segment can be an explosive mix in a country running short of employment opportunities. No effort to curb terrorism, hijacking, muscle-manry, and extortion spree can be effective without providing the youth folk with job and earning .
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