Street violence stages a comeback

THE photograph of a woman in tears, watching helplessly as her car was being vandalised, was very moving. A report published on Jan. 11 last indicated that the students of Titumir college vandalised about 150 vehicles in an area spreading over 2 km. The people are certainly shocked at the way the students and some outsiders unleashed their rage at the unconfirmed news of death of a female student.
Undeniably true, deaths due to road accidents continue to rise, which is definitely a cause for alarm. The people strongly feel that incidents of the drivers escaping from the spot need to be addressed. They deplore the government's inaction and vehicle owner's indifference towards the problem, which affects people's movement on the roads. But this does not in any way justify such a violent reaction. The prime cause for concern is that students these days have been showing an increasing inclination to take law in their own hands at the slightest provocation. And this is primarily because there have been hardly any instances wherein the law breakers in such cases have been brought to justice.
Unquestionably true, there is not a single individual in the country who would not condemn such accidents. But what did the students achieve other than damaging vehicles, disrupting business and bringing normal activities of the citizenry to a halt?
A sense of drift has taken hold in the country, and is largely responsible for a remarkable phenomenon: The resurgence of intolerance and animosity on party lines that seem to defy all sensibilities. Precisely true, in the wake of this bickering that often exploded into violence and even killing, sluggish growth and rising unemployment have hit the country hard.
When public buses are damaged the owners of the vehicles tries to adjust the loss by increasing the fare, overloading, and putting unfit vehicles on the streets. What is most shocking is that innocent commuters and patients are held hostage by an irate mob led by mastans for no fault of theirs.
However, the root cause of such violence is lack of governance, administrative inaction and eroding confidence in the government. The recently held parliamentary election confirmed the people's desire to look for new leadership and governance. For the past several years there has been uncertainty in politics that ultimately plunged the economy in dire straits.
Evidently there was an endemic reluctance to invest in new projects that could create avenues for job creation. In a situation when investment is the lifeblood that keeps the economy moving, there was all pervading frustration and a sinking feeling in the body politic of the nation. The impact of this slowdown is being felt at every level.
The youth, after completing their education, do not find jobs. Precisely speaking, insecurity is all-pervasive, whether among those in employment or those looking for jobs for years. It seems the economy is trapped between an ill-equipped and ill-monitored production system and the whimsical closing down of mills and factories without providing means of living for those thrown out of employment.
More importantly, the growing inequality between people having enormous wealth and those having no means to live for a day has generated strong discontent in the aggrieved section of the populace. The rampage in front of Titumir college and other sporadic incidents taking place with ominous frequency can be attributed to pent-up rage and frustration of the youth about the neglect and apathy they have been suffering for years.
The past alliance government had done little to open the economy to the outside world or bring tangible reform in the agrarian sector to disseminate the fruits among the farmers. One saw with dismay the peril that struck our country during the last seven years while Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, despite the fact that they also have problems, have begun catching up with East Asia's four tigers -- Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.
The new government pledged to build a "Digital Bangladesh," but it will take years for the fruits of that endeavour to be disseminated to the grassroots level. In the meantime, with world-wide recession taking hold, demand for the country's export items is slowing down, and foreign capital for investment is shrinking.
Foreign investors shied away because of the kickbacks claimed by the cronies and their mentors in the past government. On the other hand, few investors risk being put in a politically heated atmosphere, often vitiated by turmoil on the streets.
With the population rate still growing, especially in the rural areas, the entrenched resistance to reforms and slow pace of policy formulation in different sectors, the country is perhaps on the verge of turning into a "basket case." The new government, by creating jobs in the rural areas and stopping the huge trek to cities, can transform the face of the country.

Md. Asadullah Khan is a former teacher of physics and Controller of Examinations, BUET.
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