HOW LONG MORE?

by F R Chowdhury

The prime minister and other ministers often talk about progress and development. But when we read international journals we get a different picture. Economist year book 2014 put GDP growth as 5.7% but inflation at 7.3%. This puts real growth as -1.6%. This means to say that average purchasing power was shrinking at 1.6%. Take the forecast in the Economist Year book of 2015 where GDP growth is shown as 6.3 against inflation of 7.3%. Again the real growth is -1%. In true sense the people are becoming poorer. The country is deeply submerged in loan that we have to repay one day. At the moment such loan stands at $169 per person. We are paying debt servicing (interest only) about 9% of our export earning which amounts to nearly 3% of our GDP. It is grim situation. Recently the central bank declared that it would not issue taka five notes anymore. Perhaps the government will to facilitate small transactions. Not being issued as a bank note, it will have no bearing on reserve held by the central bank. During the same period Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Sri-Lanka managed to keep their inflation lower than growth to achieve real economic progress. In Europe Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom and Germany maintained their economic growth.

The world is witnessing a massive migration problem. It is happening because of war in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Sudan. Most of them are internal conflict resulting into fear in common people that led to search for safer places. There are two other countries where people are trying to escape from the tyrant regime. They are Eritrea and Myanmar. Myanmar is taking most inhuman approach to get rid of their Muslim population in Arakan region. They want to evict them to Bangladesh. True they are of Muslim origin from eastern part of India but they settled in Burma when Bangladesh or even Pakistan was not born. Myanmar calls them Rohingas. Myanmar is now forcibly trying to deprive them of their nationality. These Rohingas require special government licence to get married, produce children or even to send children to school. Their assets and properties are already taken over by ethnic Buddhist Burmese. These may be summarised as the main reasons for present global migration crisis.

However, our concern goes beyond that. Almost every day on different news channels we see dreadful pictures of people being drowned at sea on sinking boats and others suffocating on vans and trucks across land routes. Most of the victims belong to countries that we discussed before. However, there is an alarming addition of another country – and that is Bangladesh. Bangladeshis are dying while trying to reach Australia and Malaysia illegally. They are also dying in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe. Their dead-bodies are found on vans and trucks on way to EU. The big question is why when Bangladesh is supposed to be flooded with progress and prosperity.

Poor Bangladeshis are desperate to leave the country for a better future. We can call it economic migration. We also see similar trend among our brilliant students of the country who go abroad for higher studies but never return. We call it brain drain. The third group consist of the people in politics that are not in line with the present government. Some of them may be considered as genuine refugees. Then we come across the last group that consist mostly of criminals who often escape to India to avoid justice. The country is heavily engaged in illegal trade with Myanmar and being flooded with yaba and other narcotics ruining the future of the younger generations. The nation is in total chaos and in general is suffering from desperation and frustration.

For decades Bangladesh has been supplying cheap labour to Middle East countries. It still remains the same. I remember having seen similar cheap labour from Philippines in 1970s. That is no more the case. Now Philippines export skilled labour. Those who travel through Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Manama must have seen the smart Filipinas in airport duty free shops. There are plumbers, fitters, electricians and nurses from Philippines. India used to have cheap labour but they are now replaced by doctors and technicians including IT specialists. Instead of so-called useless universities producing jobless young people we should have more polytechnics and other vocational institutes to produce middle grade technicians to earn their living at home and abroad through their skill. However, the government must also tackle the criminal syndicates involved in making money through fake assurances of jobs abroad. The two fronts need due attention at the same time.

In a country with its vast population like Bangladesh we should not worry much about a few students staying back abroad. We should send more such talents abroad. Such link will turn beneficial in the long run. However, we must make sure that we bring back essential technology where so required by proper remuneration and respect.

It is the political arena that has turned into total chaos. It is all because those in power think that it is their right to rule the country for eternal period the way they want. Soon after coming to power, the present government removed the provision of general election under impartial care-taker government. This was done so that the government in power can manipulate the elections in their favour. The Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) allied organizations such as Chatra League, Jubo League, Sramik League members enjoy all government contracts to share their booties. Senior civil servants not in line with BAL have been retired or made OSDs. Party supporters have been rewarded. The law enforcement agencies now have switched their allegiance to BAL instead of the state. Even the judiciary have also changed its colour. All pending cases against BAL members have been withdrawn as being politically motivated. Head of local government like city mayors belonging to Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been dismissed and replaced by unelected administrators. BNP leaders right up to district level have been arrested and put behind bar. Top leaders including female leaders have dozens of cases against them as if all leaders of BNP are corrupt, criminals and terrorists. Anyone making any remarks against the prime minister or her family members in social media (face book, twitter etc.) are traced and jailed. In democratic countries like UK or India it is quite common to pass such remarks or to draw cartoons. A friend of mine visited my house in London during his short stay in UK on way to USA. What he told me is very alarming. According to him in Dhaka if there are ten persons in a social gathering and only one of them happens to be a confirmed BAL supporter then the other nine BNP supporters will never open their mouth for fear of life. There is good reason for such fear. Ilyas Ali, a BNP leader disappeared without any trace. Journalist couple Sagar-Runi were murdered in their bed-room. The driver of the car full of money on way to minister’s house is still in hiding because he drove the car to BDR gate. Another BNP leader Salahuddin was abducted from a house in Dhaka. He could not be made to disappear because some people said to have seen some law enforcement people abducting him. So, after many days of total silence he surfaced in India (Shillong). Thanks God, he is still alive.

The law and order situation has gone to all time low to a point as if there is no government in Bangladesh. This is bound to happen when law enforcement agencies and judiciary are kept busy to silence the opposition. The murder of seven in Narayanganj is supposed to have been done by the elite law enforcement force. The master-mind is still in India. According to Bangladesh Human Rights Commission in the first seven months of this year there have been 3063 murders. Of them 131 women were raped and another 32 were raped and then killed. There were 49 deaths for dowry and 295 because of other family disputes. 195 have been attributed to political killing and 373 have been classified as mysterious death. 191 children were murdered. Extra-judicial (death in custody) killings have taken 111 lives. According to Mahila Parishad (women’s council) in the month of July alone there have been 368 assault/ harassment cases against women. These include 83 rape cases and 15 cases of mass rape. At least 9 victims were murdered after rape. In first seven months of this year there were 3063 killings but not a single case has so far reached court for justice. Every visiting dignitary has condemned death in custody. It is simply not acceptable in democratic society.

When energy prices are going down all over the world, Bangladesh government has increased prices for gas and electricity. The government have to increase prices to cover mismanagement and corruption. Our parliamentary committee had to visit China to see other projects completed by the contractors in China. Jolly good trip! Another parliamentary committee member after visiting our troops in Congo on UN mission said, “Congolese are black people and they do not know anything. Our troops are teaching them everything”. Why we have to spend our precious foreign exchange for such useless overseas trips? Another parliamentary committee is about to start their trip to China and Vietnam to study their system of public administration.

By now readers can make out the sea of prosperity we are floating in and why Bangladeshis are dying trying to escape from the country. Now the question is how long more. It has been seen that it happens when the tyrant and dictators think they have secured the path of perpetual rule. Things cannot get worse than this. Surely change is imminent. May Allah help our struggle for democracy. Ameen.

London, 07-September-2015                                           <fazlu.chowdhury@btinternet.com>