By Nazmus Saquib
The current political impasse in Bangladesh has reached to a point of no return. We all are aware about it and it seems people have accepted it as their inevitable fate. The people of Bangladesh are to some extend surrendered to successive poor governance and sheer disregard to the human lives and safety by the government authorities. Some might argue with this notion simply because of the fact that these very people of Bangladesh have registered their anger through ballot over and over again. Sadly, however, the government changes have had no impact to change the lot of our people. Government has come, government has gone, but our misery remains the same.
The whole country is still grieving after the tragedy of Rana Plaza collapse in Savar that has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands others. The readymade garments industry is our largest foreign export earner but our hardworking workers have been always ignored from their due in this sector. The workers safety is not a cause for concern for our garments industry manufacturers and importers. They are only concerned to maximize their profit. The Spectrum Tragedy and Tazrin Garments Tragedy are still fresh in our memory. The owners of these two garments factories had not been held accountable for their blatant disregard to workers safety. As a result of this, such pathetic incidents have become a regular phenomenon. The recent tragedy in Savar has outnumbered all the previous tragedy in our garments sector because of the magnitude of destruction and loss of lives. The owner of that building which housed three garments companies has already been nabbed. Due to his involvement with the ruling party politics, people doubt whether justice would be delivered this time around. When Sanaullah Nur Babu (a BNP leader) was killed in broad daylight in Natore by Awami League goons, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised to bring the killers to book. Advocate Nurul Islam’s killers were also freed due to their political connection with the ruling party. So when such a culture of impunity prevails in the society, how can we expect a true and impartial prove into the matter and exemplary punishment to those responsible?
Our whole political system is being run by money, muscle power and favoritism. Savar Awami League MP Touhid Zong Murad is said to be the godfather of Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana. Many media outlets have already proved Murad Zong’s connection with Rana. But it is not surprising that the law enforcers have not yet nabbed the accused MP. The power politics and its arithmetic has become quite predictable in this country where the ruling party activists always remain scot free and political vengeance is always carried out against the opposition political party. The opposition party does the same thing when they come to power. In this particular incident of Savar, it is said that Sohel Rana wanted to use the innocent garments workers for the anti-hartal procession on that fateful day. Rana is accused of drug dealing, unauthorized building construction and real estate business. Due to his political affiliation, he made a mockery with the existing laws and disregarded the building code of the country. His sheer disregard to human lives has brought upon us such a horrific tragedy that the nation has ever gone through.
Savar Tragedy has exposed to our eyes about the bankruptcy of our political parties. BNP has promised to award 20 lakh taka each to the family of those who have been killed. It is a good announcement no doubt, but why they did not make such a statement when they were in power and the Spectrum Garments Factory collapsed and killed numerous people? The government on the otherhand has fetched more brickbats after this incident. On one hand, the home minister blamed the opposition for this tragedy with his epic ‘Narachara’ theory (conspiracy by hartal supporters by moving the gate and hole of the Rana Plaza), on the otherhand, the international media exposed the government’s denial of accepting rescue team from the UK. The inefficiency of our rescue workers due to smart equipments and oxygen cylinders has already been highlighted in the mainstream news media. Then why did the government take such a decision at the cost of the lives of the poor workers?
Footnote: Our honorable home minister receives 53200Tk as his monthly salary. In 2009-2010, former home minister Sahara Khatun spent 33.32 lakh taka for his medical treatment in Singapore. And the nation has seen their efficiency as the ministers! Someone has posted this on his facebook status recently which roughly says, “We have a home minster, who is capable to protect his party followers at the cost of innocent lives, we have a opposition leader who hardly does any movement for the people, we have a Prime Minister who wants to stay onto the power at any cost, we have a Nobel laureate who always keeps mum on any national issue, and we are the innocent people who are destined to tolerate like this! When the cultural of impunity becomes the order of the day and the opposition party and government, both loses their credibility, how can you expect peace and sanity in the society? ”
I’m sure this facebook status has sum up the present precarious condition of this nation. Would it now be an exaggeration to state that Bangladesh has become a failed state?
