The recently adopted resolution by the UN General Assembly emphasised on easy access to justice as an essential indicator of development. Our people in power talk endlessly about the need of quick disposal of cases by the court and not easy availability of justice. And for development they mean economic development as produced by indicators and not justice.
So nothing matters about the freedom of police cases clogging in thousands in the judiciary. If the political opponents are to be kept in jail the government has the power of using the preventive detention law. This way the number of court cases will come down to half at least and the judge will be saved from political pressure visible and not so visible.
Under this deception of development only those few who are sure of no cases for their corruption have flourished beyond their wildest dream. Knowing this will not last long because they have built second homes in rich countries to live like kings. Some of them also transferred easy money to make investments abroad.
There is also no answer if the country’s development is so “unstoppable”. Why our own investors are then running away without investing their money in their own country.
The much needed foreign investment in the country is not coming. Chinese economy would not have been so strong without welcoming inflow of investment from the West bringing enviable prosperity among Chinese people at large.
The economic indicators that the government supporters publicise as development but that the people cannot see and enjoy. The lives of the general public is palpable with economic hardship and abuse of power rendering people to helplessly suffer at many levels because the government do not count the people as voters to remain in power. Arrest by plain clothes persons should be regarded as a dangerous development. No government can be held accountable for any kind of personal security or development.
Where security in public life is most uncertain and the police alert is seen at high level against terrorism, nobody in his senses can say that the situation is conducive for economic activities. No investment means no development, it should be too simple even for non-experts to understand.
Heavy police presence at Dhaka Airport itself speaks enough about safety for the economic activities in the country.
In a country of unstoppable development no government has to fear honest elections to know the true public opinion about the bureaucracy inspired figures of development. The government lacked courage to allow recently held Municipal election to be free.
ISIS kind or not, the hard fact is that terrorism or violence in public life is increasing. The government is happy permitting police power to be used arbitrarily for securing peace and order in the country. In other words no political approach is considered necessary for peace, progress and good governance.
To depend on bureaucrats is not politics or political leadership for making the country safe and peaceful for progress. A government depends on the power of the people or the power of the gun. There is nothing in between.
The argument of no popular election for saving democracy and the country was used by dictators like Ayub Khan while relying on the power of the gun and destroyed the country at the end. We must hate their ways for creating Bangladesh of our dream. A country in turmoil and its people disempowered cannot be the country organised for development.
The vacuum in political leadership is so total that and grips of bureaucracy on the government is so complete that we need to start the political process a new for political leadership to emerge through the system. The country has to be run politically through peaceful change of leaders and strong democratic institutions.
