It is very ordinary and lame to think that in our situation our economic experts are concerned about the bad influence of black money. We would like to know where corruption is endemic from top to bottom and thousands of crore of takas have been earned so easily what is to be done with the amounts thus accumulated? They are not saying this money should be realised forcibly. Those who have looted public money from banks and mega projects are known to our economists. The stolen money has not been kept in the country. They are not asking for the government to punish them or force them to return the money.
Criticising the government for allowing black money to be invested in the country sounds like telling everybody that the government is against black money. They are turning a blind eye to or knowingly ignoring the fact that outside investment is not easy to expect. Our black money owners have bought properties for living richly and safely. The government knows who have the biggest amounts of black money and who are worried about the unstable situation which is bound to emerge. They are worried about their lives due to the broken healthcare system and most keen to leave the country. But the outside situation does not permit this.
The government is surviving by encouraging corruption as the power base. Blaming the government is not the answer. The system of unaccountable government has to depend on a system of corrupt establishment.
It is sad and disappointing that many of our educated people are so unaware of the gravity of the crisis. The government which denies accountability and which denies people their vote cannot be efficient in protecting the public interest.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) due to their bookish knowledge has condemned the investment of black money as an anti-ethical move in a statement and has called for its immediate scrapping. What they are saying in effect is let the black money remain safe in foreign countries.
We are sure TIB and others are fully informed of the situation in the country and its healthcare system. Most of the black money owners would have left the country and invested their safe money in unsafe conditions. The country’s economy is in a state of collapse. The government is surviving on borrowed money by cutting expenses on public services.
The government easily declares areas as locked down meaning people are to be locked up. Lockdown policy must include assurance of food supply. The government does not care to do that. The jobless people must be given life-saving wages-it is a basic responsibility of the government. It is a big disappointment that our experts do not pay any attention to the competence crisis of the government to overcome the crisis engulfing the country. The government officials are not thinking of austerity in their rich lifestyles. Many of them are enjoying leave or just absenting themselves but remain fully paid.
The government officials have to change their orientation of living well and remaining unmindful about how to protect public interests.
