GETTING assurance from government that the demands regarding the Road Transport Act would be looked into, the transport leaders and workers have called off their nationwide strike that began on Wednesday. Earlier, they went on a strike demanding 9-points including amendment to the newly introduced law. The Home Minister himself made the announcement around 1am on Thursday, while briefing reporters after a four-hour-long meeting with representatives of Bangladesh Truck-Covered-van Goods Transport Owner-Worker Unity Council, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association and Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association. They will get six months to up-to-date their papers and other relating materials. Kamal also said that there would also be no more bus strike, which had crippled the country’s southern districts over the past three days.
The bus-truck and covered van transport owners and workers worked like a mafia organization who knew all too well the immense disruption which would occur in the nation due to their strikes. The pain and suffering of everyday commuters knew no bounds as they found it impossible to travel to work, visit their loved ones, or even go to hospital. Similarly the prices of perishable edibles increased in the city markets as the strike jacked up the prices and created artificial shortages — further compounding the problems of the city goers and eating into their already reduced disposable incomes.
The government has an easy belief that harsh law itself can be good for solving a problem. No competence or understanding is necessary. The bus and truck drivers know how they are harassed by collecting bribe and extortion money at different stages on different routes. The drivers know the harsher law means more opportunity for corruption. Besides, the government itself has no face to ask others to respect law when abusing law is the way of the government. The government expects that by empowering the police the problem will be best solved. Generally speaking, the government is no respecter of law and the victims of abuse of law know well that corruption is the effective law.
The truth is the government through arbitrary power and corruption has created mismanagement everywhere over the years. Now the government is helpless to deal with chaos created in every sector of public life including the transport sector. The government should be knowing the people are in a desperate situation for suffering abuses too long.
The government knows how efficient they are in abusing law for remaining in power. We do not have faith that the government can acquire the human factor of competence and understanding for solving the mismanagement in transport sector.
The government is not trusted, so assurance from the government is not believed easily. The strikes of the truck and bus owners have not been completely withdrawn. The people’s suffering has not been ended yet. It is no use to blame the transport owners and drivers that they are being unconcerned about public inconvenience. The question is who does not?
The bus-truck and covered van transport owners and workers worked like a mafia organization who knew all too well the immense disruption which would occur in the nation due to their strikes. The pain and suffering of everyday commuters knew no bounds as they found it impossible to travel to work, visit their loved ones, or even go to hospital. Similarly the prices of perishable edibles increased in the city markets as the strike jacked up the prices and created artificial shortages — further compounding the problems of the city goers and eating into their already reduced disposable incomes.
The government has an easy belief that harsh law itself can be good for solving a problem. No competence or understanding is necessary. The bus and truck drivers know how they are harassed by collecting bribe and extortion money at different stages on different routes. The drivers know the harsher law means more opportunity for corruption. Besides, the government itself has no face to ask others to respect law when abusing law is the way of the government. The government expects that by empowering the police the problem will be best solved. Generally speaking, the government is no respecter of law and the victims of abuse of law know well that corruption is the effective law.
The truth is the government through arbitrary power and corruption has created mismanagement everywhere over the years. Now the government is helpless to deal with chaos created in every sector of public life including the transport sector. The government should be knowing the people are in a desperate situation for suffering abuses too long.
The government knows how efficient they are in abusing law for remaining in power. We do not have faith that the government can acquire the human factor of competence and understanding for solving the mismanagement in transport sector.
The government is not trusted, so assurance from the government is not believed easily. The strikes of the truck and bus owners have not been completely withdrawn. The people’s suffering has not been ended yet. It is no use to blame the transport owners and drivers that they are being unconcerned about public inconvenience. The question is who does not?
