It is known and clear to the observers and eminent persons of the country that the present government is not inclined to tolerate different views of others though the country belongs to everybody.
But that should not mean that even though who are not fugitive from law they must be made to suffer inconvenience at the immigration seeking to leave or enter the country. For them passport is irrelevant.
Quite unnecessarily they are often required to secure an order from the Supreme Court for allowing them to go abroad and come back. There leaves an additional hurdle. Special clearance from special authority has to be obtained by the immigration officials.
The Supreme Court cannot issue such direction without asking the authorities to show cause why the writ petitioner was barred from leaving the country. Several such rules of the Supreme Court have remained unanswered.
We have to admit that there is no effective opposition for the government to feel disturbed for continuing in power other than its own faults and failures for incompetence.
Lies of great success are unravelling themselves in a dangerously chaotic lawless ways. The banks are empty and the corrupt ones still had no difficulty in plundering 27 thousand crores of taka by manipulating the crippling share market recently. Street violence is an everyday affair resulting in heinous crimes of killing, raping and mass beating. The people are taking law into their own hands. The enormous police power has only deteriorated the lawlessness all over the country.
We are not sure how effectively the government hopes to improve the situation.
But it is not understandable how causing unnecessary harassment to some people at the immigration can make the government strong to deal with the crisis. It should also be embarrassing for the responsible immigration officials at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka and elsewhere for treating them as incompetent and untrustworthy.
Because the delay is caused not for lack of their satisfaction about the papers, but clearance of a special authority for his satisfaction is necessary. They have no answer to the traveller why he must wait like a law-breaker caught.
We have to accept that the people in the government are very important persons for holding high offices but it should not mean that there are no respectable people outside the government deserving due considerations.
To be waiting publicly at the immigration for clearance is certainly degrading. One feels like a criminal. The immigration officials cannot be blamed. They try to be as courteous as possible. But they must have the clearance as their hands are tied.
The law is no protection. In the end clearance comes. Perhaps there is a pleasure in humiliating others. This should not be the way of thinking among educated public servants of a free country.
The Supreme Court’s order notwithstanding, the immigration officials must ask the person or persons politely to wait for the clearance to come. Nothing could be more degrading for a citizen needing clearance to come home. Even if one is a criminal and wanted by the police he cannot be stopped from coming to his country.
Such a cavalier treatment towards its own citizens also does not make the practice honourable for a free country where degrading behaviour to its citizens is prohibited by the Constitution.
In our country power is abused habitually at different levels of the government. This is the need of the Constitution that an accused should get legal assistance so that he or she is not forced to give evidence against himself or herself. One must not be tortured in police custody.
The Supreme Court cautioned against interrogation in police custody. Still the practice of interrogation for obtaining confession without the presence of lawyer goes on.
The present rage among the lawyers concerning the confession of Aysha Siddika Minni in the brutal gang murder of her husband should be taken seriously.
As woman she is entitled to bail in law, her bail prayer has been refused twice. New date has been fixed for consideration of her bail prayer. We hope the honourable court will be sympathetic to her.
The lawless conduct among government officials is no help to earn the people’s respect for law. Hardly any government appreciates this historical lesson before it is too late. It is the government’s anarchy that creates public anarchy. We went through such instances in the past. We are already in the midst of one. So let us pause and think what is best for the country.
We all have also a life outside politics. It is not necessary that the filthy dirt of present day politics has to pollute all of us in all aspects of our life.
