Anu Muhammad :
During the last four decades since independence, we have experienced different forms of governments: civil and military, parliamentary and presidential, elected and selected. Emergency was declared thrice (1974, 1987, and 2007), Martial Law was promulgated twice (1975 and 1982). During this period two Presidents were killed (1975, 1981). We got governments three times (1988, 1996, 2015) through voter less national elections. A form of non-party caretaker government was introduced in 1991 to run elections; it was made constitutional compulsion through an amendment in 1996, and later abandoned following 15th amendment of the constitution. Now we do not have any declared emergency rule, but it is not far from that.
After the downfall of military-autocratic regime in 1990, ‘elected’ governments have been ruling the country since 1991. Nevertheless, election could never be free from muscle and money power, the parliament was never allowed to function as a body of peoples representatives, the ‘elected’ body was never allowed to formulate, not even discuss on crucial policies those determine fate of the country. Constitution has been shaped in a way that power concentrated in one hand or an oligarchy.
Commitments of the constitution, in the process, were being systematically turned into mere rhetoric. For example, while constitutional commitment states that “The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth”, discriminating laws remain in place and more added in convenience of the ruling classes. The country has gone far from constitution’s commitment that could ensure all citizens’ basic human rights. The real policies, economic-legal-political, contradict, defeat and put those commitments in cold-storage.
During the same period, both the size and proportion of illegal, underground, unreported and criminal economic activities have been increased on an unprecedented scale. This particular ‘black’ economy, as it is called, encompasses bribery, crime, arms trade, corruption, grabbing, women and child trafficking, illegal commissions to approve projects harmful for the country, and leakages from different government’s projects.
The quickly-formed super-rich class of the country, mostly a product of this economy, also happen to dominate the political arena. The rise of the quick rich and Mafia lords and their domination over policy makers cripple institutions, make the Jamindari style rule obvious. Electoral process becomes farce; elected bodies (if any) become ineffective.
Recent political violence and stalemate is an outcome of this matrix of mafia power and lack of institutions. Despite turbulence and insecurity or because of it, land and river grabbing is continuing. Corruption and repression in the name of surveillance, anti-terrorist actions are rising. Moreover there are more cases of concern in this troubled time. Those include: (1) with ‘write off’ instrument government made Tk 20 billion disappeared in hallmark fraud case of TK40 billion (2) with ‘reschedule’ instrument government has allowed big loan defaulter to continue taking big loans without repayment in due date. This decision was taken by Bangladesh Bank after considering application to do so submitted by Beximco with Tk 50 billion defaults. (3) The government is going to import around 13 lakh tonnes of crude petroleum oil between January and June at $104-$114 a barrel when global prices are around $ 60. The price for six lakh tonnes of fuel has been estimated at $117.88 a barrel and the rest at $127.88 a barrel, including carrying charges, service charges, lighterage costs, duties and value added taxes, the total cost will be around $1.19 billion or Tk 93 billion. (Daily Star, 12 February, 2015) (4) The government is awarding US Company Conoco Phillips and associates three offshore blocks at one contract with terms and condition going against national interest
The present government, in its second tenure since January 5, has been showing its muscle and determination to carry the big projects and stick to the decisions that were criticised, opposed by the significant number of people from different sections of the society including independent experts. These included (1) the government is not only ignoring experts opinion and popular protest against NTPC- India sponsored disastrous project of Rampal coal based power plant, but also adding another power plant proposed by Bangladesh business group Orion closer to Sundarban, the world heritage site. (2) Showing complete indifference to the issues of safety, security and environment the government is going ahead with Ruppur nuclear power plant by Russian company, their experts and loans. (3) by promoting oil based rental and quick rental power plants the government in its earlier tenure created huge fiscal burden, public debts and caused increased cost of power generation that resulted in power tariff hike for 6 times. Instead of making end of this resource drainage, government extended time limit of these plants in favour certain groups. Moreover decision to allow private companies to import oil is taken, that will certainty give more profit to these groups but the public revenue earning will face huge loss. (4) Instead of fixing irregularities and corruption, the government is expanding the authority of local and foreign companies to control energy and power sector causing more drainage of public money and vulnerability of the country.
How could these things happen for decades? There must be many stories in embassies, cocktail parties, 5 star hotels, lucrative foreign trips, fatty accounts in offshore banking, and secret arrangements for killing some necessary projects to give space to ‘desired’ ones. Studies on different countries clearly show that, corrupt and wrong policies may turn resources into a curse for the people. It is evident that violence, political instability and lack of accountability have been closely linked with the accumulation in primitive mode. In this scenario, corruption, poverty, inequality, and repression go hand in hand with so-called ‘development’ projects.
Therefore, the mafia power matrix along with absence of institutions proper, oligarchic rule and lack of democratic practices by big parties make political violence and intolerance as (dis)order of the country. All these, despite impressive numbers of GDP growth, remittance and export earning, are pushing Bangladesh into the risk of long term vulnerability.
(Professor of Economics,
Jahangirnagar University
Email: [email protected])
