Corruption and poverty forever
In his sad, sad letter, K Gazi (somewhere in the USA), illustrates the plight of his homeland, Bangladesh, in the thrall of massive and endemic corruption.
He apparently asked several of his fellow Bangladeshi expatriates, who failed to see the problem. I’m not surprised, in general, they are the problem.
Ask any of us European expatriates, Gazi. We see it all, and because we usually travel to other foreign countries, we have valid comparisons to make. It always comes down to the same conclusion.
Bangladesh is a beautiful country, defiled, despoiled and raped by countless officials, major and minor, eager to get their greedy noses in the trough of public funds. Everyone is at it, it’s a way of life. It’s a rotten system, turning Bangladesh into a rotten little country.
From the moment an expat enters Dhaka airport, and gets his visa fast track by virtue of a “commission”, to the moment he leaves after refusing to pay excessive taxi fare to the airport, a foreigner trying to do business is filled with the nauseating stench of corruption.
I have dealt with local World Bank officials who disburse incentives to companies wishing to implement good management systems. Consultants and registrars could get a list of such companies by paying a “commission”. That was just the start. The grant was for 50% of the company’s expenses for consultancy and registration audit, so hey, why not get the consultant and the registrar to double invoice? Then he gets his ISO 9000 for free, at western taxpayer expense (and who cares about them).
The consultants and registrars who play this game also cheat in that they practice both consultancy and registration at the same time. This is a practice forbidden by international regulations, but hey, this is Bangladesh, so who cares?
The honest businessman doesn’t stand a chance. Bangladesh suffers because the rest of the world knows what is going on. An ISO certificate issued in Bangladesh is valueless.
That’s just a very small example of what is happening every day in the field of management in Bangladesh.
So, Gazi, what’s the remedy? I’ve got bad news, there isn’t one. You are led by two incompetent old ladies, neither having a policy or the foggiest idea of how to run a country. There are no policies, no directions, no targets, only plotting against the other side. Law enforcement is left to a bunch of thugs who would be better employed as would-be gunmen in a “B” grade Hollywood movie.
As is common in the subcontinent, dynasties rule, or misrule. The really bad news is that sons of old ladies are being paraded as the next step in the country’s government. In other words, the dynasties are being preserved.
Coruption is not new to Bangladesh. It didn’t just happen in the last few years, it’s been assiduously developed over the decades by all concerned. Your government and its opposition has no care to stop corruption. Don’t ask me why. There is one blindingly obvious answer, but it’s not for me to state it.
Sorry, Gazi. Bangladesh and corruption are as one. They are married, and there’s no easy way out.
Richard J Murphy
Baridhara, Dhaka
To arrest Bangla Bhai
There is no sense in trying to make an imaginary enemy when the culprit is in you. It is quite clear now that if the BNP-led government had taken proper steps much earlier to arrest and prosecute Bangla Bhai and similar other militants, the escalation of violence wouldn't have happened. It is a pity that the BNP leaders are acting childishly in the midst of this severe insecurity in the country by comparing the situation with that in the Awami League era. As a matter of fact, in this respect, the Awami League should get the credit since it didn't have the crack RAB to help it out in curbing terrorist activities. In contrast, the ineptitude of the BNP-led coalition government becomes more evident when we can still read news about criminals getting killed by RAB crossfire, but at the same time the perpetrators and the warlords behind the bombing (they are even prominent figures) are still living. Not only that, these so called militants still continue to throw grenades and train misdirected religious zealots (under the eyes of RAB) to blow themselves up and take the life of innocent people. Maybe it would be the right decision for the BNP government to resign now as it has slowly and deliberately taken the country to a complete state of chaos and corruption where the enemies of the people of Bangladesh are thriving. Or we should accept the demands of the militants and get rid of all courts and judicial system just as we accepted RAB, which operates on the basic similar principle of no modern judicial rule.
Imran Khan
San Diego, CA, USA
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