‘Whoever goes to Lanka becomes a Rabon’. This is a popular saying in our country and in spite of being old it is still popular because people find it so true. We condemned the previous governments for engaging the police force against peaceful demonstrators. Yet it has happened again.
   Democratic governments have to prove that it is better than autocratic governments. However, it is somewhat optimistic that the home minister has said sorry. It is time that a serious attempt is made to stop this kind of atrocities by the police force.
   The nation is aware that police are failing to do anything against the real criminals.
   Waheed Nabi
   UK

The PM herself has expressed her displeasure at known bigwigs who, according to her, had amassed crores illegally, and she is convinced that the allegation of corruption against them are substantial and have merit, are being able to slip through the net because of technicalities. As of today, reportedly, more than 200 high profile accused have obtained stay order on the cases against them filed by the ACC. And most of the stay orders have been on technical grounds and not the merit of the case. The cycle of corruption in Bangladesh is unique. Past governments used to bring charges of corruption against opposition political party leaders, who were the predecessors on the ruling chairs, instead of any person in power. Bringing corruption charges against the predecessors by the successors had double significance for both the ruling party politicians and bureaucrats.
   For ruling party politicians, the game of corruption was very important for making money and establishing political power. For instance, the ruling party leaders used to insist that bureaucrats show and explain the corruption of past government leaders. On the one hand, the bureaucrats, who made efforts to ensure corruption of past regimes, become truly loyal to the new masters by drawing the picture of corruption of their previous masters. While on the other, they informed their previous masters about the attempts of the new government to unearth their (previous government) corruption profiles and actions that would lead to disclosure and prosecution.
   Politicians, who perceive themselves as icons of power and enjoy tremendous honour in the society spend sleepless nights to save their ‘image’ irrespective of whether people hate or respect them. Hence, they try to find ways to stop any legal proceedings regarding corruption charges against them. However, the bureaucrats turn out to be saviours for both parties and acting as arbitrators settle issues for both groups. While the opposition leaders are saved from corruption charges, the ruling party leaders earn money in the process. This process ensures that files related to corruption are shelved unless a further outcry is raised against the government. Such moneymaking mechanisms have become a tool for the political elite to mow down the voice of counterparts. In addition, the snail-paced approach of Bangladeshi courts dealing with corruption cases has only aided political leaders to stop such proceedings against them by offering bribes — again, money earned through corrupt means. Corrupt bureaucrats have never been charged by any of the governments so far. Instead, they have always remained in safe zones convincing rulers that governmental organs can remain ‘balanced’ by not trying such bureaucrats. While, homicides or robbery case take around five to ten years for a justifiable verdict, such ‘typhoon trials’ cause questions in the minds of the public on the sustainability of fighting corruption, especially in a system and within institutions that are both corrupt.
   Our nation has lost count of the exhortations that the prime minister has made to the wayward students, often accompanied by stern warnings, including even suspension of old student committees and their reorganisation. The outcome of all these however, in public perception, has been a big zero. Beginning with hall capture and asserting tutelage over academic institutions, their activities invariably degenerated into tender business, toll collection and what have you! If anything, these have only increased. The general impression therefore is that without the ruling party leaders’ indulgence such students couldn’t have done these with the impunity they have mastered. With the result that counsel from no less a person than the PM tends to lose authority and credibility. The situation is clearly beyond reforming through words, what is needed is summoning enough political will to distance the ruling party from those in the BCL that are playing havoc with not only the image of the student party but also that of the government. The wrong doers should not get refuge in any quarters; instead be weeded out and punished. People in power tend to be insulated from the darker side of ground realities and how a deteriorating scenario may translate into a steady lack of popularity.
   No nation ancient or modern ever lost the liberty of freely speaking, writing, or publishing their sentiments, but forthwith lost their liberty in general and became slaves. Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts. Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
   Gopal Sengupta
   Canada