Instituting good governance

The society in which we live in a democracy or in a dictatorship is a political society in which a person legally recognised as a criminal is also a political person unless otherwise declared by law. Yet, we identify some people to have had the least possible political identity and partisanship. When such persons well versed in knowledge and experience have capability to mobilise communities and come up with suggestions and opinions in various matters related to social, economic and political problems and form themselves voluntarily into a group or a forum in order to concern themselves with problems that face a society and try to find out remedies or solutions, the group or the forum is usually designated as a society of eminent citizens or a civil society, the members of which have populist image and social weightage to count upon. Usually Human Rights groups, welfare oriented women organisations, righteous religious and social groups, academic and research institutes bring new insight and approach to people-oriented and participatory development. They tend to become actors in relation to government, local authorities, employers and systems that have impact on people's life. They fight for various issues and causes that stimulate people to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

Civil society organisations foster transparency, accountability and have, in fact, become essential to the development of coherent programs and projects. A vibrant civil society is a critical pre-condition for a more equitable, democratic, pluralistic and humane society. Along with civil societies, non-government organisations (native and foreign) have been playing increasing role in its multifarious facets. They bring communities together around specific issues and concerns like water-supply, small credit, saving scheme, small-scale infrastructure, education, health etc purported to develop self-reliance, reduce poverty and develop rural Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, there are world famous NGOs like BRAC and Grameen Bank whose contribution to the country's development is pronounced and broad-based. It may be noted that these NGOs along with the famous Community Health-Complex at Dhamrai do not get any resource for their programme from the government. These NGOs along with a few thousand others depend on foreign donations, bank loans and their own meagre resource-oriented programmes purportedly for ultimate reliance on their own resource. It must be recognised that the role of Rotarians, Lions, women organisations, scouts and some philanthropic trusts have been outstanding as civil societies with their respective programmes to improve the well-being of the people and to create a peace-loving tolerant society. In fine, it may be said that if the state fully embraces the concept of good governance and implements the rule of people's welfare-oriented law, and financially and otherwise encourages NGOs in a spirit of mutual co-operation, Bangladesh will certainly make a headway towards socio-economic and politico-cultural development of the people.

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A new pattern of governance is emerging in Bangladesh with the gradual withdrawal of the government from its social and economic performance role. The transition has been accelerated by donor pressure for policy changes and institutional reforms in spite of left political and labour protests. The donors tend to act as catalysts coming with the incentive of resources to implement the structural adjustment package. The doctrine of laissez faire and the demand for local self-governance which are gathering momentum under the aegis of donor countries and donor international bodies on the one hand, and the increasing role of the state under the globalisation ethos in most of the underdeveloped countries needed for planned development, on the other, have perplexed management of economy.

Whatever may be the perplexity in socio-economic policy and in the institutional viewpoint of governance, the most important thing is the quality of governance which expresses itself through a lot of attributes such as accountability, transparency, honesty, rule of law, efficiency, work culture, public welfare, public duty and right, security of life and property, empowerment of women and other deprived segments of the people, sustainability equity, justice etc. And for that, the effective functioning of all organs of the state in appropriate contexts and in their mutual relation as a collective combine has to be ensured.

In Bangladesh, one may come across a galaxy of persons and institutes to constitute civil society, substantially free from political partisanship but basically and primarily motivated with larger interest and welfare of the country. Various issues draw their attention, they hold learned deliberations and make diverse articulations from which emanate solutions for political and bureaucratic authorities to pursue.

At the moment, the following important issues have drawn attention of the civil society:

*The high density of homeless, incomeless poor and floating population in the capital and other metropolitan cities;

*Progressive ruralisation of "Model Towns" and unapproved industrialisation of government controlled residential areas;

*Misuse of Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure;

*Polluted air and garbage accumulation in the metropolitian cities:

*Open latrines used by city and town residents and floating people;

*Footpaths constructed for pedestrians but occupied by shopkeepers, hawkers, construction materials etc;

*Tragic road and river accidents and absence of punitive accountability therefore;

*Illegal occupation of government land and river beds by criminally and politically powerful people with impunity;

*Drug and alcoholic addiction of youths and motor vehicle drivers and fatal accidents on highways;

*Desperate corruption by all segments of the society and the bureaucracy without caring for consequences;

*Bank loan defaulters, gas and electricity thieves;

*Use of child labour in domestic employment and shops;

*Non-application of Labour Laws in garment industries;

*Gruesome murders, gang rape, political skirmish, persecution of women, trafficking in women and children;

*Insecurity of female labour, and school, college and university going girl students.

Besides, the following issues related to governance have emerged to the jeopardy of public interest:

*Metropolitan laws are not enforced effectively;

*Schools and colleges are not regularly inspected;

*Nil success in SSC and HSC in some schools and colleges;

*School and college governing bodies do not work;

*Classes are not held for shortage of teachers in government sanctioned posts;

*Formation of independent Anti-Corruption Commission;

*Separation and independence of Judiciary;

*Appointment of Human Rights Commission.

It was appear from the above that for good governance in Bangladesh, a lot of issues need urgent solution for which the government and other related social forces and organisations are required to take appropriate and well-coordinated steps in the interest of public welfare and socio-economic and political development in the fast-changing world order and in accordance with the inescapable globalisation ethos in the age of science and technology. We believe that no government deliberately follows a policy of bad governance at its own peril.

Abdul Khaleque is a former IG of police.