Natwar's removal

There are two important aspects of the issue. First, the act of removal of the Foreign Minister has amply demonstrated that no one is above the law, however close to the seat of power one may be.

Secondly, this is an example of how a creditable investigation should be conducted. Obviously, his staying on as the Foreign Minister would have hampered the process of inquiry.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

This is a classic example of popular opinion dictating a democratic government's action, as it should be. And this is what begs the question. When in Bangladesh can we expect our democratically elected government to show respect for the opinion of the people?

There have been many allegations against our ministers that have been exposed not only in the media but, more importantly, were also raised in the parliamentary standing committees. It must be said though, to the credit of the ruling party members of the standing committees, that it was they who brought the allegations to the fore. It only shows the gravity of the matter that compelled the ruling party members to raise the issue. The government has not taken cognisance of these allegations, let alone ordering any investigation into them.

Regrettably, democracy in Bangladesh has been severely flawed due to lack of accountability of the people's representatives and public servants. And the Prime Minister as the chief executive, the parliament and the judiciary are the only national institutions that can remedy the situation.

We therefore urge upon the Prime Minister to initiate actions in the remaining one year of her current tenure, and demonstrate her commitment to ridding the country of the bane of corruption, which has been the major factor in stunting the country's progress.

We can assure her that one single investigation, creditably undertaken, will prevent many more cases of corruption in future.