HC directive welcome

We welcome the HC directive which basically upholds the supremacy of law in public interest, and appreciate BLAST for bringing up the issue before the court.

Despite having no prerogative as such, the MPs continued to use the facility provided by the state and remained nonchalant about payment of the arrears. The only amusing side of the story is that the MPs of both sides of the aisle apparently committed the same default. Even if the amount may not seem horrendously large, we are appalled by the sheer number of defaulting MPs.

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The observations of the High Court are noteworthy. The salient features are, Bangladesh is a sovereign country that is governed by a government and not by individuals however powerful they may be and that the people of Bangladesh are the owners of the state. And all functionaries and members of all services must serve their cause and only in their interest.

The bottom line is, the people feel to have been let down by their own representatives. The MPs currently receive a ceiling of Tk 6000 per month for payment of telephone bills and the amount seems reasonable. And like every other citizen of the country they should pay the bills in time to avoid any unpleasantness. To our mind, as lawmakers the MPs must not only be seen as models in terms of exemplifying respect for the law but act as such in their individual capacity. Besides, as elected representatives they are obliged to live up to the public trust reposed in them.