Five years of BNP rule

What is the 'quality' of governance that the country was presented with? Three things have militated against good governance - a politicised bureaucracy, an oversized cabinet and pervasive corruption. There would be little to contradict the fact that the country endured a government that was beset with incompetence, if not verging on failure, as a consequence of having a highly politicised civil service and police. Under such conditions these could hardly be expected to perform at the highest level of competence. The swiftness with which some ex-bureaucrats joined the ruling party after retirement and the savagery that the police perpetrated on the opposition activists, provide testimony to the bane of politicisation. The burden of an oversized cabinet and the record of dismal performance of certain ministries have ratcheted up the failure index of the government. And the less one speaks of corruption the less will we embarrass ourselves. We have witnessed it being almost institutionalised, with centers of corruption dictating policies of the government. The way the ACC has been treated since the very first day raises a question mark on the government's intention to root out corruption.

There has been an exponential deterioration of quality of our politics and the opposition stands guilty of contributing to it. However, the majoritarian arrogance of the ruling coalition, because of its two-thirds majority, had divested the opposition of adequate political space. Discussion on significant issues like the attempt on the life of the leader of the opposition on 21 Aug 2004 and the killing of SAMS Kibria were mindlessly disallowed in the parliament. The attitude of the government has fuelled the confrontational politics, the consequence of which we see in the current political impasse

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The short answer to the question whether the quality of life of a Bangladeshi has improved in the last five years will have to be an emphatic no. Unchecked rise of prices, and the unbearable shortage of electricity and water have caused the common man to writhe in agony. While the policy on polythene and two-stroke engine was noteworthy for its impact on the environment, its benefits have been diluted because of unplanned urbanisation and severe traffic congestion.

Thus, to an objective observer, there is little to write home about the last five years.