Appraising CTG performance
The present caretaker government (CTG) is unique in the sense that it was established after proclamation of emergency to save the country from total collapse because of the short-sightedness, arrogance, and greed for power and wealth of some top leaders of some major political parties. In the name of democracy, anarchy was established. Muscle and money ruled the society.
The immediate task before the government was to bring normalcy in state affairs so that the state machinery could run properly. Needless to say, no weak civilian government could have handled the crisis created by our so-called democratic leaders who claimed to have love and respect for their country. With a deep sense of patriotism, our army came forward to support the civilian government to enable it to face the crisis.
With an allegedly corrupt, politicised and not so competent bureaucracy it was almost a day-dream for any government to perform even at reasonable level of efficiency, not to speak of good governance. One of the greatest challenges it has successfully faced is separation of the judiciary from (the clutches of) the executive. It is extremely doubtful whether independence of the judiciary could ever have been possible in a country where the main opposition party liked to show its love for the people by damaging public and private property and disrupting the daily lives of the people.
No anti-corruption drive can be fully successful in making a country free of corruption. It would, therefore, not be realistic to think that Bangladesh will be completely free from corruption. However, we must admit that the ACC has made a pretty good and forceful start; a good beginning is a job half done. Enough signs are visible that the ACC will gain further momentum soon. The chairman has been able to show that the law can reach even the politically, socially and financially powerful people. The people have started to believe that corrupt officials or politicians or businessmen can no longer get away.
To transform a politicised and inefficient police force into an efficient and effective law enforcing body is no mean task. Despite initial difficulties, considerable progress has been made through taking strong disciplinary measures against a large number of politicised and corrupt police personnel. We hope that the performance of the police force will improve in future.
In the communication sector, the progress made by the port authorities deserves credit. The handling of goods, particularly at Chittagong port, has improved tremendously, which is appreciated by shippers, importers/ exporters, and other traders associated with import and export trade.
In the field of export of manpower, Bangladesh is now receiving demands from new countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appears to be more sincere about solving various problems of the expatriates and migrant Bangladesh workers. Workers' remittance has reached an all time high, resulting in the highest foreign exchange reserve (around $ 5.5billion).
In the financial field, hassles in the customs and income tax departments appear to have decreased due to adoption of simpler procedures. Revenue collection has also improved appreciably.
In the power sector, there is some visible improvement. However, much more has to be done to attain a satisfactory level. The government has assured us of a better future. Let us wait and see.
The efficient handling of the crises due to repeated floods needs mentioning. The tireless effort of the army in the operation, however, deserves special mention.
In the case of other ministries or areas, the performance may not be considered satisfactory. Foreign direct investment and export earning have fallen. Peasants are suffering because of improper distribution of fertiliser. Neither inflation nor price hike of essentials could be checked. Food production will also fall.
This caretaker government was to bring the country on track for a free, fair and credible election, in which only the honest, committed and capable can compete. To attain this, what was actually needed was bringing an improvement in only those areas which were directly related to election, such as strengthening of the EC, and reduction of the influence of the politicised bureaucracy and corruption. Instead, the CTG acted more like an interim government with only 11 advisors. In fact, public perception is that it has attempted to cover more areas without adequate capability.
Initially, people welcomed the CTG with great enthusiasm, but abnormal price hike of essentials and some impractical measures taken by it have resulted in the loss of some of its popularity. But we think that the CTG can regain popularity if it can bring down the prices of essentials and restore the businessmen's confidence in its actions.
A.B.M.S. Zahur is a former joint secretary.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments