Introspection and expectations
HOW fast time flies! We are now entering another year. We have memories of the past year and our aspirations for the next. The beginning of 2010 also marks the passage of an eventful decade and the completion of the first anniversary of our current government.
Last year scientists discovered water on the moon. This pleasant surprise was however more than offset by the continued war in Iraq and Afghanistan and violence and terrorism in Pakistan. We also felt the depressing fingers of recession and its long shadow world-wide.
In Bangladesh, a new democratically elected government has had to face up to the horror of a rebellion from men in uniform and also meet the challenges associated with the restoration of rule of law and the principles of accountability. It has been both a positive as well as a difficult experience.
The past year, the developed and the developing world, watched the gradual emergence of the G-20 as an important political platform associated with global economic governance. This shift away from G-8 was largely due to the direction of leadership given by newly elected US President Obama. This was a departure from the unilateral hegemonies of the US that had characterised the past Bush administration. This was recognition of a changing world and the alignment of institutions with reality -- so necessary to fight the impact of recession and turmoil unleashed by terrorists.
The second was the materialisation of inclusivity through mobile telephony and global connectivity. It is in fact absolutely staggering how deeply and extensively the mobile phone has spread and generated an inter-connectivity that impacts on every aspect of daily life and livelihoods of billions of people. Mobile telephony has also of course contributed to enhanced opportunities for increasing productivity and generating higher incomes. It may be noted here that by the end of 2009 the number of mobile phones in use in Bangladesh had crossed 50 million -- a figure higher than most countries in Europe.
Other developments in the international field will have to include not only the efforts undertaken but also the consensus not achieved with regard to global trade and climate negotiations. One needs to view the failure of these processes with anxiety and concern because it is already impacting severely on a meaningful engagement in poverty reduction, on the fight against malnutrition and in the provision and access to clean water and proper sanitation.
As a consequence, along with poverty, inequality has risen dramatically and dangerously. The Gini coefficient (which measures income inequality) has quite significantly increased in all countries, both developed and developing. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in 2000, were meant to solve these issues by 2015. On the basis of current developments, there is little hope that they will be reached.
Last year saw the Doha Round "celebrate" its tenth anniversary without any conclusion. This has affected the global market playing field and reduced the opportunities of developing countries to generate growth, inclusion and employment through trade. Instead, risks have risen of protectionism. One can only hope that there will be major focus on resolving outstanding issues in 2010 and that the group of Least Developed Countries will not have to suffer due to the lack of understanding among the developed countries.
I now turn to Bangladesh.
It has been a difficult journey since the parliamentary elections held at the end of 2008. Those who were routed in the polls have not been able to accept the reality of the situation. This has affected their willingness to meaningfully participate in the process of governance. Silly excuses have been proffered for their non-presence within the Jatiya Sangsad. This has included the number of available seats for them in the front row. They have probably overlooked the most important axiom. A member of parliament represents his constituency and his actions are denying the constituents the right of being heard.
The Speaker of our parliament has made several efforts to resolve the crisis. However, till now, that has been unsuccessful. One hopes that the new year will see a change. If necessary, the government might like to consider taking the following steps -- making arrangement for appointment of a Deputy Speaker from the Opposition and assuring them through the Speaker that their motions and questions will receive greater attention and be deemed suitable for hearing. Some of the Opposition MPs are taking part in the activities of the Parliamentary Committees. This might encourage them to give up their disruptive approach and come into the House for a more constructive engagement.
The past year has seen absence of bi-partisanship within the Parliament on major issues pertaining to foreign policy but it has witnessed the first steps in the restoration of the rule of law.
Accountability has been ensured through the re-affirmation of the principles of justice in the judgment of the Bangabandhu murder case. We have also watched how the government has been careful and mature in its dealings pertaining to the convening of the trial procedure of those charged with criminal activities in the BDR rebellion. There has been some debate with regard to the deaths of some of the accused in custody. One hopes that the coming year will see the judicial process completed without the rights of the accused being compromised in any manner. This is important because the world is carefully monitoring our actions and that will determine their future reaction pertaining to our sensitive 1971 war crimes trial.
We must be above reproach. It is also this concern that has persuaded me to draw the attention of our authorities several times in my column on the need to carefully avoid inflicting any form of torture on anyone incarcerated for any reason and strictly ensure that there are no examples of extra-judicial killing.
There are some other important issues which, I am sure, will receive urgent necessary attention from the relevant authorities.
We are aware that the government is trying its best to resolve the drastic situation that has emerged due to our power crisis. New power generation initiatives are being undertaken. However, efforts are being held back due to interference from different quarters and indecision of the implementation agencies. Transparent time-frames might be the answer. We have to remember that our economic development as well as future direct foreign investment hinges greatly on success in this sector.
The same is true with regard to the initiating of certain projects related to the solution of the terrible traffic problem in Dhaka and in the providing of better and safer transport communication networking within the country. The preliminary steps need to be completed and the related projects underway before the end of 2010. We also need to get our act together with regard to the introduction of machine readable passports consistent with the deadline set by UN International Civil Aviation Organization.
Failure in these critical areas might mean sharp loss of credibility for the government.
My readers are probably already amused with my wish list. Nevertheless, I am an optimist and believe that the glass is always half-full. It is also this that encourages me to believe that with some commitment, our agencies can introduce better governance through transparency and accountability, reduce corruption and provide better services in the utility sectors. We have a whole year to measure up to expectations.
The first step for achieving change for the better is mental, and everything follows from that.
Muhammad Zamir is a former Secretary and Ambassador and can be reached at mzamir@dhaka.net.
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