Editorial
PM's warning against graft, abuse of power
Strikes the right chord, but would be as good as implementation
Quite frankly, one may have perhaps lost count of the times Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned her party colleagues against indulging in corruption, abuse of power and impinging on law of the land. There can be two ways of looking at her exhortative flourish. First, she is probably having to repeat her directives simply to hammer home the hard truth that just as a vigilant electorate enthusiastically enthrones a party in power it can with vengeance unseat it if it delivers mis-governance. There is an element of sagacity here. Secondly, her repeated recital of warnings may have been prompted by a self-realisation that her exhortation are yet to have the desired effect. If that is true, it's all the more welcome because of an implied connotation of self-criticism.
It is our fervent belief that the underlying messages of her exhortation should not be lost on her audience, the AL MPs in particular who wear multiple hats to be in a position to use their power and influence for public good or to advance self interest and agenda of their relatives and cronies. Hardly conscious, that in the process, governance becomes the casualty and credibility of the elected government is seriously eroded, beyond repair.
The Prime Minister's observation that after one year of AL rule the government has a cleaner image in terms of corruption may by and large sound justified. But in truth, corruption, arbitrary use of power, pushing favourites for jobs and interfering in tendering process still continue. Bribery is rife both in the lower tiers of the party and the government. And if her government could make example of exposing some of the deviants and punishing them, its credibility would have been preserved as the message of deterrence circulated into the ears of the scheming bunch waiting in the wings.
Actually, words, exhortations and good counsel howsoever well meaning these are, would count for little when these are not followed up with action for implementation on the ground; in fact words not matched by deeds have a way of strengthening impunity culture. Therefore, in the face of directives from the highest executive of the country virtually falling on deaf ears, the overarching imperative for the AL government is this: It has to set up a potent mechanism in each ministry, division, directorate and sector corporation and task it with implementing prime ministerial directives on accountability and transparency.
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