View from abroad
The caretaker government (CTG) of Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed is a blessing for Bangladesh. He and his colleagues are showing real statesmanship in governing the country, something which was unknown to the people of Bangladesh and in Bangladeshi history. The people of one of the poorest countries of the world are now breathing a sigh of relief because of the freedom from anarchy and lawlessness.
We agree with the recent comment made by Mr. Mainul Hosein, law adviser to the CTG, who said that the country would have been in a civil war if the CTG hadn't taken over. The army and the law enforcement departments of Bangladesh should be commended for their untiring, selfless efforts to help the CTG restore law and order, to recover crores of taka looted from the people, and to reclaim government land from the encroachers.
It is true that there is not a single country in the world that is completely free from corruption. But if someone is convicted of corruption on a grand scale in an advanced country, the person often becomes remorseful and asks for forgiveness for his act.
Absence of remorse in Bangladesh felons
Contrary to being remorseful, convicted politicians and businessmen in Bangladesh are becoming hostile and belligerent towards the CTG. The family members and the affiliated party members of convicted persons, in Bangladesh and abroad, shamelessly and openly express their ugly desire to take revenge when their time comes. Under the circumstances, hurrying up the election before completing the cleanup task would not be a wise decision. We are afraid that the country will revert back to the old times. The unprecedented success of the CTG in curbing corruption and misuse of powers will be short lived. The world is waiting to see the outcome
As a matter of fact, the whole world is looking to the CTG of Bangladesh, a tiny third world country, which has taken an unprecedented brave action to curb corruption and the misuse of powers of elected government officials, and is waiting to see the outcome of it. If the caretaker government succeeds in rooting out corruption, an evil of the society, it will be an example for the rest of the world to follow. External pressure on CTG a hoax
We would like to emphasise that there is no external pressure on the CTG to stop what they are doing. The government should ignore the rumours circulated by the so-called expatriate party supporters of Awami League and BNP. As a matter of fact, the US government is very happy to see the action taken by the Bangladesh government to curb religious fanaticism in addition to corruption in Bangladesh. To the US government, fanaticism is tantamount to terrorism. Erosion of goodwill
The initial goodwill of the people generated for the CTG at the beginning has somehow started dissipating. This is analogous to the US invasion of Iraq. When the government of Saddam Hussein fell, the Iraqis were jubilant, even to the extent of hugging and kissing the American soldiers. Soon, the Iraqis turned against the US occupation when they realised that their dream of freedom and prosperity may not materialise. The United States government cannot provide them even the bare necessities of life. They feel that their situation is now much worse than it was under Saddam Hussein's rule. The infrastructure of the country is in shambles, sewers are overflowing, electricity is scarce, jobs are fewer, and hundreds of thousands of people have no income to support their families. Public housing
We would like to suggest that the CTG spend the billions of taka that it has recovered for a public housing project on reclaimed government land, similar to public housing projects in the US, to accommodate the millions of displaced and uprooted poor people, instead of adding the money to the government coffers (general budget). Several hundred thousand 2-3 bedroom flats will be a good start. This noble undertaking will be a permanent solution of a long over-due social problem, and it will also generate jobs for hundreds and thousands of unemployed citizens of Bangladesh. We believe this action will generate goodwill in the general public for the CTG. Upgrading pay scale
We would also like to suggest that the government should upgrade the pay scale of all employees before handing over power to the succeeding government, so that nobody needs to resort to corruption to support his/her family. Root of fanaticism
We all know that destructive ideologists and religious fanatics grow out of desperation in a poor country. Economic disparity in a society creates dissatisfaction in people. Once their needs are met (a decent house to live in, a decent income to afford three meals, the ability to educate their children, and the ability to afford consumer goods), then those ideologists and fanatics evaporate from the society. We believe that the CTG is heading toward establishing a stable, corruption-free, democratic society, with equitable distribution of wealth among its citizens. We fully support the efforts of the CTG, which is determined to root out the evils in the society for good, and we appeal to the Bangladesh people to rally behind this government. Dr. Sher Ali is an expatriate Bangladeshi scientist living in the US.
Contrary to being remorseful, convicted politicians and businessmen in Bangladesh are becoming hostile and belligerent towards the CTG. The family members and the affiliated party members of convicted persons, in Bangladesh and abroad, shamelessly and openly express their ugly desire to take revenge when their time comes. Under the circumstances, hurrying up the election before completing the cleanup task would not be a wise decision. We are afraid that the country will revert back to the old times. The unprecedented success of the CTG in curbing corruption and misuse of powers will be short lived. The world is waiting to see the outcome
As a matter of fact, the whole world is looking to the CTG of Bangladesh, a tiny third world country, which has taken an unprecedented brave action to curb corruption and the misuse of powers of elected government officials, and is waiting to see the outcome of it. If the caretaker government succeeds in rooting out corruption, an evil of the society, it will be an example for the rest of the world to follow. External pressure on CTG a hoax
We would like to emphasise that there is no external pressure on the CTG to stop what they are doing. The government should ignore the rumours circulated by the so-called expatriate party supporters of Awami League and BNP. As a matter of fact, the US government is very happy to see the action taken by the Bangladesh government to curb religious fanaticism in addition to corruption in Bangladesh. To the US government, fanaticism is tantamount to terrorism. Erosion of goodwill
The initial goodwill of the people generated for the CTG at the beginning has somehow started dissipating. This is analogous to the US invasion of Iraq. When the government of Saddam Hussein fell, the Iraqis were jubilant, even to the extent of hugging and kissing the American soldiers. Soon, the Iraqis turned against the US occupation when they realised that their dream of freedom and prosperity may not materialise. The United States government cannot provide them even the bare necessities of life. They feel that their situation is now much worse than it was under Saddam Hussein's rule. The infrastructure of the country is in shambles, sewers are overflowing, electricity is scarce, jobs are fewer, and hundreds of thousands of people have no income to support their families. Public housing
We would like to suggest that the CTG spend the billions of taka that it has recovered for a public housing project on reclaimed government land, similar to public housing projects in the US, to accommodate the millions of displaced and uprooted poor people, instead of adding the money to the government coffers (general budget). Several hundred thousand 2-3 bedroom flats will be a good start. This noble undertaking will be a permanent solution of a long over-due social problem, and it will also generate jobs for hundreds and thousands of unemployed citizens of Bangladesh. We believe this action will generate goodwill in the general public for the CTG. Upgrading pay scale
We would also like to suggest that the government should upgrade the pay scale of all employees before handing over power to the succeeding government, so that nobody needs to resort to corruption to support his/her family. Root of fanaticism
We all know that destructive ideologists and religious fanatics grow out of desperation in a poor country. Economic disparity in a society creates dissatisfaction in people. Once their needs are met (a decent house to live in, a decent income to afford three meals, the ability to educate their children, and the ability to afford consumer goods), then those ideologists and fanatics evaporate from the society. We believe that the CTG is heading toward establishing a stable, corruption-free, democratic society, with equitable distribution of wealth among its citizens. We fully support the efforts of the CTG, which is determined to root out the evils in the society for good, and we appeal to the Bangladesh people to rally behind this government. Dr. Sher Ali is an expatriate Bangladeshi scientist living in the US.
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