Straight Talk
The little things
2007 continues to be the year of sweeping changes and thorough-going reform. Institutions are being shaken up and reimagined and reformulated as the current dispensation attempts to put in place the framework for the brave new democracy they hope to usher in. The latest big idea to be floated is a truth commission.
I personally think that a truth commission is not a bad idea and perhaps next week I shall return to the subject of why I think it might be a practical solution to many of the problems that are ham-stringing the anti-corruption drive.
But today I want to write not about massive tectonic changes, not about new institutions, not about ambitious plans and schemes, but in praise of the micro, about small, simple initiatives that can make people's lives better.
It seems to me that for most people while thorough-going change and reform is all well and good (or not), the average person in the street is more concerned with bread and butter issues rather than the construction of a workable scaffolding on which democracy can be built.
Don't get me wrong. I want a functional democracy as much as the next man. But alongside the big plans, perhaps we also should not lose sight of the little things that can be done. I understand that it has a lot on its plate, but it might not be a bad idea for the interim government to look at small-scale things that it has the authority to do that would improve the average person's quality of life.
The little things are what people care about the most. Prices. Law and order. Housing. Jobs. Simple day-to-day concerns. Separation of the judiciary from the executive, the right to information, civil service reform -- these are all necessary and worthwhile initiatives, but while we are doing that, in the meantime, perhaps we should be looking at smaller scale ideas as well.
In the city of Dhaka one of the biggest issues affecting people's lives is traffic. Today, roughly ten per cent of the country lives or works here and a huge proportion of economic activity either takes place or originates or is in some way connected to the city. Thus, improving the quality of life for its residents would be both popular and smart.
Now, there are a lot of problem in Dhaka from power to water to schools, but anyone you ask will tell you that the biggest problem is traffic. It doesn't matter whether you are a businessman or a day labourer, if your mode of transport is a chauffeur-driven car or a bus, if you live in Gulshan or Jatrabari -- the problem is the same everywhere and for everyone.
The average man and woman has to spend hours a day in traffic, just to get to work, or the market, or even to visit friends and relatives. The traffic is frustrating, dispiriting, soul-crushing.
Traffic has fundamentally altered how residents of Dhaka live their lives. Gone is the casual culture of popping by without a phone call in advance. After all, who would brave an hour-long journey unless they are sure that the other party is home to receive them.
Dhaka today is fragmented, with people loath to set foot outside their own localities. Each locality has become self-contained, and areas such as, say, Baridhara and Mohammadpur might as well be in two entirely different cities for the amount of interaction between the residents of the two localities.
This does not even get into the crippling economic costs that are associated with the horrendous traffic situation in terms of lost productivity, delays, etc.
Now to fix this, of course, requires long-term thinking and bold steps. Simply put, we do not have enough roads. To fix this will require a city-wide master-plan that must be strictly adhered to once adopted. Illegal buildings will need to be demolished. Hundreds of miles of new roads, ring-roads, and over-passes will need to be built. Housing will need to be completely reimagined. Perhaps an underground rail system will need to be put in place. This is obviously a long-term vision.
But in the short-run there is also plenty that can be done to ease the crush.
First (and I know this won't be popular), we can pay market price for octane and petrol. There is no reason why urban car-owners such as you and I should get subsidised fuel. The benefits would be immediate. With fuel more costly, people would be forced to take their cars out less frequently. Traffic would thin, the nation's balance of payments would improve, and the environment would be cleaner.
If we need to continue to subsidise diesel and kerosene for farmers and those in rural areas, that would be fine. But not octane and petrol, and not in urban areas.
The next thing would be to actually enforce traffic laws. Right now there is impunity, more or less. We need more traffic cops, and not just to direct traffic as they are doing today. They need to be empowered to write tickets and impound vehicles. In other words, we need a functional traffic court.
I know it sounds outlandish when the courts are currently over-loaded and there seem to be so any more important issues facing the nation. But, believe me, such an initiative would have a more measurably beneficial impact on Dhaka residents' lives than any other.
Another simple thing to cut down on the number of vehicles plying the streets at any one time is to restrict parking and to crack down on illegal parking. If there is no place to park, then people will take their cars out less.
For those parking on main roads or otherwise obstructing traffic, I personally support capital punishment, but would be willing to settle for impoundment of the vehicle, with a stiff penalty for its release. That ought to do the trick.
Another thing that would help would be if all schools mandated bus service for their students. Other possibilities are congestion fees (like in London) or more one-way roads (as has been started, with some success, in parts of the city).
But for all of these, enforcement is the key. If we do that and can make the roads passable again, then it will do more to improve the lives of Dhaka city residents than just about any other measure. It would be a good thing to do and (here's the kicker) it would be sensationally popular -- and the government could use a crowd-pleaser.
So let's see some more thinking along these lines. The big things are all very well, but it is the little things that will have the most immediate and gratifying impact on people's lives, and it is the little things that they will notice and remember.
Zafar Sobhan is Assistant Editor, The Daily Star.
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