It takes two
A parliamentary sub-committee is probing corruption charges against M.A. Matin, who was shipping adviser of the caretaker government of Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed. One allegation against Mr. Matin, so far disclosed by the sub-committee, is that he awarded the contract for container handling of Chittagong Port without going through the proper tender procedures.
Mr. Matin reportedly signed the work order for Ishak Brothers just an hour before the oath-taking of the incumbent government. The entire process, from initiating proposal to issuing work order, took hardly four days.
The other allegation is that he enhanced the retirement age of the pilots of Chittgong Port from 57 to 60 almost unilaterally and without any legal authority.
Interestingly, Mr. Matin was also the chief architect behind the so-called crusade against corruption launched by the caretaker government during its tenure. His boastful announcement not to let off anybody, big or small, had been the talk of the town for quite some time.
According to the officials of the Shipping Ministry and Chittagong Port Authority who were involved in the deal, including the then shipping secretary, Mr. Matin forced them to commit many irregularities, including the container handling deal.
True, government officers are often required to work under pressure from powerful quarters, but could we accept a similar explanation in this case, especially if we consider the time when the deal was accomplished?
The election was over. The joint forces had already wound up their business. An elected political government was about take oath. Why on earth would there be any fear or compulsion for these officers at that very moment to carry out an illegal order so promptly and efficiently?
We all know it well that if there is any job permanent in the country it is that of a government servant. It is easy to remove a minister, even a president, in this country, bur not a government servant. It is hard to believe that these officers did not know it.
One reason could have been that Mr. Matin or somebody on his behalf coerced them, but we haven't heard them say so. Another explanation could be that they also received their share of the cake, and now they are trying to pass the buck to the boss. It is now up to the sub-committee to take stock of the whole situation and do the needful.
For corruption to take place, you need at least two hands. One is the giver and the other is the receiver. One hand has to be invariably that of a government servant or bureaucrat. The other is that of the public. He may be anybody, a businessman, a professional, or an ordinary citizen. If any wrong-doing in government deals has to be properly and justifiably dealt with, the nexus as a whole has to be looked into.
The political parties, having failed to trust each other in conducting national elections in a free and fair manner, opted for a caretaker government with people of high esteem, clean image, and neutral position in the society The two interim/caretaker governments, one under Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed in 1991 and the other under Justice Habibur Rahman in 1996, served the purpose well.
The system began to erode from the day Justice Latifur Rahman took over office as the chief adviser and started taking controversial decisions one after another. The system has now come under serious scrutiny because of most disgraceful and controversial role played by Professor Iajuddin Ahmed in conducting the affairs as the chief of the caretaker government as well as president of the country.
It is unfortunate that the role of some of the advisers of the last two caretaker governments of Professor Iajuddin Ahmed and Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed in exercising official authority had to be called into question. Mr. Matin is not the only person who is facing allegation for corruption or abuse of power.
The story of the last caretaker government headed by Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, that, in the name of cleansing, wrecked havoc all around, especially in the political and business circle, and Mr. Matin played a key role in the episode, is all fresh in the minds of the people.
It is an irony of fate that the dust Mr. Matin wanted to brush off from others' coats quietly found its place for shelter in the well-trimmed suit of Mr. Matin himself. It is now up to him to come out clean. If he can, we shall be happy.
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