Editorial
Six months of Grand Alliance government
Time to take stock, adjust course for improvement
IT is now six months since the current government took office, and we would like to take this opportunity to both commend it on reaching this milestone as well as to assess its performance during this time period.
To start with its successes: the pre-eminent achievement of this government has been its initial handling of prices of essentials. It has thus far shielded the economy from the ill-effects of the global down-turn, and managed to arrest the rise in price. The boro harvest was handled with aplomb, and the support the farmers were given is translating into concrete benefits for us all. The recently-passed budget was a tough-minded and praise-worthy one, for the most part, and we are confident that the economy will show positive trends in the near future.
Not only that, but we reiterate our praise for the government's, and specifically the prime minister's, handling of the siege at Pilkhana, which, though it led to appalling carnage, could have been far worse had the government not acted with prudence and sagacity.
In addition, we see positive steps being taken in terms of improving, however marginally, the power supply, combating environmental problems, and building major infrastructure. This paper is particularly impressed by the PM's commitment to clean up the rivers. Similarly, while the promise of digital Bangladesh remains unfulfilled, we also see positive steps in this direction.
Of course, that is not the whole picture. One signal failure of this government so far has been the law and order situation. Petty crimes, extortion, and tender-related violence are on the rise, and the AL still has not succeeded in reining in its own hoodlum elements, keeping the government on the back-foot.
The performance of the cabinet has also been uneven, with very little co-ordination apparent, and ministers even often seeming to be at odds with one another. This unruly disorganisation must be put right or the government will continue to lose credibility. Here, we would like to point out that, in our opinion, the Home Ministry has performed particularly poorly.
Finally, we do not see much in the way of reform of our political culture or of the ruling party's internal organisation, that was expected, and, indeed, pledged in the run-up to the election. The image of the ruling party thus leaves much to be desired, and this is good neither for the government nor the country
The time has long passed for taking stock, assessing the government's performance, and taking whatever corrective measures are necessary. No longer is the plea that the government is still finding its feet acceptable. What is important is that the government now takes decisive action to pull up its performance in areas that it is under-performing.
The prime minister has talked of a reshuffle, but this is not sufficient. We feel that the time has come for under-performing ministers to be relieved of their portfolios and ushered out of the cabinet.
Such severe action has been promised by the prime minister and is in both her government's and the public's interest. The people's mandate obliges the PM to ensure that her government performs at the highest possible level. We hope that she will continue to build on the government's successes and not hesitate to adjust course where necessary, and not shy away from decisive, and even harsh actions.
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