PM vs. TIB
MY close friend and a neighbour (medical doctor and stem cell research scientist) asked me if I would write an article in which to quote his remittances of nearly $20,000 to Bangladesh last year and current thinking to send remittances by-passing official channels. On my part, I remitted nearly half of that amount over the same period. We aren't alone: others are also thinking along the same lines. The threshold question: what are we so annoyed about?
In most social gatherings, the politically conscious among us often sit around the same dinner table and indulge in often contentious yet friendly political discourses. At a graduation party last week, other friends wanted to know what led to our inclination for sending remittances through private channels. Our frustrations were built for many reasons over time and the four recent ones include:
PM's recent outburst on Transparency international Bangladesh (TIB); political decision for withdrawing alleged corruption charges against AL politicians and activists as politically motivated cases; degrading local elected politicians and making local government subservient to the MPs;
The fourth issue that received disparagement around the dinner table was the allocation of two houses to Bangabandhu's daughters along with other perks. The question is: do they really need tax payer charity? No one, however, opposes providing 24-hour security for Bangabandhu's daughters.
Many of us commented that the dropping of corruption charges against AL politicians may be politically expedient pro tempore but has troubling ramifications for the long haul. In fact, allegedly corrupt BNP leaders are already clamouring for being left out dry. Tax evasion and failing to justify the sources of unaccounted for income and property are no mere peccadilloes. No one forgot that the country was ranked number one in corruption during AL's last year in power.
Empowering the MPs to be the de facto boss of local government not only makes the elected local officials subservient to the MPs -- it's a denigration of the basic precept of democracy. By doing so, AL government may have appeased the MPs, but has reneged on its pre-election pledge of strengthening local government.
Now let's focus on what piqued the PM against TIB. It all began with TIB, publishing its Parliament Watch-2009 report, which claimed that the delay in starting the Jatiya Sangsad sittings on 39 working days of the first session of the ninth parliament had incurred a wasteful expense of nearly Tk 5.41 to the parliament.
The report, however, acknowledged many positive initiatives of the parliament including the question-answer session with the PM and formation of parliamentary standing committees. Overall performance of this parliament vis-à-vis the preceding one was also recognised by TIB. But these meant nothing to the ruling party.
Lawmakers swiftly came down with a blistering attack on the TIB report. Amid cheers and applauses of the lawmakers, Speaker Abdul Hamid and Chief Whip Abdus Shahid lambasted the report. But the PM's reaction was acrimonious and an outright attempt to denigrate the messenger, instead of checking and challenging the message with evidence.
She dismissed the report as being ill motivated and a machination to undermine the parliament: "Conspiracy is going on against the parliament. TIB's report is very much biased and ill-motivated."
Many of us wondered if she was reacting as the PM, or leader of the House or as president of AL. How could a PM of a country be so vituperative to a former TIB chief Prof. Mozaffer Ahmed, a much-admired citizen of the country? In her personal diatribes, the PM said:
-He enjoyed minister status during the military rule of Ziaur Rahman.
-He leans towards unconstitutional government.
-Many of those who are with him have whitened black money.
-He should talk against corruption only after taking their (TIB officials) corruption into account.
-"They wanted to undermine political leaderships and failed to rally people's support behind them but hanker after for the power."
-"They still cherish that desire for the power through unconstitutional means."
-"The way they are trying to devalue the House, it is clear that they want to undermine the democratic government and they have nexus with the unconstitutional government."
One naturally wonders what relevance any of these personal invectives have with the TIB report concerning parliament being dilatory in maintaining its starting time.
Finally, the PM said what she should have articulated in the first place: the House is running effectively and her government wants to make parliament and its standing committees stronger. That TIB may oversee the activities of parliament, but shouldn't mislead people with misinformation.
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