On the law and order problem

The first, and so far only, opinion poll on the performance of Bangladesh’s current government’s performance found law and order to be the area of its greatest weakness.  That was in April.  Casual observation of the media — newspapers as well as TV news and talk shows — suggest the law and order has slided a lot further in the months since.  Anecdotal evidence from friends and family support the view.  Syeed Ahamed puts it this way:

Such social disorder contradicts the whole purpose of having a national government. Citizens elect a group of persons among themselves as the government of the country so that law and order is maintained. It is perceived as a “social contract” between the people and the government, implying that the people give up some rights to the government in order to receive social order. Most historical accounts suggest this as the reason of establishing states and affirm that the principal task of the government is to maintain law and order. Issues such as taxation, budget, development works, and poverty reduction came much later as other government duties.

And the government’s reaction — return of the ‘crossfire’ under a new name — suggests that it is taking the problem seriously. 

When one starts thinking about the issue, the following points/questions stand out:

1. Crossfires aka encounters aka gunfights aka extrajudicial killings are clear violation of Awami League’s election pledge.

2. It’s not even clear that we have a violent crimes problem that require such drastic measures.

3. The real law and order problem has no quick fix. 

Indo-Bangla relations

The Bangladeshi Foreign Minister recently visited India, and the Prime Minster is supposed to visit New Delhi shortly.  This follows a highly publicised visit by the Indian Foreign Minister in February, after the new government took office in Dhaka, but before the Indian election.  There are media speculations about a ‘package deal’ being negotiated resolve various outstanding issues. 

There is no foreign relationship more important for Bangladesh than that with India.  Therefore, whatever is in this deal (if a deal is indeed being negotiated), it is imperative that it is scrutinised carefully.  And every conscious citizen — regardless of technical expertise, political affiliation, or access to the media — has a responsibility to participate in the discussion.  Indeed, a discussion needs to happen in India too, because if Bangladesh develops a permanent antipathy towards India, the consequences will be bad for everyone.

Any discussion on this topic should begin with two points.  

First, this need not be a zero sum game.  Bangladesh’s gains do not have to come at India’s expense, or vice versa.  India and Bangladesh are not locked in some Manichean, existential conflict.  Win-win solutions are possible on all the issues.

Second, it is easy, and pointless, to spend endless amount of time in a dialogue of the deaf discussing how one country has never done the right thing by the other. 

This post is an attempt to summarise the issues, with some tentative views.  They are by no means exhaustive.  Nor are they beyond debate.  In fact, I am actively soliciting debate.

With the long introduction out of the way, over the fold are what I think the issues that need to be resolved.

Eid Mubarak

It was amazing at the local mall last night.  I had no idea my little town was home to so many Muslim families.  My wife quipped, they should give Ramadan sale.  I’m sure in a few years, they will. 

I have just come back from the chand raat at the local Islamic Centre.  I’ve never felt the spirit of the Eid — ঈদ ঈদ লাগা — this much outside Dhaka. 

It’s not quite watching BTV, but close enough.

Eid Mubarak.

On the IMF’s generosity to BB

The IMF has recently offered Bangladesh a $700m soft facility to assist with the  impact of the global economic downturn.  According to media reports, Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman said: ”We received an e-mail from the IMF … saying it had decided to give the loan assistance to help Bangladesh face the adverse affects of the global economic downturn, and boost the economy.”  The central bank is reported to have received the money earlier this month. 

This post summarises some thoughts on the issue. 

Once upon a time in Dacca

Watching Inglourious Basterds — Quentin Tarantino’s Spaghetti Western set in the Nazi-occupied Europe — reignited one of my longstanding daydreams: a big screen epic on Bangladesh’s Liberation War.  I wrote last year about various logistical difficulties of making an epic movie on the Liberation War.  Keeping those issues in mind, I think it is still possible to write a reasonable script.  This post outlines some ideas. 

BNP at 31

My family never particularly supported his politics, and yet I vividly remember when the news of the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman reached our house, it seemed as if a close family member had been killed.  I was still a few years away from voting age in Feb 1991, but had cousins and neighbourhood cricket buddies who voted for the first time in that election.  They mostly voted for dhaner sheesh.  For those of us born in the 1970s middle class Bangladesh, Zia’s BNP was the natural party.  Was.  Perhaps not any more.  Most of those cousins and friends had switched to nouka by Dec 2008. 

BNP lost that election badly.  Only the Muslim League’s defeats in 1954 or 1970 were worse than the drubbing it took.  The party marked its 31st birthday earlier this week.  Many once mighty parties — Krishak Sramik Party, National Awami Party or Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal — lasted much less than BNP has.  And yet, one could be forgiven for thinking BNP is also going the way of ML/KSP/NAP/JSD. 

However, I argue that things are not that bad for BNP.  It has been showing enough signs for one to be hopeful about its future.  However, a revival won’t be easy.  And even if one opposes BNP’s politics, anyone who wants to see a democratic Bangladesh has a stake in BNP’s revival, because without constructive opposition committed to democracy, we risk repeating January 1975.