Cold hearts and coronets

By Habibul Islam

 

It is of much significance that the British evaluation report relating to the international airport in Dhaka can completely easily be applied---and in fact is applicable---to any sector of operation in Bangladesh. There are more chances that it won’t be irrelevant to declare that the report can, amazingly, be about the entire system of governance in this country.

In the evaluation, done by the UK Department for Transport, it has been reported, among other points, that there are “problems of mindset” (an interesting turn of phrase) of the people working there, that supervisors are not skilled while in some cases they don’t perform their mandated duties attentively, that there’s lack of coordination, that units of the state keep pointing fingers at each other---and so on and so forth.

But doesn’t all that sound like pretty much like what the people of Bangladesh know, and that too from first-hand knowledge, about the functioning of all and every other entity that are supposed to be working under the aegis of the state/government? While they all have acquired enormous authority over the years---essentially in the name of making their units more effective---but in reality the quality of efficacy has depreciated depressingly.

The stark truth is, unless the various entities of the state are made to work in the appropriately disciplined manner, within their assigned areas of operations, with the objective of attaining their mandated goals, at an acceptable level of efficiency, with at least a modicum of sincerity, following necessary and essential training, it’s somewhat of a no-brainer that no amount of kudos or coronets can ever replace transparency, accountability and the common good for the largest number of people.

The unfortunate consequence of an absence of effectiveness and genuineness for the nation---any nation for that matter---is random mayhem with numerous tragic incidents remaining unsolved while crimes will persist and criminals will continue to be incrementally emboldened and, worst of all, the innocent will keep on suffering without any hope of experiencing the result of justice, integrity and honesty.

In such circumstances it’s not surprising to see sordid episodes ranging from mishandled events at important national institutions like the central bank to mystifying deaths that persist to be mysterious (some even after the lapse of years and in spite of countless assurances) to unbridled avarice rampaging across the land to achieve its objectives at any cost to---to the great misfortune of the people---administration officialdom blabbering inanities ad nauseam.

And so it goes, and so it will.