Whistleblowing, Blow the Whistle

থাক! বল্লামনা।

আমি কিছু বলতে চাইনা।

রুচিতে বাধে।

We've been through a lot, a nation who stood its ground in '71 to gain independence. However, since inception we've failed to really create any single period of time or a continuous number of years when we've been able to put down an even rule of law. Laws are made, but a lot are visible running away having broken it. Presidential pardons or partial treatments are also not unknown to us. Through all this, I fear one thing when you don't see people quitting the parties that propagate such sickness with a bold statement that puts the blame in its rightful place. We lack whistle-blowers or have successfully swept them under lavish carpets pretty quickly. I welcome other good explanations.

I watched a movie named "The Whistleblower" which was based on true events, about a Kathy Bolkovac, a policewoman who while serving on a UN mission uncovers some really sickening and illegal operations. However, as the movie ends with some notes about what happened to Kathy in later life, it was mentioned that she couldn't get a job in the security industry, the industry for which she possessed the right skills and experience!

I feel we've always been a careful nation, where most would deny to get into a 'situation' by starting a confrontation. This probably is truer for those with a lot to lose, things like reputation or social standing, or their livelihood. The conscience doesn't haunt at the level that one would be overpowered to not care for those aspects of the self. And then there are those who took brave strides and faced discouraging outcomes like Kathy, and even faster (driver of the bus who revealed Suranjit Sengupta's black cat?). Edward Snowden, and Julian 'WikiLeaks' Assange?

However, I feel that our lack of whistleblowers or whistleblowing has helped lead us the wrong way. I wish more people would blow the covers off matters causing a serious rot.

Related:
Whistleblower Forms Party
List of Whistleblowers in History

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Bribespot.com - Identifying Bribe Hotspots

I can see how people are going out of their minds wondering if they're ever getting out of this gutter of a system where things move slow unless you pay an illegal extorted 'fee' aka bribe. Sometimes its a matter of getting your rightful papers back from an officer you just handed them to. I blogged about a website that is used in India to track the occurrences and also to share ideas about how to fight bribes and corrupt officials - www.ipaidabribe.com. I once also saw a pin on Google Maps on our Dhaka BRTA (Ikuria) which was labelled "The most corrupt place in the world" or something along that lines. I imagine it served well to make the victim feel like he got a semblance of a payback.

Recently I found another such site from a post from Thailand, and it seems to have a more global coverage - Bribespot.com. On a world map you can see pins of where bribes were paid. Right now certain countries have localized iPhone and Android apps too that serve to create the pins. It can help identify the bribe 'hotspots' according to its statement under the website's 'How it Works > Does it Matter' section.

People are trying hard to overcome this plague that seems to be ailing societies. However its a greater challenge I feel for us where people can actually empathize with the bribe demanding officers and institutes, and the government can ignore media and whatever public sentiments exist and issue statements of denial.

Related:
The 'Corruption' Tag

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Interesting Times at Bangladesh - Crimes, and War Crimes

A roommate once cooked something, or recommended a movie, I forget, to which I replied:
"Interesting!"

She just gave me a smile that let me know that she knows I am being nice to avoid saying I didn't think it was good! When, I title this post as "Interesting Times" - it is totally in that context.

I was just reading an article titled Sweatshop Garments Drag All of Us Down, which starts off with a little story from 102 years ago in New York, USA:

The turning point in the United States was the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, when 146 garment workers — mostly women seamstresses — were burned to death when an exit gate was purposely locked.

The article describes the reaction that incident caused from a huge number of people that ultimately led to reforms in laws and ensuring better protection for workers. That is an important result that we should be learning from considering the fires that are continually claiming lives of workers here. The thing to realize, is that businesses will be businesses, with their eye on profits, and it falls on a government to make sure the rights of the general people which includes workers, are set and protected.

Issues like this are all around us now in Bangladesh, but its amazing that most of us are not aware of our rights and what we can expect from the government. Two highly revered economists a few weeks ago tried to tell us on a TV show that the 'growth' stats that the government throws in the face of its critics can take place very much in spite of them. My own feeling is that the government hasn't taken very many steps to ensure growth of new entrepreneurs and in fact, that they step in the way only to move aside for a price. In USA today, big businesses are very influential, but they also have a culture of startups and small businesses. Big businesses are after all, now taking their production off USA to countries where their cost of production will come down. Again, on this end, we are relying on a pressure created from abroad, rather than local, to ensure our workers have a safe and just workplace.

I am now writing this from home while a hartal is underway. Called by the Jamaat-e-Islami party, whose many "top" members are on trial for war crimes of 1971. But they have on their side a factor that helped ease them into mainstream Bangladesh, despite their past - religion. Religion, namely Islam, is the religion of the masses here and that remains the one thing that can create a visible reaction - unlike workers dying in factory fires, unlike students being tortured by police, unlike any other issue that should create a massive uproar. The YouTube ban is an example. Jamaat's religious base helped them get a big following across the country who upholds their religious identity more than their national or any other. That resulted in them being invited into alliances time and again when the elections came and numbers mattered. They are also known to command a good financial hold.

Just like religion trumps most social issues we should've cared about, the war crimes trial is in a similar way clouding our already clouded consciences from other things happening around us. War crimes included murder, rape, and destruction. Each of those are still carrying on in this independent country of ours. Whereas to me it seems like the last ticket the ruling government holds over this country's people for a second term in office is this war crimes trial, its also a maneuver in the overall game to foil the chances for their arch nemesis, BNP. Meanwhile, the ruling party cadres are instructed openly to take to the streets on hartal days to protect the 'people', whereas just weeks ago a young boy named Biswajit was brutally stabbed to death by these people-protectors on suspicion of being a Jamaat-e-Islami! There were heart wrenching photos of that in the papers, and accounts of how he begged for his life, and tried to make them aware that he was hindu. The irony is almost forgotten. Even the police stand by while these party people go on showing their weapons - batons, guns or swords. Either the people don't know how to speak up against these things, or these events don't register in the heads of people as being serious enough for any thought for a significant amount of time. Right now, we just naively sit home and hope for justice from the war crimes.

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Beware the Wide-Eyed Optimist

As a loon, I am quite suspicious of the sane population, especially those wide-eyed optimists who insist the country is a beautiful place and that we're superior to so many countries around us.

Age is one factor that prevents these people from joining the legions of us loons. In fact, I can testify to the fact that I am much more the lunatic now than I was a few notches back. And I see a lot of the shades of positivity and compliance in a lot of the younger folks that I used to possess. Now and then I also meet the fascinating characters who have stayed those shades even at an age in proximity to my own! Well, Hallelujah!

I also, have lots of opinions about that, loony as they may be, that the wide-eyed optimism is harming us, - not doing us any good. As with the wide-eyed of any age, there seems to be a tendency to forget or forgive the authorities from any duty or accountability. If only having an increased number of cell phones on our hands, less child mortality and and sustained level of growth were enough to make our lives better, I imagine I would feel it. Maybe the wide eyed ones feel it, and I would only extend to them, my jealousy and admiration, but I don't perceive we're getting any better. I only see, in contrast to their views, a drop in every humane indicator (compassion, respect, courtesy, honesty and the like), and a drop in my sense of security* (yes even with all of our fine top-gun sunglassed policemen, RAB and armed police and their exposed weapons big and small, and their check posts**).

I would even go as far as saying that these wide-eyed-ness is a threat to our road to developing out of this mire of corruption and bureaucratic vertigo.


* Actual security and the sense of security, I think are different. I haven't died yet from a stabbing or got robbed of my car or belongings, which might mean I am secure, but I don't feel its very hard to die from a stabbing or get robbed, and I don't feel I can get justice if it should come to that - that's the 'sense of security'.

** Sometimes giving me the impression of this being Palestine or Iraq!

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Politicians by Humayun Azad

Cover by Somor Mojumdar

1998 was 15 years ago. 1998 was the year I started university. Before that, I remember long bouts of load-shedding during important exams, or short 3-4 hours of having electricity, and walking around the dark neighborhood at night when studying by the emergency lamps became a headache. Before that I remember walking about 30 minutes to a friend's house to play cricket in the afternoons, whereas I wouldn't walk that same distance to school since school was closed for security reasons. It was the time of the BAL's non-cooperation movement to get 'caretaker government' system in place (which they announced unconstitutional this year). Before that I remember a movement to oust Ershad from his presidency and enjoyed the satiric cartoons that were in Unmad and Cartoon.

As a teen in 1998, I was lightly aware of politics as it existed and it didn't really affect me. I wasn't a taxpayer or a voter. Now, is a different story.

In 1998, Humayun Azad (হুমায়ুন আজাদ) wrote a book titled Politicians (রাজনীতিবিদগণ), which as I read, I see that the bitterness I feel towards the idiosyncrasies I see in politics today, are nothing compared to what he penned down there. The book is satiric too, with fictitious names used to draw real characters and a landscape that reflects the continuing reality of politics in Bangladesh.

Here's what it reads like (going over a to-do list for politicians before an election):

নিম্নলিখিত জিনিসগুলি তাগো দ্যাখতে হইবো, নাইলে চলবো না:

(১) ক্যাডারভাইরা ঠিক আছে কি না, তাগো যন্ত্রপাতি ঠিক আছে কি না, তাগো আরো যন্ত্রপাতি লাগবো কি না, আরো নতুন ক্যাডারভাই লাগবো কি না; ক্যাডারভাইরা অন্য রাজবংশে চইল্যা যাইতে চাইছে কি না- এইটা খারাপ লক্ষণ, এমুন হইলে বোঝতে হইবো ওই রাজবংশই ক্ষেমতায় আসবো; খালি ঢাকা শহরের ক্যাডারভাইদের ঠিক রাখলে চলবোনা, দ্যাশ-এর প্রত্যেইক গ্রাম, প্রত্যেইক ইউনিয়ন, প্রত্যেইক থানার ক্যাডারভাইদের ঠিক রাকতে হইবো; ক্যাডারভাইরা দ্যাশের মূলশক্তি;
(২) ইনভার্সিটির হলগুলি দখলে আছে কি না; ইনভারসিটি দখলে থাকলে আল্লাহর রহমতে দ্যাশ দখল করনে অসুবিধা হইবো না; ইনভারসিটিই বাংলাদেশ, এইটা দখল রাখতে হইবো; এইজইন্যে দুই চাইরটা লাশ পরলেও ক্ষতি নাই;
(৩) নিজেগো রাজবংশ হইতে সুবিধাবাদী রাজপুরুষরা অন্য রাজবংশে চ'লে যাইতেছে কি না, চ'লে যাওনের পথ খোজ্তেছে কি না এইটা দ্যাকতে হইবো;
(৪) অন্য রাজবংশ হইতে ভালো ক্যান্ডিডেট ভাগাইয়া আনন যায় কি না, কারে কারে ভাগাইয়া  আনলে লাব হইবো; কয়টা জেনারেল ব্রিগেডিয়ার মেজর কর্নেল দলে যোগ দিতে চাইছে, কয়টা সেক্রেটারি দলে আসতে চাইছে, কয়টা ব্যাংক ডিফল্টার যোগ দিতে চাইছে, অন্য দলের কয়টা প্রাক্তন মন্ত্রী এমপি মেয়র দলে যোগ দিতে চাইছে, কয়টা নামকরা রাজাকার দলে যোগ দিতে চাইছে, কয়টা রজাকার ভাগাইয়া আনন যাইবো, রাজাকারগো অবস্থা আইজকাইল ভালো;
(৫) কন্ত্রিবিউটাররা ঠিক মতো চান্দা দিতেছে কি না; কে কে চান্দা দেওন বন্ধ করছে, আর কে কে নতুন চান্দা দিতেছে; নতুন কন্ত্রিবিউটার আসলে বোঝতে হইবো দল এইবার জিতবো; চান্দা বেশি কইরা তোলতে হইবো, বেশি চান্দা পাইলে বোঝতে হইবো দল জিতবো;
(৬) দ্যাকতে হইবো ব্যাংক ডিফল্টারগুলি ঠিক আছে কি না; তারা মোটা ট্যাকা দিতেছে কি না, আর কয় কোটি কইরা তাগো থিকা তোলন যাইব; তারা কোন বংশের দিক ঝোকতেছে সেইটা দ্যাকতে হইবো, তারা যেই দিকে ঝোকবো সেই দিকই ক্ষেমতায় আসবো; দ্যাকতে হইবো তাগো কারখানায় ক্যাডারভাই পাঠাইতে হইব কি না;
(৭) ক্যান্ডিডেটরা কে কয় কোটি ট্যাকা দিতে পারবো সেইটা দ্যাকতে হইবো, স্মাগলার পাইলে বোঝতে হইব ভাল মালপানি হাতে আছে, পাচদশ কোটি খসায়তে কস্ট হইব না, তাগো ক্যান্ডিডেট করনই ভালো হইব; আর দ্যাকতে হইব তারা নির্বাচনরে অবাধ নিরপেক্ষ রাইখা ভোটার ভাগাইতে পারবো কি না;
(৮) ডিছি, ওছি, এছ্পি, টএনওগুলিরে ঠিক রাকতে হইবো; অরা ঠিক থাকলে অবাধে ভোটের বাক্স বোঝাই হইবো, নিরপেক্ষতা রক্ষা পাইবো;
(৯) আরও বিবিধ রকম জিনিশ দ্যাকতে হইবো, সময় বুইঝ্যা কাম করতে হইবো|

There are more passages that I feel strongly to share or put out there, and maybe I will. Through his satire he just paints a picture that makes much more sense than what these 'leaders' would like us to believe.

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Queen Mother on HardTalk (BBC World)

Many people call her many names, but me, I don't go for the 'PM', to me she's QM... she is my, our - Queen Mother. Lately, she had visited our other Queen Mother - The Queen of England, and BBC was blessed with a chance to be graced by her pointing finger and excellent democratic constitutional vocabulary ~

মহাজননেত্রী জাগ্নাখোয়াবে দেখেছেন কোটি কোটি মানুষ মুকুট আর সিংহাসন মাথায় করে আসছে তাঁর বাড়ির দিকে, তারা খুঁজছে তাদের প্রাণপ্রিয় রাজকন্যাকে, এবং তাঁর মাথায় পরিয়ে দিচ্ছে মুকুট, নাচতে নাচতে তাঁকে বসাচ্ছে সিংহাসনে. আমরা বুঝতে পারি আগামী বছরগুলোতে বারবার বিদেশভ্রমণে তিনি ও তাঁরাই যাবেন.

রাজনীতিবিদগন (১৯৯৮)
হুমায়ুন আজাদ

  Full Transcript of the Interview
(The beginning of the transcript says its missing some parts. Those parts contained questions from Stephen Sackur about human rights violations, the murder of a labor activist and the disappearance of a political activitst. The reply from QM on the disappearance issue was in the form of another question - let me as you, how many people disappeared from the UK last year? Stephen, quite shocked or bemused, replied you mean political disappearances? I would have to say none! - of course, these are not exact words, but really close. God Save the Queen)

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Did I wake up in the right country?

The government did a good job! Ask anyone in the government, they'll always claim they always do! Yes, they kept our (or my) heads (head) spinning like a top. I woke up every two days asking myself the question I placed as the title of this post.

When one day its 'Get lost World Bank! We don't need you!', the next would be 'We're still thinking about it, we'd like some dialog', and then followed up by 'We can do this, we don't need the world bank's money! Even little kids want to give up their lunch money... they called the Prime Minister and said so themselves!'. They had even set up policies for a special bank account where citizens can contribute for the bridge over river Padma (M is silent for all you non-bengali folks).

The citizens of course filled up with patriotic fervor, even after the rising oil prices, rising prices of goods and necessities, rising taxes and VATs. Though, some channels showed some people on the streets who were not filled up with fervor (almost the opposite).

The WB, to recap, had laid down a few conditions to releasing the money for building bridges approved. We fulfilled many of these, and were staunchly opposing a few others. The sensational of these was the point of removing Mr. Abul Hossain from the ministry while investigators made sure there were no premise for corruption in the execution of this very large project. The government really stood proud behind him and said 'No!'. At one time, they moved him from the Communications ministry to Information ministry to calm WB down, but refused to take him away completely. They loved him too much, even though as a Communications minister he made serious oversight.

There are a few parody newspapers out right now. I know of two - Dainik Motikontho, and Dainik Maghbazar. They had started putting absurd news titles and events surrounding actual events, which really reflected the lunacy of the overall situation. But in recent times, even when I read the real news, from the serious newspapers, I can't tell apart the real and the parodied.

But after months of news and parodies, reality checks and escapes, yesterday it was announced that he might be resigning. This, at the peak of our defiance of World Bank (and ADB).

MP Abul said yesterday:  "আমার শুভাকাঙ্ক্ষী এবং আমি যাঁদের শ্রদ্ধা করি তাঁরা বিভিন্ন সময় আমাকে বলেছেন, তদন্ত চলাকালে আমার মন্ত্রী পদে থাকা উচিত না। আমি সিদ্ধান্তটা নিয়েছি। কার্যকর ব্যবস্থাও নিয়ে ফেলেছি। আমি দায়িত্বে থাকব না।"
He also added: "আমি মন্ত্রী থাকব কি না, সবকিছুই আল্লাহর ইচ্ছে। আর দপ্তরবিহীন মন্ত্রী হওয়ার বিষয়ে আল্লাহ প্রধানমন্ত্রীকে ক্ষমতা দিয়েছেন। তিনিই এ বিষয়ে সিদ্ধান্ত নেবেন।"

These are from Prothom Alo.

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Conflict of Interest

So the fiasco goes on. Apparently today none from World Bank showed up at a Local Consultative Group meeting that takes place between the partners of the Padma Bridge project. Right about now, things are getting confusing. The high and highest government mouths have already spoken that the World Bank is out of the equation, unless they say 'Sorry', and so, why were we expecting them at the meeting? Oh well.

Well, now, the government's stance is that we'll pay for the bridge ourselves. One member has said if needed, we'll shop for groceries less, meaning we'll forfeit lunch maybe. Others are also coming up with ideas on how to get the chips out of the unsuspecting citizens. Some gov. office declared they will provide their day's salary for the bridge (you bribe taking fox, now licking the bottoms again!). On this note, I've found someone said something on Facebook that makes sense, he or she said, he or she doesn't want to pay a dime.

Heres why -

আমি পদ্মা সেতুতে টাকা দিবনা।

সুরঞ্জিত সেনগুপ্ত বললেন "মোবাইল ব্যাবহারকারিদের কাছ থেকে প্রতিদিন ২ টাকা তোলা হোক ", আজ মাননিয় স্পিকার বললেন ২৫ পয়সার কথা। নাসিম সাহেব বলেছিলেন "সরকারি সেবার উপর চার্জ বসানো হোক", সংসদ উপনেতা একবেলা বাজার করবেন না (তিনি কয় বেলা বাজার করেন?), গোলাম মাওলা রনি একধাপ এগিয়ে "প্রয়োজনে কিডনি বিক্...রি করবেন"। কেউ শেয়ার বাজার, কারো চোখ রেমিটেন্স এর দিকে - ইত্যাদি, ইত্যাদি, ইত্যাদি।

অথচ সরকার বা বিরোধী দলের কেউ বলেনা "শুল্কমুক্ত যে গাড়ি আমদানি তারা এতদিন করেছে তার শুল্ক এখন আদায় করা হোক, কিংবা এখন থেকে এই সুবিধা বাতিল করা হোক, এমপি-মন্ত্রীদের যে হাজার হাজার টাকা ফোনের বিল এখনও বকেয়া সেটা আদায় হোক", একজনও বলেনা শেয়ারবাজার থেকে যে বিশ হাজার কোটি টাকা লুট হল সেটা উদ্ধার করে পদ্মা সেতু হোক, বর্তমান-সাবেক মন্ত্রী আর তাদের এপিএসদের যে হাজার কোটি টাকার অবৈধ সম্পদ সেগুলো বাজেয়াপ্ত করে সেতু হোক, তাদের বেতন ভাতা, গাড়ি, বাড়ির সুবিধা কমিয়ে পদ্মা সেতু করা হোক, প্রতি অধিবেশনে প্রতি কার্জ দিবসে কোন রকম মুখ দেখানোর বিনিময়ে তারা যে ৫০০ টাকা পায় সেটা পদ্মা সেতুর ফান্ডে রাখা হোক, কেউ বলেনা যে সব সরকারেরই আমলে দুর্নীতির মাধ্যমে যে টাকা লুট হয়েছে সেটা উদ্ধার করা হোক, ঋণ খেলাপিদের ঋণ আদায় করে পদ্মা সেতু করা হোক।

শুধু জনগন দিবে? তারা সবাই মিলে মিশে খাবে আর আমরা খালি দিয়ে যাবো?

আমার যদি ১ টাকা দেয়ারও সামর্থ্য থাকে, আমি তাও দিবনা। (সংগ্রহীত)

I feel sad amidst all this, that my fellow citizens seem to be blind about the concept of 'conflict of interest'. Our PM and other Ms have mentioned that since the money wasn't transferred yet, how can there be corruption? However, a businessman like Abull Hossain in a position like Communications Ministry, gives rise to conflict of interest. A person like Shahajahan who has retained his supremacy in the bus owners' asssociation is a conflict of interest. Even if there wasn't an instance of corruption yet, these people are more likely to act for their own interests. Say what?

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World Bank, Wassssuuuuupppp!?

I picture my government dressed up like Ali G and crossing her hands in front of her in the hip-hop fashion and saying the above to World Bank who is standing across, ICE-T-ish in its stature and demeanor, with his hands crossed across his chest showing unflinching sternness.

This is historic though, at least I think it is! Has a poor country ever before lashed out at World Bank saying its corrupt? It would've been doubly historic and AWESOME if that same charge wasn't thrown at us first and had funds meant for us canceled based on those charges. So we wanted their money, they refused and now we're bad mouthing them in the parliament and the news. A-h-a. That has 'sore' written all over it. And 'Loser'. When we have such such low opinions of WB, why gun for their funds!? A-ha ... 'Cuz we need it! WB's pull out from the Padma bridge project also influenced the ADB (Asian Development Bank) to pull out too. Only our friends, the Japanese, are sticking around.

In most countries that are careful of the people's opinions, slight corruption charges and even a single instance of failure have inspired ministers and other government officials to resign to make way for fair investigations and to make way for better representation. This is something, Bangladeshis are deprived of. Amidst the first corruption alerts, we saw the minister being moved to a different ministry. Sahara Khatun, our state minister is another example, where a series of failures weren't good enough for her to step down. They can face reporters and deny with a straight face any failure.

Our PM has finally risen to the occassion last night on parliament, broadcast throughout the nation, and given her views. The World Bank is corrupt! So our governments' overall response is a "How dare you!" and a "Did you look at yourself?!". :) Merry!

PS, The PM also gave out a mobile phone number and an email address to receive corruption allegations against members of her family. She denied any of her family is corrupt first.
sheikhhasina@hotmail.com / 01711-520000 and 01819-260371

Ludicrous? I think so!


Related:
পদ্মা সেতু প্রকল্প: প্রয়োজনে নিজেদের অর্থেই পদ্মা সেতু
PM on phone to receive family graft allegation
PM trashes WB graft allegations
Commentary: Public interest sacrificed to protect one man

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"The Car is a Luxury Good"

Buses and Tempos

I used to travel by buses or "tempos" - which are three wheeled vehicles with a carrier at the back where people sit along the walls. Some bus services are government owned and their buses are standard, but by no means enough. The use of the word standard was to differentiate them from the privately owned services - where you'll see buses that wouldn't pass the 'fitness' standards of anywhere but third world countries - their front or back or all lights are either missing, or hanging by a wire, the seats inside are cramped to maximise the number of seats for maximum profit. Tempos have similar inhuman arrangements. Both of these services can be seen packing people to the brim where you might be standing indecently close to another sorry human being just trying to make his way to work or wherever. Apparently the bus owners' association is so strong that they are above the law. One member of that association is a minister. Conflict of interest anyone?

Taxis and Autorickshaws

These were introduced I suppose 10 or 15 years ago (autorickshaws existed long before, but not the variety we see on the roads today which run on CNG or Compressed Natural Gas) - when they were all new and used to run without any noise. That was true for about 2 years. They are fixed with meters that the drivers are not too happy about.

Everyone in the past 5 years have also grown weary and angry about these drivers constant refusal to go anywhere and their high fares when they do agree. They say they have to pay higher than the affixed charge to the people they lease the taxi from. Apparently this is a problem our law & order people cannot fix.

Cars
When I was able to get my hands on a car - be it an 86 model reconditioned car that was used before me for 16 years, boy was I glad. Glad to be above the mental torture that was trying to get on a bus or trying to speak out against their reckless driving when no one else would support me, or the hour spent trying to negotiate a taxi to get to work or back home! I was super glad, lets just say. However, running an old car is mighty expensive. After three years of having it, its become my main expense, especially for the last three months. As I was nearing saving enough to buy a fresher car - a reconditioned one from Japan maybe, since they are reliable enough to run for a good number of years, we have come close to another budget - and what have you - more taxes to be placed on cars. The reason he stated was what caused this downpour! They are luxury goods!? Really! In a country where public transport is allowed to reach such demeaning lows, how could you say that! If I visit neighboring Kolkata or Thailand, I find their sense of humanity is still reflected in their public transport systems. Buses in Thailand were wide, with enough leg-space and lots of place for standing commuters to be comfortable. They also have tempos which are the same way.


Cherry on Top: Tax-Free Rides for Ministers
An editorial yesterday went over the state of a provision that allows ministers to import cars duty free. This was put in place as an incentive for ministers serving remote areas. However, there are cases where they had just imported cars and sold them for profit! A civic sense if such existed might have denounced and punished these people. What exists instead is a sense that they deserve this. This is one issue that the feuding parties of our so-called democracy agree on and take advantage of.  Apparently, this governments term saw the most use of this providence. So, citizens, stay on the grass and just watch in awe as our lords and ladies continue to carry on this theater of governance and service. The editorial is linked below. The total amount of tax evaded through this provision is said to stand at Taka 280,00,00,000 (with current exchange rates, a little over 34 million US Dollars).

Related: 
ধনবান মন্ত্রী-সাংসদদের গাড়ি-ক্ষুধা (সোহরাব হাসান)
PERSONAL: Navigating through Dhaka (Sanday Chongo Kabange)

সহজিয়া কড়চা: তালিয়া বাজাও—জোরসে তালিয়া বাজাও (সৈয়দ আবুল মকসুদ)

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অধমপুরের সিংহাসন

What are we first? This question is often asked when trying to prioritize the identity of a person. You might hear someone say, I am an American first (though some Mexicans will take offense to that and that the correct term should be United States of American), then a Muslim, and then a father, and so on. Based on the religion you subscribe to, a philosophy, a profession, a nationality, you could prioritize them to reflect how you judge a circumstance, or how you act.

We saw these questions come up recently in the news. When newsmen got beaten down by the police, they took a more intense stance on their reports against them than before. There was a lack of that intensity when the receiver of that brutality were ordinary citizens. Before, we heard of reporters being persuaded to not publish a story by some mild push from higher ups in the government, and two TV channels had magically disappeared off air due to some pushing from some 'mysterious' quarters just before the opposition's meeting was about to be aired. This current intensity also didn't last long, went largely amiss just before the "Meet the Press" fiasco with Sahara Khatun.

REHAB (Real Estate & Housing Association of Bangladesh) is a bunch in a frenzy buying up land from those who own it, with deals that are hard to pass up. Their identity is clearly established. Though I am not fond of them in any way, I have to say I agreed once with something they've said. When Sahara Group came over and suddenly emerged here as the company of choice for the government in building small towns outside the city, REHAB had to come out and say "Hey! What about us?". I have often mused in the frantic fashion that I do, that "we need to get these developers to do projects outside Dhaka before they cover up the view of the sky with these tall buildings". Its a shame that they are being sidelined quickly by the rich and powerful of India. The govt. could've also initiated this with REHAB (the point the latter is making), but I guess they like what this Sahara had to offer (well, they like what both Saharas have to offer, despite or becuase of). My 'consumer' identity however, has no respect for most of these developers, since their profit margins still don't seem to allow safety provisions and weekends for their workers, and their products leave a lot to be desired frankly. There are also reports of unlawful or unjust land acquisitions.

As part of a democracy (ho ho ho), we also have to be 'voters'. Now this is important, cause for 5 years, or more, you have to live with that decision. We have a booming democracy, two parties who have democratically selected their party founder's family members for years, and will for years to come, at the helms of their parties. They use their freedom of expressions to lick their feet and bottoms and their freedom of speech to flower them with odes. 

Just today, news came that the parliament discussions had concluded that Abdullah Abu Syed, who is an educator and famous for his "Bishwo Sahityo Kendro" (which has been encouraging kids to read for years), has been undemocratic, unpatriotic, unconstitutional and should apologize. This due to his appearance at the TIB show the day before, and calling names to politicians ("unethical" or "corrupt"). I didn't vote for BAL (Queen Mother, I still love you! Please don't get me whipped), and now I must suffer them standing up in parliament and claiming that politicians voted in by people, should not be called names, its like calling names to those voters, to the countrymen! Damn! Ship me out already!

I don't know where this is going, so I'll try to conclude here. Whether you are a REHAB businessman, or a person who is a fan of either of the parties' founders, or a reporter, whatever your identity is, think both of humanity and justice when you put your voter caps on. A few ministers has had done very well, in their fields - food, agriculture, you can identify them clearly and vote for them. For the rest of us, we should give the 4th/5th and 6th man/symbol a chance (considering the 3rd man might be H M Ershad - we already ousted him out once! Don't tell me you forgot?!!!).

Related:

RAJUK’s MoU with the Sahara Group: TIB Demands Transparency
আর কত?এক বাংলাদেশী বেচারার ব্লগ 

Prothom-Alo Editorials from 3rd June  

Open Letter to Prime Minister:

     Sahara Khatun Corrupting an Investigation 

 

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This is is all too much even for the Lunatic! Gawd!

From our "Real World":

মেয়ের শ্লীলতাহানি, মা-বাবাকে লাঠিপেটা - আদালত চত্বরে পুলিশি নিষ্ঠুরতা
http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2012-05-30/news/261852
(Girl sexually assaulted, Mother and Father clubbed - Police cruelty in the Court area)

Excerpts:
দিনভর হেনস্তা শেষে আইন ও সালিশ কেন্দ্রের নির্বাহী পরিচালক সুলতানা কামালের হস্তক্ষেপে রাত পৌনে ১০টায় তিনজনকেই ছেড়ে দেয় পুলিশ।

The girl narrates: ‘পুলিশের একজন কর্মকর্তা আমার বাবার মোটরসাইকেল বন্ধ করে চাবি নিয়ে নেন। এ সময় আমি ও মা এর প্রতিবাদ করলে পুলিশ বলে, এই মোটরসাইকেলটি চোরাই। বাবার বিরুদ্ধে নাকি ডাকাতির মামলা আছে। একজন পুলিশ তখন বাবার শার্টের কলার ধরে টানতে থাকলে মোটরসাইকেল কাত হয়ে আমরা পড়ে যাই। এরপর পুলিশ বাবাকে মারতে মারতে মা-সহ আমাকে পুলিশ ক্লাবের ভেতরে নিয়ে যায়। সেখানে বাবাকে একটি কক্ষে নিয়ে যাওয়া হয়। আমাকে ও আমার মাকে পৃথক কক্ষে রাখা হয়। একপর্যায়ে দুজন পুলিশ সদস্য আমাকে জড়িয়ে ধরেন। এঁদের একজন জামান (পোশাকের নামফলক অনুযায়ী) আমার সঙ্গে চরম অশালীন আচরণ করেন। আমার গালে-গলায় চুমু দেন। মোটা ও কালোমতো এক পুলিশ সদস্য গলা থেকে চেইন খুলে নেন। আমি প্রতিবাদ করলে গালে চড় মারেন। এতে আমার কানের দুল চামড়া কেটে ভেতরে ঢুকে যায়। তখন আমি চিৎকার করে মাকে ডাকতে থাকি। চিৎকার শুনে মা-ও চিৎকার করতে থাকেন। একপর্যায়ে পুলিশেরই কয়েকজন কর্মকর্তা এসে আমাদের উদ্ধার করেন।’ 

The mother says: 'বাবু নামের বংশাল থানা-পুলিশের একজন তথ্যদাতার (ইনফরমার) সঙ্গে তাঁর স্বামীর পুরোনো বিরোধ ছিল। দীর্ঘদিন পর আদালত চত্বরে তাঁর স্বামীকে দেখে ওই বাবু পুলিশ লেলিয়ে দেয় তাঁদের বিরুদ্ধে।' 

And the Police: 'পুলিশের লালবাগ বিভাগের উপকমিশনার হারুন অর রশীদ মেয়েটির এই অভিযোগকে ‘সাজানো নাটক’ বলে দাবি করেন। তিনি বলেন, মেয়েটির বাবা বংশাল থানার একটি ডাকাতি মামলার সন্দেহভাজন আসামি।'

The reporter narrates: 'ওসি সালাহউদ্দীন বলেন, ‘তোমার বাবার বিরুদ্ধে তো কোনো মামলা হয়নি।’ মেয়েটি বলেন, ‘না, আমি একা যাব না। সাংবাদিকদের নিয়ে যাব।’ এ সময় উপস্থিত সাংবাদিক ও আইনজীবীরাও মেয়েটির পক্ষ নিলে ওসি বলেন, ‘এই ধর সব কটাকে; গাড়িতে তোল, মার।’'

‘তোরা জেএমবি, দাঁড়া মজা দেখাচ্ছি’
http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2012-05-30/news/261853
("You guys are JMB*, I'll show you the price for meddling!")

Excerpts:
দিনভর হেনস্তা, নির্যাতনের পর গতকাল মঙ্গলবার রাত সাড়ে নয়টায় আইনজীবীদের হস্তক্ষেপে কোতোয়ালি থানা থেকে ছাড়া পান রাশেদুল ইসলাম ও আটক আরেক আইনজীবী সাখাওয়াত হোসেন। ঢাকা জজ আদালতের জ্যেষ্ঠ আইনজীবী কাজী ফজলুল রশিদ তাঁর জিম্মায় এই দুজনকে ছাড়িয়ে নেন। এ সময় মহানগর দায়রা জজ আদালতের সহকারী সরকারি কৌঁসুলি (এপিপি) সাহাবউদ্দিন, বেলায়েত হোসেন ও মোস্তফা কামালসহ ১০ জন আইনজীবী উপস্থিত ছিলেন।

The Policeman says: 'গাড়িতে তোলার সময় সামান্য মারধর হতে পারে। কিন্তু থানায় আনার পর মারার প্রশ্নই ওঠে না। আর আপনাকে কে বলেছে এসব কথা? আর ওই ছেলে রাশেদুল পুলিশ ক্লাবের সামনে আমার সঙ্গে জঘন্য ব্যবহার করেছে। আমাকে তুই-তোকারি করেছে। আর সে তো আইনজীবী নয় বরং সে আইনের এক পার্টে ফেল করছে।'

The victim says: ‘যে পুলিশ আমাকে পেটাল, তাকে দিয়েই যদি তদন্ত কমিটি হয়, সেই তদন্তে কখনোই সত্য বেরিয়ে আসবে না।’(He uses 'jodi' [if], but as the report states, the assaulting police is part of the investigation team!)

জাতীয় বাজেট - পুলিশের বরাদ্দ কি বাড়ানো উচিত?
http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2012-05-30/news/261725
(National Budget - Should we increase funding for the Police)

This is from the Editorial. The police are in the news far too frequently near the end of May. Written by a law educator, he urges the government to consider more funds for more training for the policemen, to increase their 'humanity' and to change the perception that people have of them.

Important point: প্রশ্ন হচ্ছে, এসবের জন্য পুলিশ কতটা দায়ী, আর নীতিনির্ধারকেরা কতটা দায়ী? বাংলাদেশ প্রতিষ্ঠার পর এ পর্যন্ত যাঁরা রাষ্ট্রক্ষমতায় ছিলেন, তাঁরা কি কখনো পুলিশের সংস্কার চেয়েছেন বা পুলিশের সংস্কারে কোনো উদ্যোগ নিয়েছেন? বর্তমান সরকারের একটি উদ্যোগের কথা বলি। বছর খানেক বা তারও কিছু সময় আগে বর্তমান সরকার থানা পর্যায়ে ওসিদের স্থলে বিসিএস উত্তীর্ণ এএসপিদের স্থাপন করতে চেয়েছিল। থানা পর্যায়ে সেবার মান বাড়ানোর জন্যই সরকার এমন একটি উদ্যোগ নিতে চেয়েছিল। কিন্তু কোন অজানা কারণে বা কোন গোষ্ঠীর চাপের জন্য সরকার এটা করতে পারেনি, তা আমরা জানি না।

Some references to a TIB** study: মাসের শতকরা ৪০.৭ ভাগ সময় আইনশৃঙ্খলা পরিস্থিতি রক্ষার জন্য ব্যয় করে। এর মধ্যে হরতালসহ রাজনৈতিক দলগুলোর পাল্টাপাল্টি কর্মসূচিজাত নানা পরিস্থিতি মোকাবিলা রয়েছে। ভিআইপিদের নিরাপত্তা নিশ্চিত করার জন্য পুলিশকে ব্যয় করতে হয় মাসের শতকরা ৩২.৭ ভাগ সময়।

The Lunatic concludes:  The minister Tuku said it best - stay away from the police! Now men, women, if you won't listen to your ministers, I can't help you! So, stay home, and hope you don't get killed. Queen Mother, Muhit "Rubbish" Maal, and many other ministers already said that the digital Bangladesh will save us from Corruption, so stay home, order your groceries online, and you have plenty of poor people around to take out the trash and other menial things. Since the poorer bunch are probably not reading this, nothing here for them. But don't teach them to read and internet, so that they start staying home too! That would be stupid! ha ha.

* and ** - Requires Google Search.

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Fighting Corruption: What are our Tools?

There is an unrealistic amount of faith that is pitted on the digitization of services (through BAL's much drummed 'Digital Bangladesh' ventures) as a way of relief from corruption by our present government. The Finance Minister admitted recently that corruption has just spread to all nook and cranny of public services and also cited the digitization of services as THE way out. That may be the case in certain areas or aspects, but if anyone has been to public offices with hopes of receiving services, they'll remember those uninterested faces, those blank stares, those lifeless creatures behind the counters and desks who seem quite bothered to have seen you, who state their (unlawful) prices quite frankly, even with anti-corruption posters hanging around them. You cannot expect to digitize everything and there will ultimately be servicemen and women you will have to deal with. The government seem to be suggesting that until we get those software development cycles complete and services up and running - a decade possibly, we keep on going about it the same way. Digitization doesn't happen with the snap of Jewel Aich's fingers!

What I find really lacking is an easy way to report when a public office declines to provide someone a service, fails to provide a service, or asks for unlawful funding from the public (recently, there was an extra charge under "Miscellaneous" for re-issuing my wife's license even after all the due payments have been made). At the point these happen, you are standing at a public office, quite possibly having traveled through Dhaka's usual high traffic, sweating, uneasy, and also having to spend time away from your actual day job, and you may ponder what is the way to get what you came for. I assume the beings behind the counter know these all too well, and that is what gives them the courage and pleasure to put you in a tight spot, where you'd rather pay that extra charge than having to risk not getting the right papers. Imagine driving without a license, or going for that business trip without a passport, or not being able to pick up your Tax Certificate, or not getting to register your new born child!

These officers have too much leverage on the public that they use to their gain, and the way out is to take away that leverage. Digitization IS a possibility for that, but immediately actionable consequences to these officers' way of working is also a quickly implementable counter to it. If those anti-corruption posters had along with those high sounding advice, a hotline that handles complaints for that specific office, and you could launch a direct complaint against the handler, or the office. It could be a mobile court, or there could be an overseeing officer responsible for action against malpractices within that office. Even while writing this, I can see how it falls into a cycle, since somewhere within our systems, we need people we can rely on.


Related:

দুর্নীতি দেশের সব জায়গায়

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POLICE: Fundamentally Lacking

What they can do in broad daylight
probably surpasses anything
you might expect to see in other countries

I think TIB (Transparency International - Bangladesh) once conducted a public survey on what was perceived as the most corrupt public office. The people, not surprisingly, gave the top prize to the two which are responsible to provide justice to the masses - the courts, and law enforcers.

If you follow some of the links above, you'll see that they both cried "foul" at the survey, and loudly protested this marring with falsehood of their angelic characters.

Meanwhile, some brave journalists have shown reports even way back then of the corruption of the police force. Even the news of the Police HQ opening up for everyone to come to file cases contained an important fact - that the public was having a hard time getting regional police stations to make simple general diaries:

থানায় সাধারণ মানুষের ভোগান্তি দূর করতে ঢাকা মহানগর পুলিশের (ডিএমপি) সদর দপ্তরে সাধারণ ডায়েরি (জিডি) গ্রহণে বিশেষ সেল খোলা হচ্ছে। তবে আগের মতো সংশ্লিষ্ট থানায় গিয়ে জিডি করার ব্যবস্থাও চালু থাকছে।

... এ বিষয়ে জানতে চাইলে ডিএমপির কমিশনার বেনজীর আহমেদ প্রথম আলোকে বলেন, ‘অনেক সময় থানায় জিডি করতে গেলে নানা ধরনের ভোগান্তির শিকার হতে হয়। কখনো কখনো পুলিশের বিরুদ্ধে টাকা নেওয়ার অভিযোগ আসে। এসব বন্ধ করতে শিগগিরই ডিএমপির সদর দপ্তরে জিডি গ্রহণে ওয়ান স্টপ সার্ভিস চালু হচ্ছে।’
(March, 2012)

One TV report showed how a police officer was in shady operations with confiscated drugs in either Gazipur or Ashulia. And now, its back again on today's news: থানায় ফেনসিডিল ব্যবসা!

We've all also seen how they've stood back during hartals/strikes while the student wing of BAL played vigilante against the opposition.

Another report even more disturbing, since it tells about the state of our humanity and not just the police: Cops 'discipline' orphan kids

There are plenty that we received through the news and there are plenty of stories we as citizens can tell from our own experiences, and the only answer we seem to be getting is a denial. That is to say that we are all liars, and to look away from the fact that there is something fundamentally wrong with the system, something deep rooted that needs to be taken care of immediately to ensure that a country's citizens don't fear and loathe the very people entrusted with their safety! What the DMP commissioner admits above, doesn't make sense of the solution he is offering. Again, a lack of focus on the what is really wrong. We need a system that trains people to serve the public, instead of a system which ensures they can turn the public away, or worse, play them for a quick buck! (I wonder who had the idea to change the color of their uniform and put the slogan: "ও পুলিশ, বন্ধু আমার" (~o police, my friend)! I bet they had many meetings to get that far. If someone could just let them know, it was a waste of time and money!)

Related:
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Citizen Help Request
DMP's Feats
Guerilla Street Art (The police-mime photo manipulation is from here)

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Lunatic on "Brain Drain" and "Democracy"

Brain Drain

I think its fair hour that we contextualize 'Brain Drain'. Its no longer just the fleeing masses who just happen to like 'A Good Life'! The threat now lives among us. This metaphorical drain is draining and its visible in the clogged streets and the clogged physical drains and the dark waters of the Buriganga! We could all write books and books on titles like "Nonchalancy" or "Guide to Self Aggrandizement at the Cost of your Neighbor" and that's the result of our education system and society at large.

To prevent this drain, read more books than the doctor prescribes, and think before you do anything. Sitting silent in a room and breathing deeply is also recommended. Listen to rock music. Oh, and heres a concept - "Decency"!

Democracy?

This -cracy continues to allude and make people -crazy (not the lunatic kind)! Come election time, people usually head back to their mindset of 'I must pick the winning side'. Its all a game, and all it ever was, like betting on a winning horse! The horses dress up nice just before the race and its really tired and wants to sit back and be fed carrots and get manicures after its won. No shit!

I know coups are illegal, but what if the military had the obligation to run in an election? Then, if a mass is really tired of a "Merry-Go-Round" of political choices that are not really comfortable or fun, or they don't want the ACC being neutered, they could opt to go on a Paintball shootout instead!

To get more out of democracy, remember:
- You don't have to win. "Winning" could very well mean "Losing"!
- Be not afraid to post a ballot in the name of someone who you've never given a chance (that should rule out a least a couple of parties and parties 'friendly' with those couple of parties).

Related:
The Decency Project
What is Self Agrandizement?
Evergreen Democracy

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Corruption: How to fight this Way of Life?

The Prothom-Alo "Bodley Jao, Bodley Dao" billboards once filled the cityscape and airwaves, tv channels. What I thought was a well made campaign and empathized with, also met with a lot of sarcasm from a lot of people. At the same time, a lot of anti-corruption billboards also blocked the skyline along with the usual commercial ones.

Government offices are also adorned with posters with such messages, the same offices where they are still practicing what the the posters are frowning on. This really makes me think that we have no way to fight this! Its so deeply rooted into the characters of these people who get these jobs, after passing the BCS examination, which tests their knowledge on the government and history and I don't know what else.

I can understand that some of us are helpless victims of that corruption, but its also not unusual to find a so-called educated man accept this corruption as a rightful way of life. They would tell you, there is nothing wrong with paying for a service! Imagine going to a restaurant and ordering food, and the waiter is looking the other way and not listening to you, in wait for a bribe to take your order and bring you your food. A payment over the price of the food, the VAT, and Service Charge that the restaurant has set for their services. This is right?

So, for those of us who do think this is wrong, is there really a way to fight back or stop condoning these practices? If a thief who nabs a purse and runs away, can be beaten to death on the streets, what makes us feel that bribery is an acceptable thing?

NOTE: Hope no one responds with a 'Every country has corruption' or 'Everyone Does It' like Mr. Suranjit Sengupta did on TV. I am not looking for excuses and you're blind if you do not see we're taking corruption to a new level.

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The Right to be Right

It seems that one property of a government is they want to be right. I had no idea that the Egyptian people held so much beef against their government, and from the news you can see how hard it was to prove to the government that they were wrong.

Relative to that, we have a news today that the TIB officials who were accused of libel have gotten their bail. Poor chaps tried to gather people's opinions on what the people thought were the most corrupt sectors of country. Through this lawsuit, TIB is being told that they are wrong, and since the TIB report, and subsequently, a portion of the country's people accused mostly government offices of corruption, the government's stance here is that they did, or rather DO, nothing wrong.

Article: TIB officials secure bails

Meanwhile, my last blog about the need for an online account of bribery in the country has led to a reader from India pointing me to this website:
www.ipaidabribe.com! I think This shows a kind of vigilance that is really required in countries where corruption and lawlessness is dangerously a way of life almost!

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Digital Bribetionary

You can dress a worm like a butterfly, but it doesn't change anything. As I collect my thoughts around my recent experiences and a few others of paying taxes, they accumulate into a wish for dissent, and sense of shame of where and what we have come down to.

Our government has tried to pursue its citizens to pay taxes and tried to embed a sense of the greater good of such acts over the years and held a few 'camps' too which would make someone think they're thinking out of the box regarding this. I had myself convinced a long time ago, that I would pay taxes. I had complaints about what the government is doing even then, but I told myself, I have to do this to say that I have done what I can to make this country better.

However, if you're supposed to pay bribes in getting your tax papers processed, and again, to collect the finished tax certificate, you are in a system that has gone really bad. The accounts manager of our office has gone till the manager of the bank where these are handled, only to get a "that's just the way it is" as a response. Alas, their way was accepted and the papers collected for an organization of over 75 employees. I have gotten mine, and I see a stray ']' printed one a blank part of my tax certificate and the slip they provide with the tax id number, says my taxes have been paid for 2010 - 2010! I am fearful that these little things will bite me quite hard the next year.

As we talk of moving into a digital age, assuming we have the power situation fixed by the time we set up the facilities for online financial transactions, we still have time to use the internet to some advantage during this time of lawlessness. I propose a website where you can get the running rates of getting something done to be a 'lawful' citizen. I could say I won't pay taxes as a protest, some corrupt policemen and a corrupt bureaucracy will no doubt come and arrest me for breaking the law. So, why not make it easier for ourselves and get a website going where everyone can see and update the rates of bribes for getting things done at the government offices! I would truly love that. Describe the process, how much for the desk clerk, how much for the senior official?



More Tales:
At BRTA, corrupt staff flaunt license to bribe:
Article from The Independent, Aug, 2010
A Look at DMCH:
Article Archived in Facebook
A Probe into Power Abuse by Dhaka Police
Human Rights Solidarity Website
The policeman and the Fish Truck:
Demotix Article, Jan 12, 2011
Rehash of 'that' TIB Report:
Dhaka Mirror Article, Dec 24, 2010
দুর্নীতি দমন: কাগুজে বাঘের হুংকারে আর লাভ হবে না:
Prothom Alo Editorial, Today

Most reports out there are for very major corruption and graft cases, and there is really no fully reported account of what a common man will have to do just for yearly survival and interacting with the public service sector.

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Vote Choices - Strategic Coalitions - Democracy

AL or BNP

?

NOTE: The author is busy collecting his thoughts.
A blog post will be posted soon.
Please enjoy the illustrations in the meantime.
Do come back soon!

(Photos:
Prothom Alo,
January 5, 2011)

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Everybody does it!

TIB or Transparency International Bangladesh recently put out a survey which asked a question in the line of: Which service institution is the most corrupt you think?

Of course, what the people said outraged our ministers and broadly speaking, the government. A reaction that almost sounded like a "How dare you people! We are the government"*. Thats how I perceived it, and that was laid down in concrete last night watching RTV's Road to Democracy.

The panel had AL's Mr. Suranjit Sengupta, whose response to the whole thing was a song and dance routine which went like "Every democracy's got corruption! Even developed countries! Your survey's whack!" The survey, he complained, wasn't specific enough, not actionable. The TIB guy to this replied that the detailed report was not printed in newspapers (obviously), but is available on their website and he is happy and willing to make it available to him. To that, he just repeated himself in a louder voice, as you would expect loudmouth politicians to talk.

Here's the thing - the survey reflected what people's perceptions are of the system. If even a majority 6000 people say its true, there has to be something that needs looking into! Its not unheard of, its not unseen ... walking into most government banks (haven't been there in a while), police station**, BRTA, etc., will only give you a sense of chaos resulting from a lack of information - Which counter? Where do I start? Who do I talk to? If you find someone to talk to, what do you do if they won't give you the time of day and act human? Short of slapping the guy and getting arrested, are you expected to run off to write a complaint with someone? Where to go? The ACC? The police? Can you afford, at a time when you need to get something important done, to run around and setting things straight which should've been straight to start with? Hence the bribe or a dalal who are middlemen of the service sector.

I had hoped the government would take such a survey, no matter how faulty or inaccurate, and just humor us with an attempt to get to the root of it. I would be calmer now. Why does TIB have to tell you where exactly things are going wrong Mr. Sengupta? Most of the offices are filled with corruption and grave mismanagement and extremely bad processes, which when looked at, even a slightly bright matriculate student could suggest better solutions to!

* Some of them also tried to refute TIB's survey on intellectual grounds - like the authenticity of the survey regarding how many people were interviewed and so on.

** I once took a GD to Ramna station, where an officer accused me of not taking enough care in my writing! When I asked if it'd be alright if i corrected the text in place, he was appalled, accusing me that I wouldn't be this careless if I was writing something to the bank. He was offended! In fact, yes, the private bank I frequent would be much more accommodating to me Mr. Officer! When I asked for a piece of paper so I could rewrite it, he said they don't have any! Imagine that...

Since the mushrooming of satellite channels here, there has been a trend of politically charged talk shows. They have all been quite successful in getting people of power and heights in their guest chairs and also giving people the chance of joining in and putting forward their views via phone, sms or emails.What drew most of us in about these programs were the fact that they were raising points and debates that we are usually deprived of from our regular parliamentary proceedings. Also, historically, we've always had one in power - AL or BNP, and the other in opposition, and usually missing from parliament on some grounds, that the one in power will help carve using the mud they hold against each other. The mud slinging is also taken onto the screen sometimes in programs such as Channel I's তৃতীয় মাত্রা or 'The Third Level' which is debate centric and where many episodes saw two ministers from the opposite sides sit on either side of the host. Amusing to say the least.BBC's Sanglap was also commendable.

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