Bangladesh New Dimensions in Politics

The recent incidents in Bangladesh have added new dimension to politics in that country. In the first incident, the Samajtantrik Dal leader Kazi Arif and four others were gunned down while addressing a meeting in Kusthia and in the second, a powerful grenade ripped through the stage of "Udichi", a cultural outfit, killing eight people and injuring about a hundred others when the show was on in the early hours of March 8 in Jessore. During the past one year, criminals using firearms, bombs have been killing people, looting houses, committing decoities and extortions in all the 64 districts in Bangladesh. The crimes in general are on the increase in Bangladesh. The anti-socials are all quite known as they receive patronage from the major political parties. Then again, political crimes are also on the rise because of the rivalry between the ruling Awami League and the main opposition party, Bangladesh National Party. Political murders are very common these days in Bangladesh. The fundamentalists joining hands with the opposition are inciting people more and more to violence. The situation is so grave that police pickets have been posted in political party offices. Before Jessore killings of March 8 were reported throughout the country, the followers of two rival leaders of the BNP were involved in exchange of fire on the open street close to the BNP office in Chittagong resulting in the death of one person. A few others were too injured. Such violent incidents are also being witnessed in the Awami League. The country's capital, Dhaka, has been witness to successive violent incidents. The law and order situation in the border districts, in the fundamentalist-dominated Chittagong is causing worry to the government. According to a report published in the vernacular daily "Dainik Prabhat" on Friday the district police authorities have sent a report on the deterioration in the law and order situation in the port-town of Chittagong to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wherein it has been stated that all the 396 extremists in the top rung are members of students wings of the Awami League, the BNP, Jamat-e-Islam and the NDP, of them 91are absconders and 44 others have recently been released from jail. Others continue to be imprisoned. Police have arrested 2,702 of them on different charges. Violence in educational institutions and in their neighborhood is increasing. Education itself is in doldrums. Holding of examinations and publication of results are inordinately delayed. The Left Parties allege that the situation in the sphere of education in the present Awami league regime has not improved over the one in the previous BNP rule. Copying in examinations and leakage of question papers in the current Madhyamik examination is a common feature. In Jehangirnagar University during last six years classes were taken for only one year and nine months.

The century's worst floods affected Bangladesh this year, production in farms and factories is on the decline and the government is finding it difficult to stick to the economic parameters because of the doldrums set in the economic field following the introduction of reforms. Moreover, the Bangladesh economy has not the resilience to tide over the effects of floods which have destroyed property worth more than Rs 200 crores of dollars. The Bangladesh government too lacks the necessary initiative to rebuild the flood-ravaged economy. Inflation has soared to 8%. Unemployment poses a problem of serious dimension. Lakhs of people eke out a living depending on the ready-made garment business. Of the 2,700 ready-made garment units in Bangladesh, around 1000 are lying closed now. Lakhs of men and women in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong are working in these units with a meagre wage. But export of ready-made garments gives the country its 74% of foreign exchange.