Old habits die hard

Report that distribution of essential commodities at subsidised prices among Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB)'s smart card holders is being controlled by local political leaders in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram district smacks of what the average person was used to accepting as the rule during the previous highly partisan regime. So, the people do not want to return to similar days under whatever garb, political or otherwise. However, it is not surprising that the vacuum left by the local political linchpins of the fallen regime at all the different localities of the country has been filled up by the local activists of the dominant political forces of the time. But if we have learnt anything from last year's bloody events, the culture of nurturing discrimination along the party line in respect of accessing state's resources should be  done away with at every level of the administration as well as society.

The Union level localities of Sitakunda Upazila district under consideration where the reported political intervention in the distribution of TCB-supplied essential commodities among the beneficiaries took place demands closer scrutiny by the present interim administration. As the said report published in the online version of a widely circulated Bangla daily goes, 7,000 TCB smart cards meant for the beneficiaries of the government trading body's (TCB's) recipients of essential commodities have not been distributed as expected among the targeted beneficiaries. In fact, for the last two months, the distribution of the smart cards, also called 'family cards', has been stalled. As a result, the actual owners of those cards are unable to buy low cost TCB-supplied  essentials meant for them.

The stalemate, as reported, has to do with the 'recommendations' by the local BNP and Jamaat leaders. In this connection, local leaders of those two parties are learnt to have said that as the previous list of beneficiaries, or smart card holders, was what they termed biased, as it contained mostly  the names of pro-fallen regime beneficiaries, they have suggested that a new list should be prepared. Whatever the merit of the existing beneficiary list, the said political leaders could have at best suggested that the government official in charge of the TCB cards should make the required changes in the list. And they should not have done the job (of changing the list) themselves. For they are yet to get the people's mandate, if any, to stick their nose into the business of the administration. Even if they have any complaint of bias against the government officials concerned, they could well bring the matter to the notice of the higher government  authority  or even to the media. In this case, the work of correcting the existing list of beneficiaries, if any, should be left to the government officials in charge. If the government official/s concerned were found making inordinate delay in preparing a fresh list of the beneficiaries, then, public pressure on the government officials in question could be intensified to complete the job expeditiously.

A beneficiary of the Banshbaria Union under Stakunda Upazila, as the said report further went, complained that he could not buy essentials from the TCB as he was not issued any TCB card. On the other hand, local people who could show the so-called 'slips' issued by local BNP or Jamaat leaders got the essential commodities from the TCB, even though they had no TCB cards.

If the report is true, what the local BNP and Jamaat leaders have done in this case is reminiscent of what the local goons of the ousted regime used to do. With the blessing of the boro bhais, meaning party high-ups, the local ruling party activists would virtually run the administration. That is the last thing expected of our new generation leaders. The people wants to see a qualitative change in the political culture. Otherwise, that will be a betrayal of the cause for which our youths fought so selflessly.

sfalim.ds@gmail.com