Wasteful inauguration culture

Chief Adviser (CA) Dr Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the much-anticipated Kalurghat Rail-cum-Road  Bridge on the River Karnaphuli on May 14 next. The 700-metre double-track and double-lane bridge will replace the existing 93-year-old single-lane rail-cum-road bridge. This Tk. 115.6 billion bridge project is expected to be completed by 2030.

Interestingly, the foundation plaque of the bridge will not bear the name of the CA as the inaugurator of the project, so said the Bangladesh Railway (BR) people related to the project. It could be further learnt that as directed, BR has not included the name of the CA on the foundation stone. The plaque will be carrying the name of the project's executive agency only. In this case, it is the BR. It is no doubt a commendable precedent being set by the CA.

Now, will politicians who might come to power through election in the future care to take their cue from this modest example being set by the CA? If they remember and try to follow the CA's example, it will spare the officials of such projects a lot of hassle, money, time and energy. In every big project inauguration in the past, the wastage involved was never questioned. It was considered part of the project. Consider the case of inaugurating the Padma bridge project during the autocracy on June 25, 2022. How much did that inauguration ceremony cost? According to an estimate, it was approx. Tk. 89 crore or Tk.890 million. Why was that extravagance necessary? But who would dare to ask that question at that time?

It was an extreme case of how far such unnecessary ceremonies can go at the expense of the public exchequer. The massive Padma Bridge project is worth USD3.868 billion or Tk.30,770.14 crore. Though the project cost was borne by the Bangladesh government itself through taking loan from the Bangladesh Bank, the country's central bank, each taka spent was the public's tax money. So, spending that money with abandon to massage someone's ego harks back to the era of medieval kings and queens. During the autocracy, the inauguration culture was rampant to such an extent that different government ministers and party-leaders lost no opportunity to inaugurate something and unbridled rent-seeking by party goons was the standard practice to finance such occasions.  Evidently, these were instances of excesses committed during the autocracy. But the culture of inaugurating  various buildings and other infrastructure by ministers or government high-ups with fanfare was also a common practice during all previous governments, democratic or otherwise.

Actually, the culture of inauguration with ceremony has a legacy whose origin can be traced back to the colonial past. During that time, the source of colonial master's money was forcible collection of tax from their subjects. They built various infrastructures with that money to suit their purpose. Obviously, the subjects of the colony could not question their masters who had many idiosyncrasies. But when the master left, many local sahibs inherited some of their habits. Love of ceremonial inauguration is one. About a century has passed since the British colonialists left the subcontinent. Meanwhile, the people within the political boundary called Bangladesh experienced their independence twice. Even so, many political leaders as well as government servants have remembered many of the old practices through generations. We believe, the CA of the interim government with his example has tried to facilitate a decent burial to a wasteful tradition. What is more, this tradition has no right to exist for the simple reason that the expenditure made for the purpose is taxpayer’s money. If the July uprising means change, lavish inauguration culture should go.

sfalim.ds@gmail.com