Terrorism, Land Grabbing and Extortion Must Be Stamped Out
Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman has returned home after joining the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. On this trip he met leaders of the world’s leading countries. He talked about mutual help in two-sided economic, trade and investment matters, and he got a positive response from all countries. International media and local and foreign observers say the trip brought good news for Bangladesh. It has made clear the chance of opening new doors for investment and economic help. In the next two months, the Prime Minister will visit Japan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, long-time friends and development partners of Bangladesh. People hope for historic talks and decisions with the leaders of these three countries, especially on money, trade and investment.
Bangladesh has great success and promise in money, trade, investment and diplomacy, and any country could envy it. This is one side of the reality. On the other side, the sharp fall in law and order has become a real cause of worry. Dhaka at night now feels strange. What has happened lately in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Adabor and the ECB Chattar has spread fear among people. Last Friday night, criminals attacked the 52-year-old Radda MCH-SC Center in Mirpur, built for poor mothers and children, and flattened it. The next night, on Saturday, terrorists broke into the studio of a content creator named Mr. Salman Muqtadir at ECB Chattar in Matikata and wrecked it.
On the same day, two to three hundred people attacked an office at Chand Udyan in Mohammadpur to grab land. In Adabor, extortionists attacked a house in Shyamoli Housing after they did not get their money. These four events show how deep terror, land grabbing and extortion have gone into politics. If criminal gangs can act this boldly in the capital, it is easy to guess how far their reign of terror has spread elsewhere in the country.
A government chosen by a huge number of votes is now in power. No one wants terror, extortion and land grabbing to go on under this government as they did under the past fascist government. Yet in the last eight months of this government, complaints of this kind have not stopped. People do not believe that terrorists, land grabbers, extortionists and looters act with no link to the government or the ruling party, or with no direct or indirect help from law enforcement. So the names of government and ruling party people have come up in almost every serious crime under the BNP government so far. Many believe they are behind the events of the last two days in the capital too. It is a fair question how armed men can attack and fire shots in the dark of night with no one stopping them.
The BNP announced zero tolerance against land grabbing and extortion long ago. Before and after taking power, the party expelled or punished many leaders and workers on such charges. The party’s policy and stand on this remain firm. So every attack, act of terror, extortion and land grab must be probed in detail, and those at fault must get an example-setting punishment. No one should escape punishment because they belong to the ruling party. It is sad to say, but the government is not getting proper help from law enforcement. In many cases it is paying the price for their resistance and inaction. The police made no effort to stop the events in the capital. The criminals finished their work freely and left.
The government’s first priority was better law and order, a clear chain of command for the police, and their duty and accountability. On this, the Home Minister has failed completely. Keeping people’s lives and property safe is a basic duty of the government, and above all of the Home Ministry. There is no room to fail here. If it fails, it will count as the failure of the government.
Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman was abroad on a four-day trip. What happened in Dhaka on two of those four days is enough to disturb anyone. Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) says these events are not isolated. It calls them a warning sign for the government and the ruling party. TIB stressed holding those at fault to account and running a clean-up drive in the party. The TIB proposal deserves special note. Many will remember that Prime Minister Ms. Khaleda Zia ran “Operation Clean Heart” in her time out of need, and many wayward leaders and workers of her party were caught by it. There is a past example, and if needed, a similar drive must be run to protect law and order.
Whatever is said about investment, growth, prosperity and better city life, they all need good law and order and safe citizens first. Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman’s popularity, leadership skill and leadership are a blessing for our country. His trips to Malaysia and China proved this, and so do his standing and honor at the United Nations. We hope he will take wise and firm steps when needed to turn the promise of growth and prosperity under his top leadership into reality.
