Photo : Messenger
Trial of the killers, perpetrators and instigators against QBCA should begin immediately in a special tribunal to be set in line with the International War Crime Tribunal (IWCT). Members of law enforcement agencies who upheld justice and safeguarded the public shall be rewarded.
However, those who abused their power by ordering criminal use of force, committing atrocities, and supporting armed cadres and responsible for the deaths and injuries of innocent children, students, and citizens should be held accountable in this court. Authorities responsible but not catered for and failed to secure their Key Point Installations (KPIs) and other national assets should also be tried in this court. Criminals, hooligans that carried out arson, vandalism and destroyed public and private properties, including dwelling houses and businesses, should be tried here.
Due considerations may be given to turn IWCT into a QBCA Crime Tribunal with suitable modifications. Speedy trial is an essence of the KBCA demand. It is possible to turn IWCT into the KBCA Crime Tribunal with required modifications.
Nepotism and favouritism, incompetence, malpractice, and bribes have severely damaged the government system, governance, and ethical standards. These issues are so widespread that a comprehensive overhaul is needed for all government organisations, including the Judiciary, Executive, and Legislative Assembly.
Major reforms are necessary to reorganise and restructure, and to identify and address illegal and corrupt employment practices. Removing political operatives and holding them accountable is crucial; otherwise, the efforts of the QBCA and the interim government may be in vain.
While this process is time-consuming, it is essential to prevent further deterioration of the ministries and departments' operations. Issues like the PSC question leak and corruption cases involving Benzir, Matiur… should not lose focus.
The spread of corruption in government offices and organisations at all levels has been going on for more than 15 years. This issue has an impact on all echelons, from local government councils to national ministries. The end of this corruption culture requires significant improvements.
Moral Code on Honesty and Integrity must be instilled into the blood stream of the nation. In doing so, the necessary curriculum should be devised to include in the text of educational institutions, public and private service training institutes and entry-level training courses of all organizations. Civil society organisations, NGOs and media can play a great deal in this regard. A legislation should delineate the Moral Code practice, including tough measures for non-compliance, including death sentence. Observance of Moral Code needs a top-down approach in demonstrating out-and-out moral character, the honesty and integrity, in words and deeds. Let’ see it from the interim government office bearers, who can set examples for the nation to follow at large.
Corruption alone has ruined national character more than any other vices. Often, leaking of questions virtually of all public examinations, including competitive examinations like PSC, has become a common phenomenon.
The concerned authorities consistently refuse to acknowledge their responsibility or failure to prevent the leakage, and even attempt to deny its existence. According to mainstream media findings and many freelancing reports, the leak is confirmed. Then what are the guts of the authorities that they are daring to disregard?
The guts are: promotion, posting, and placement of these people are made based on political considerations rather than merit. The resultant benefit of the question leak is illegal gratifications involving cash money, kind and/or recruiting own people or party men. No tangible punitive measures were seen taken against the offenders and the mastermind. This has become order of the day beginning the new millennium and has gained full maturity in 2024. Look back at the media report on ‘Question Leak Business’ by driver Abed Ali of PSC, the driver of PSC Chairman. Is it only Abed Ali? Media revealed involvement of top tiers of the organisations, BG Press officials, teachers and the political mastans/ linkage making the ‘Axis of Devils’.
Seemingly, 15 years is a good time for a BCS cadre, a non-cadre officer, or even a 4th class employee to acquire required knowledge and reach a level in an organisation that can make a decision, help make a decision, or influence a decision. It may not be unbecoming to say that in the last 15 years or so, no employment in the public sector was made on merit and/or standard practice.
It was, rather, customarily done on political considerations and/or on bribe/ illegal gratifications. Given this background, what is the condition of meritocracy essentially needed for the advancement of an organisation and/ or a society?
The vital organs that shape a government are: Legislative, Executive and judicial. Politically motivated opportunists and oligarchs have invaded all of these organs over the past 15 years of one-party hegemony. The regime harboured all these fortune seekers apparently to get and keep permanency of its power, ignoring blatantly the need for good governance and maintaining essential division between politics and administration.
No denying of the fact that the majority of the individuals in the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary are either directly involved or indirectly aligned with the regime and supporting its agenda implementation almost overtly in exchange of illegal gratification of any kind. To name a few, undue promotion, placement, or attainment, and illegal possession at a massive scale following the 'Give and Take Policy'.
Former IGP Benazir, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia are two bright examples of this kind and there are many Asad- Benazir in all branches of the government. Having established the ‘Reign of Opportunists’ nationwide, the regime has transformed itself into a Tyranny in place of Democracy. Until the inadvertent escaping of the PM on 05 August 2024, the ruling party somewhat took a form of Dynasty of the primitive era.
The writer is a retired Brigadier General at Bangladesh Army.
Messenger/Fameema
