Few ministers and bureaucrats are desperate to sink the 'boat'

On Tuesday (June 6th) I had a meeting with a government official at 10 in the morning. However, even after 10:30, there was no sign of him. He is an important government official. Seeing the delay, I called him. He said, "Brother, I'm coming. There has been no water at home for seven days. I went to a relative's house with my wife and children to take a bath. How can we survive in this heat?" He arrived an hour and a half later and said, "The water pump in the apartment has been damaged due to load shedding. We don't have the financial capability to buy a new pump in this inflationary market. What should we do in this situation?" Having to go here and there like a refugee to take a bath. He informed me that the previous day he had to take his family to the office to take a bath there. Needless to say, when a mid-level government official is in this situation, it reflects the condition in which we, ordinary people, are living. Load shedding is becoming scarier day by day. Earlier people were unhappy. But now, they are gradually becoming outraged. Who knows when this dissatisfaction will erupt? That day an Awami League leader, who regularly goes to talk shows, was saying, 'Brother, I don't like going to talk shows anymore. What do I say about electricity? Why should we take the blame for the misdeeds of a few individuals? Those in the ruling Awami League who are in the field, those who talk to people and are connected to people are now not worried, but scared. The State Minister of Power and Energy has been in charge of the ministry for a solid 9 years. There is even a 'lifelong' adviser in this ministry. I don't want to criticize all of this. I have no desire to bring up the mistakes of the adviser and the minister. But I am shocked and surprised by the state minister's expression of grief. The State Minister of Power expressed sorrow regarding load shedding in parliament and press conferences. In psychology, there is a widely discussed topic called "body language" or nonverbal communication. The true, sincere, and heartfelt feelings of a person can be understood through their body language. There is no need to show Nasrul Hamid's expression of sorrow to a psychologist for an in-depth analysis. Without a psychologist, it can be said that his expression of sorrow is artificial and insincere. The reason is that he has no connection with the people. The State Minister of Power is a perfect advertisement of what happens when a public representative is disconnected from people. Payra power plant has been shut down due to lack of coal. He himself said that coal imports did not go well due to 'incoordination'. Whose incoordination? Who or what has trapped coal import in a web of long bureaucracy? The state minister has to give answers to these questions. Everything in the power sector is shrouds in mystery. Inconsistency in everything. Every person who has been crushed by the tyranny of load shedding knows about the limitless corruption in the power sector. And there are words in the air. Who stole thousands of crores of money, who bought a shopping mall in Dubai, who bought an entire village near Dhaka? There are also reports in newspapers that there is no load shedding where the electricity advisor’s house is located. Now these things are being discussed openly, and there is a controversy surrounding it. Some very common question comes to mind. Let's stick to the topic of the Payra Power Plant. In 2016, the PDB contracted to purchase electricity from Payra. This electricity plant was built with a loan from the Exim Bank of China. Interest rates are much higher than World Bank, IMF. The first unit of the power plant came into production in January 2020. And the second unit started working in August of that year. Although electricity generation started, the power transmission lines were not established. Therefore, the public did not receive electricity. But according to the agreement, PDB (actually people) had to pay a large amount of capacity charge every day for one and a half years. Payra power plant has become a loss-making company in the beginning. Regarding the enormous subsidy in the power sector, who benefits from it? Is it an innocent mistake or intentional looting?

In the terrifying reality of load shedding, the present government's 14-year success story has turned into a description of failure and deception. The common people are becoming restless. So, no matter how many times the State Minister of Power uses the term 'accidental,' this is not a sudden accident. It is a premeditated implementation of a planned blue-print to destabilize the government. A conspiracy against Sheikh Hasina. Whenever the State Minister for Power and Awami League leaders talk about load shedding and looting of the power sector, they talk about BNP-Jamaat rule. On Tuesday, in the National Parliament, the same broken record was played by the State Minister. The BNP-Jamaat alliance fell into public anger because they could not provide electricity, there were protests in Kansat, people gave their lives. BNP has received the punishment for their failure. Isn’t the Awami League government is being pushed to the same situation now? 'Electricity in every household' was one of the biggest achievements of this government in the past 14 years. Sheikh Hasina illuminated Bangladesh from darkness. The people of this country had forgotten about load shedding. Chargers, IPS, generators, and other equipment gradually became unknown. But the power sector again took Bangladesh in 2002. The pride and achievements of the Awami League government have been reduced to dust by advisers, state ministers and bureaucrats. A few days ago, I was looking at a list of people working in various organizations in the power sector. The family identity of a large part of them is related to BNP-Jamaat. During their education, they were members of Chhatra Dal or Shibir. Some of them are engaging in rampant corruption without any boundaries. With a large sum of money, they have obtained important and influential positions. They are now destroying the electricity sector. Awami League's election manifesto talks about "self-reliance in energy”, but the bosses in the sector has no interest in it. For example, 200 billion cubic feet of gas has been discovered in Elisha in Bhola. This gas alone can meet Bangladesh's gas demand for 10 years. However, due to various excuses, the gas is not being brought into the country's gas grid. The reason for this is corruption. By not importing, the above-mentioned earnings will be shut down. That's why there is no interest in gas exploration from the energy department. Load shedding has become a recent outcry for the common people. But the outcry over the cost of living has been going on for the past four years. The heat in the market over commodity prices is more intense than fire. Recently, the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce has been appointed on a contractual basis. Undoubtedly, his presence is indispensable. If he is not present in the Ministry of Commerce, it will collapse. If not, how can he be appointed under the contract as a Secretary of the ministry, which has failed and is incompetent in controlling commodity prices? The issue of commodity prices is somewhat like a circus or magic. Sometimes the price of rice increases, sometimes it's chili, sometimes onions or sugar. The Commerce Minister himself has admitted that the market is under the control of a 'syndicate'. In the meantime, for a few days, sugar and soybean oil have disappeared from the market. The Commerce Minister is helpless. The Secretary seems like a resident of another planet. Recently, there has been a scarcity of onions, leading to a skyrocketing price in the market. For a month, there was a flurry of letters about importing onions and engaging in bureaucratic exercises. It's a cunning manipulation to embarrass the government. Planning Minister himself criticized the decision of the Ministry of Commerce. After ECNEC meeting on Tuesday, the Planning Minister said, "We have reached a decision to import onion after 15 days. Now the price of onion has started to fall. If the commerce minister had decided to import onion earlier the price of onions per kilogram would not have been 90 Taka." The current government came into power after winning the election in 2008. It was a global recession at that time. Food prices were rising all over the world. There was a crisis of rice in different countries, causing an outcry. In the midst of such a situation, the Prime Minister took the responsibility and took control of commodity prices astonishingly. At that time Colonel (Retd.) Farooq Khan was the minister in the Ministry of Commerce. When he was unable to handle the situation, Sheikh Hasina quickly changed the minister. Jatiya Party GM Kader is given the responsibility. He handled the situation with extraordinary skill. The one-sided election of 2014 was also accepted by the people of this country, a major reason for this was the bearable situation of commodity prices. There was stability in the economy. After the election in 2014, Awami League heavyweight leader Tofail Ahmed received the responsibility of the Ministry of Commerce. During this time, he maintained control over the prices of commodities with expertise. In 2015, there was volatility in the global edible oil market. Tofail Ahmed kept the market under control by calling the traders and talking to them. That is the job of ministers. Tipu Munshi got the responsibility of this important ministry after the 2018 elections. I don't want to re-write what happened in the market during his tenure. The government or the Ministry of Commerce has no control over the market in Bangladesh. Syndicates control the market. If the ministers cannot sit in the driving seat of the ministry, then the bureaucrats turn into monsters. They do whatever you want. That is what is happening now in the Ministry of Commerce. In the end, the loss is to the government. Awami League's image is being destroyed. Just as looters and conspirators have crushed the pride of Awami League with electricity, incompetent bureaucracy and looter syndicates have ruined the government's pride with commodity prices.

After the ECNEC meeting last Tuesday, Planning Minister MA Mannan admitted - 'Inflation has reached an unbearable level.' He said, 'It is a matter of shame for me.' The economic crisis has now exposed the dilapidated, impoverished face of the country. Everyone expected that this year's budget will focus on reducing inflation, recovering from the economic crisis. But I have considerable doubts as to how much this budget can control the downward trajectory of the economy. Moreover, the release of vague information regarding income tax and foreign trips has provided an opportunity for spreading rumors and creating confusion. It is like not having a Finance Minister at all. One great fortune of Bangladesh is that most of the time we have had good Finance Ministers. Tajuddin Ahmad, Saifur Rahman, Shah AMS Kibria, Abul Mal Abdul Muhith—each of them has played a significant role in advancing the country's economy. Some more, some less. Finance Ministers of Bangladesh are considered the second most important individuals after the Prime Minister in terms of leading the country's economy. There is a stark contrast between the former Finance Ministers and the current one. Abul Maal Abdul Muhith gave the last budget of his life by working 18 hours a day for a month. He spent sleepless nights and held meetings after meetings with stakeholders. And now we have found our Finance Minister on the day of the budget. "Where have you been all this time?" we wonder. In the economic crisis of the country, our Finance Minister is absent from any meetings with the IMF or celebrating 50 years of relationship with the World Bank. Finance Minister is sick. Why should he bear the burden of ministry if he is sick? The Prime Minister also has a 'Lifetime' economic adviser. 14 years ago, he could be seen in seminars and symposiums, discussing with intellectuals. He is also invisible now. In the terrible economic crisis, the economy is now in the hands of the bureaucrats. How much do these bureaucrats see the interests of the country? There is no political thought to deal with economic problems. The Ministry of Finance is not concerned about elections. Attempts to solve the crisis in a bureaucratic manner are only deepening the problem. Can you imagine that Bangladesh was one of the top five countries in the world in terms of continuous growth under this government. That emerging economy is now in shambles. The prevailing economy is now facing a serious crisis. The Ministry of Finance has taken measures against loan defaulters and money launderers. What action has the Ministry of Finance taken against defaulters, money smugglers? It can be heard that people from the opposite side of the government are sitting in many important places in the Ministry of Finance. The bureaucrat, who became a government official in the 2001 elections and played the role of BNP cadre, is now the secretary of an important department of the finance ministry. They constantly make various schemes to embarrass the government. Bangladesh is currently facing a dollar crisis. In the recent ECNEC meeting, the Prime Minister instructed to quickly release foreign loan projects, stating that it would bring in dollars. When the Prime Minister made this statement, the Planning Commission became busy organizing how to freeze the foreign loan projects. I just want to give an example. One of the largest projects in the country's livestock sector is underway with World Bank loans. I was shocked to read the description of an evaluation meeting on the first amendment of this project. The recommendations and guidelines adopted in the project evaluation under the chairmanship of a member (secretary) of the Planning Commission are contrary to the government's agreement with the World Bank. If these recommendations are ultimately accepted by ECNEC, the World Bank will terminate the agreement, citing breach of contract. This is a direct violation of the contract because the money borrowed from the World Bank cannot be used in another account. However, the Secretary (member) has proposed utilizing the funds from the World Bank project to implement another government project. There is no reason to think that the secretary does not know the rules of the World Bank. I believe this is planned so that the World Bank cancels the agreement and stops lending. Through the syndicate of the newly formed Awami League government, this individual has become the Secretary. After becoming Secretary, those who are loyal to the Awami League were started an uproar. But it didn't work. Now he has emerged in his true form. The emergence of such ghosts within the administration has created more and more loopholes. The government has reached the end of its term and has been entrusted with the task of ensuring public satisfaction and gaining people's trust. However, the incompetent and ignorant behavior of some ministers, along with their self-interest, has complicated the situation. Some are behaving like idiots. Recently, Mukta Sultana, a student of Eden College, came to Facebook Live and burnt all her academic certificates. It is a punishable offence. However, a state minister hired her for a job. Has the minister lost his ability to assess the severity of the situation? I also saw the minister's spouse criticizing his husband's childishness. Now there is a daily occurrence of such heinous acts like burning certificates. Will the minister give everyone a job? Why would ministers and state ministers resort to such cheap tactics earn some fame? The opportunists who have been killing the administration are now revealing their true faces. Sheikh Hasina, alone, has tirelessly worked towards the dream of Bangabandhu's Sonar Bangla, a prosperous Bangladesh, over the past 14 years. However, those who do not desire this have now embarked on a mission to destroy this achievement using all their might. In these 14 years, the BNP-Jamaat alliance failed to involve the people in their movements. But due to the actions of certain individuals within the government, people are now losing faith in the government. As soon as the boat reaches the port, some are leaking the boat. Some ministers and bureaucrats have embarked on a mission to sink the boat.

They need to be identified. They must be removed from their responsibilities. Within the Awami League, there are many competent idealistic and principled leaders. Those who will show competence in this difficult time and help the Prime Minister to overcome the crisis, should be brought forward. The government's political image must be improved by reducing authoritarianism and dependence on bureaucracy. This will reassure the people. Time is running out quickly. Without the support of the people, no political party has any other asset.