Rampant looting, toll collection by Govt. MPs, henchmen
Faisal Rahim
Two things have become distinctly clear over the last one and a half year rule by the Awami League (AL)-led grand coalition government. The first thing is that all public sector jobs, state generated socio-economic benefits and financial advantages including big business contracts and supply orders have become the exclusive domain of the ruling party men and its supporters in various front organizations and professional bodies.
The argument runs like this: the AL has come to power to serve its party men, workers and supporters in exclusion of the Opposition and even the common people. This is not anyone's assumption; this is what the party leader and water resource minister Ramesh Chandra Sen has precisely said at a meeting at his home constituency Thakurgaon on May 12. The news was carried on the front page of the pro-establishment Bangla daily 'Kaler Kantha' recently.
Based on the minister's statement, observers assume that the state and all its benefits may have been leased out to the ruling party for at least four years period when the common people's needs would be ignored. The other things gradually catching public eyes are that the ruling party MPs and their local musclemen and activists are out at many places to openly plunder government land, homes and land of the minorities, misappropriate public fund and collect tolls from local businessmen to amass illegal wealth.
In doing so these elements are taking repressive measures on people and those protesting it are facing harassment in many forms. Newspaper reports say local police stations do not take cases from the victims without getting clearance from the local MP or his henchman for filing such cases and the question of filing such cases does not arise at all if these are brought against the MP's people operating under his shelter.
Rafiqul Islam Ratan MP from Sunamganj -1 constituency reportedly raised gangster groups and his field operators have become familiar to the public as his private secretary (PS) or assistant private secretary (APS). A news report carried out by daily Manvzamin recently said Ratan has 10 PSs and five APSs. According to this report they exercise and exert power and privileges of the lawmaker and the local administration has to act as per the dictation of these PSs and APSs on local functionaries.
They have become so unruly that local AL leaders and workers of different front organizations have become angry with them but they feel helpless to raise their voice against the MP and his people dominating the scene.
Bishnu Dey's allegations
Braving the situation Jubo League general secretary of Tahirpur Upazila of the district Bishnu Dey held a press conference recently at the upazila headquarters, breaking the stories on the MP and his henchman while detailing how they are operating, harassing the public and making fabulous wealth through toll collection and illegally occupying public land.
Of the 10 PSs of the MP, he said four of them are stationed in Dhaka and the remaining six stay in the three upazilas of the constituency, and named all those PSs and their posting stations.
Moreover, lawmaker Ratan has five APSs who are mainly controlling business syndicate in the area known for its bolder quarry in the area. The report said people can not reach the MP without paying his PSs and APSs.
Local people allege that the gangsters operating for the MP are collecting at least Taka 1.0 lakh daily from the area. Their syndicate supervised by close relatives of the PS and APS is having the total hold on the local Barachara coal field and realizing tolls. They are obstructing movement of country boats and such other transports carrying bolder. They allow them to operate only on the basis of daily payment, Bishnu Dey said adding local administration is aware of it but having no power to act fearing reprisal from the MP and his musclemen.
Bishnu Dey said local labourers working in the quarries had gheraoed Sylhet DC office on April 1 seeking redress from the repressive activities of the lawmaker and his men. The DC office had issued an order banning such repressive activities but nobody is bothering about it, he alleged.
MPs men are also collecting tolls from development projects, food for work, vulnerable group feeding fund, sub-registrar office and local land office. They are also regulating appointment of primary teachers, paramedics at civil surgeon office and such other posts in local government offices up to the district levels. Critics wonder how many PS or APS an MP can engage. If the MPs engage large number of PSs or APSs on private payment, the government and especially the Speaker of Parliament should take care of the case.
Ramesh Chandra
On government jobs and other state opportunities, water resources minister Ramesh Chandra Sen said the government is working to create jobs for the party workers and supporters. There is no ambiguity about it and he told a big gathering attended by several MPs, Chhatra League central president Mahmud Hasan Ripon and other party leaders and workers.
A total of 2000 Charta League workers from five upazila of the Thakurgaon district were present on the occasion. The minister told the gathering that a circular issued in the recent past relating to recruitment of personnel in health services was entirely filled up by party workers and supporters. There may be only one or two exceptions by mistake.
The government is similarly trying to recruit police from party workers and supporters. He further informed well in advance that the recruitment in police service scheduled for May 20 would be entirely filled by party men and its supporters. 'We will obviously try to give all such jobs to our boys', he said.
The minister had also informed that recruitment to primary school teachers that was to begin from May 18, likewise included recruitment of head teachers of the primary schools and the government was collecting information on candidates to make sure party men get top priority in getting those jobs.
The minister and party leaders later asked local newsmen not to send any news about his speech to national dailies, although it was the talk of the town over the entire week, the news report said. This was the reason why the news was broken after at least 10 days of the meeting based on the video-footage records of the statement the minister made on that day, the report maintained.
Ramesh Chandra however, denied having made such comments in the meeting saying that he was misquoted by the press. He said he did not speak on recruitment of police or health services. What he said was about large scale appointment of the youths in government services.
HOLIDAY > FRONT PAGE
