Arrest marks end of an era

Time will tell what's in store for Khaleda

Mohammad Ali Sattar

With the internment of the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia the process of nabbing the bigwigs may have come to an end. Henceforth we might witness more arrests but these will have no great impact. This arrest may be seen as the grand finale of the political events that have been taking place since the changeover of Jan 11.
   All the previous arrests made prior to this may be seen as only a dress rehearsal for this. Even the internment of AL chief Sheikh Hasina, prior to Khaleda's arrest, was viewd as an exercise to prepare for the final capture. Political observers feel that Hasina was taken in before Khaleda to perhaps gauge the public reaction.
   All said and done, Khaleda Zia has finally been taken into custody on charge of wrongdoing along with her son Koko. This is the first time that this leader of one of the two most popular parties has been jailed. The curtain may have fallen over the long and significant political career of this lady.
   Khaleda's career began in 1981. With the arrival of the coffin of her husband President Ziaur Rahman, who was killed by some disgruntled army officers in Chittagong, the reclusive housewife soon saw her world changing.
   Destiny played diverse games with her. A widow was to become the most popular leader of the country.
   Late President Ziaur Rahman founded the BNP in late 1970s and won public support for his stance against corruption. Khaleda rode over the popularity and sympathy of her husband. She too managed to create her image in politics by being 'uncompromising' during Ershad regime. She led the party with undaunted spirit and her magnetism expanded over time until it reached every nook and corner of the country. She became an image of trust and confidence.
   The first tenure (1991-96) was by and large untainted. There were no major complaints about the state administration. Corruption was not a matter of great concern. Khaleda was the first prime minister who was known by her low profile while handling matters.
   BNP lost to AL in the 1996 national elections. But they still came to the parliament with a credible one hundred and sixteen seats. The biggest ever opposition in parliament in Bangladesh.
   In 2001 elections BNP came back with a huge majority in the parliament. It bagged 194 seats alone, the alliance bagging a total of 217 seats. A thumping two-thirds majority!
   This absolute power in fact turned out to be a bane, not a boon for her. Here she had the opportunity of doing and undoing anything she wanted as the head of the government with such a verdict of the people. Unfortunately, things went wrong for the party and herself. Starting with the jumbo size cabinet of about 60 members it could not bear its own weight.
   Signs of mismanagement were writ large. The cabinet was more crowded than the parliament itself. One year on, Khaleda gradually lost control over the controversial elements in the party and the Government.
   
   Corruption
   The country witnessed corruption in all sectors, many of the party lawmakers and leaders had been involved in massive corruption and made a huge wealth. The charismatic Khaleda, who ruled the country for 10 years since restoration of democracy in a mass upsurge in 1990, has been tainted by corruption allegations.
   What she could have done, she couldn't quite do. With her kind of popularity and unmatched personality, she should have tamed her corrupt ministers and MPs; she could have been serious in dealing with controversies about her sons, she could have started cleansing her party and the administration without any opposition, the national economy might have seen a record lift had she been committed, she could have set standards of democratization of the state and other institutions.
   With the unbridled corruption of her ministers and influential members of the four party alliance country's political situation turned volatile in October last year as the her four-party government tried desperately to hold the ninth parliament election despite the AL-led alliance's decision to boycott the polls that they viewed were designed to bring BNP and allies back to power.
   The country plunged into absolute chaos and the very institution of the state was on the verge of collapse and the people were scared out of their wits. Amidst utter chaos and lawlessness, the President of the republic declared the state of emergency and postponed the election scheduled for January 22. The rest is hirtory.

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Holiday Desk

IFC Advisory Services for South Asia - the SouthAsia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) - partnered with the Department of Environment (Ministry of Environment and Forests) is to organise a trade show on water and wastewater treatment technologies, says a press release. The objective is to help mitigate challenges in Bangladesh's ready-made garment supply chain and raise awareness about relevant clean technologies and solutions available to them. The trade show will be held from September 11 - 13 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.
   Many international and local effluent treatment plants and relevant environment management systems solution providers are expected to show-case different technology options relevant to the garments industry. During the trade fair, five workshops and seminars have been planned to address the key concerns of the target garments sub-sectors.
   Deepak Adhikary, Deputy General Manager and Head of IFC-SEDF in Dhaka says: "It is vital that the RMG sector receives significant help to meet environmental standards. The industry must remain competitive without damaging our natural resources."
   A key challenge for small and medium enterprises in this sector is acquiring and operating sustainable treatment plants. Many of the factories do not meet environmental standards. Effluents are discharged into the environment, causing long-term environmental damage, particularly to low arable lands and fisheries. This affects millions of people by negatively impacting agricultural output, fish population and human health.
   The trade show is also important in the context of a government announcement in March this year stating that they will start enforcing environmental standards from October 31 this year. Many washing and dyeing factories are now scrambling to add effluent treatment plants to reduce the adverse effects of untreated wastewater. Recent industry estimates show that about 1,200 factories (80 per cent of the relevant industry) are currently without waste water treatment plants and therefore face the risk of being shut down.
   "It is vital that the RMG sector receives significant help to meet environmental standards. The industry must remain competitive without damaging our natural resources," said Deepak Adhikary, Deputy General Manager and Head of IFC-SEDF, Bangladesh.

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