RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS CAN HELP

Closing in on corruption

Colonel Mirza Shafi

Self-control is a strange term that can hardly be said to explain itself. “Oh, control yourself!” is an expression known to us all. When an individual is acting in obedience to certain spontaneous impulses, being part of himself or herself, if we disapprove it we call upon certain other forces to repress, regulate or control that person’s actions. And in any civilised society, for that matter, national sanctions are available to control the activities of the people.
   
   Social impulse
   To understand the business of self-control or self-restraint, we must keep it in mind that the progress of mankind has been due largely to man’s possession of a social heritage, a heritage of knowledge not directly transmitted in him, but for what we have learnt from our parents and other elders, as well as from books and other records of previous human thoughts. It is, therefore, essential that people must be educated, there must be a family culture to indicate good or bad —- and finally, religious teachings must be imparted to all.
   We all have a few important tendencies or motive forces with which all normal people are born. First, we have an impulse to live, to preserve ourselves, and to assert ourselves, which is called the ‘egoistic’ impulse. Another is the social impulse. Not a single person in a thousand enjoys living alone for any length of time. The great majority of us feel safer and more comfortable in the midst of neighbours, friends and family members. And this instinct develops friendship, comradeship, loyalty, sympathy, spontaneous generosity etc.
   
   Maternal instinct
   Another primary impulse born in us, which remain dormant in early age, is called the tender impulse or the maternal instinct. Every human mother has a spontaneous urge to care, to protect and to nourish her child even in presence of danger, and is prepared to die in defence of the young. Again, the emotion associated with the maternal impulse is pity for the weak, the small and the helpless. These are the great primal, inherent impulses or tendencies, which are at the back of all our activities.
   We are, further born with certain definite appetities — appetite for food, drink and the sex urge. The maternal impulse is also of the nature of an appetite. All these inborn appetites and urges are again, the motive forces behind our every act. But unless we have cultivated good habits, it is along the lines of one of our primal instincts, of the one, which happens at the moment to be the strongest and the most irresistible, that our desire will find expression.
   However, it is important to recognise that each of our most deeply seated urges the self-preservation or the egoistic, the maternal or tender, the sex or procreative, can be blended with, and harmoniously fitted in with, any or all of the others. Of course, this involves a certain amount of sacrifice; but such moderation or compromise is the very basis of civilised and humane society. Finally, when self-control does not secure a reasonable approach to such harmonization, organised society is compelled to intervene with compulsory measures.
   Since the one-eleven, the present caretaker government has declared its stated aim to weed out the country of financial irregularities and corruption completely. For Bangladesh was declared five times consecutively as the most corrupt country of the world by TIB. Like many other LDCs, corruption in our society has thrived slowly but surely due to poverty, illiteracy, lack of transparency in governance and lack of peoples, ‘faith in religious teachings.
   
   Religious teachings
   Earlier it was said that some members of certain departments are corrupt and remained engaged in bribery and illegitimate earning, but presently almost all government, semi—government private organisation like the businessmen, politicians and even the education sector and judiciary are not free from vices. After hauling up many corrupt people by the present government and subsequent trial and punishment. Even today people complain that bribery is still business as usual as brazenly rampant as before.
   One national newspaper writes, “Over the past months highly influential persons in politics, administration and business have been brought to book; and the nation has shuddered at the extremely high scale of pil1age and plunder of state wealth worth crores of takas....” But as some ailments that take long to heal, corruption and financial irregularities cannot be corrected in a short time in any speedy measure. It is a continuous task which will need dealing with people’s mindset and psyche, education to our general masses and bringing correct religious teachings to the doors of each and every citizen. But the goal will remain incomplete unless every scope for such corrupt practices are curbed by effective rules and regulations and by introducing watchdog bodies.
   
   ‘Forest King’ amassed wealth
   To explain the position, we may take the case of the ‘Forest King’ of the Bangladesh Forest Department and others in that department— the plunder there was unthinkable. As has been said people over there used following means; posting officers to lucrative locations/fixing monthly payment of bribe from each area boss, outright sale of forest, valuables,and misuse of project funds etc.
   We, therefore, need to have check and verification (like we have a system of ‘Roko’ and ‘Toko’ in the army) at every level, to ensure that none can amass wealth or offer bribe, for self-gratification. The Parliamentary sub—committees have a big role in curbing corruption on irregularities after the respective ministry having done their part of duties and responsibilities. The aim may not be achieved unless an absolute transparency in governance is desired.
   
   Media’s access to information
   Again, the media should get an unrestricted access to official information. Any attempt to conceal affordable information by the bureaucracy should be made a crime. Then character counts. What we heard and read in the newspapers, the family of the ‘Forest King’ abetted, assisted and (helped him) absorb the loot. Who we are is more important than who we appear to be. Sages have made it clear that we can only experience true success and happiness by making character the bedrock of our life. The qualities that make an ideal family are missing nowadays. Possibly education and religious teachings made hardly any inroad into that family.
   Finally, are we really a corrupt nation? How much in sin are we? Is it time for our destruction as punishment from God? Bangladesh’s climate is becoming worse day-by-day. In the Oscar winning Al Gore movie Bangladesh has been highlighted amongst the most vulnerable countries, which would go under seawater by the next century.
   In Surah An’am or cattle, V1-6, the Quran said,” See they not how many of those before them we did destroy? Generations we had established on the earth, in strength such as we have not given to you for whom we poured out rain from the skies in abundance, and gave (fertile) streams flowing beneth their (feet): yet for their sins we destroyed them, and raised in their wake fresh generations (to succeed them.
   Therefore, let us pray and hope that the present Caretaker government complete its stated tasks and if needed, be given some more time.

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Both BNP groups hope to win HC verdict Mohammad Ali Sattar

The High Court (HC) on Nov.18 stayed for four weeks operation of the Election Commission’s (EC) letter inviting Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed to its electoral talks as the BNP representative.
   The High Court has also asked the EC, BNP acting secretary general and six members of the BNP standing committee and chief adviser of the caretaker government to reply within three weeks why the letter would not be declared illegal.
   For the first time since the new government took over and the EC overhauled it has been served with a legal notice by the High Court.
   The configuration of the present EC had sent positive signal to all the stakeholders. The political parties had made cautious observations and waited to see its presentation. Initially the CEC could win the much needed confidence of the people within a short time and much was expected from his office. Although he took time in announcing the election roadmap nevertheless it was well received but not without a noise.
   The recent dialogue with the political parties also started with a good note. The only bane for the EC was the internal strife in the BNP. The quarrelling members of the party made things difficult for the EC to settle on as to which is of the main faction it could invite for the ongoing political discourse.
   A few weeks back the CEC had told the media that EC would study the constitution of BNP and act accordingly. The pro-Khaleda faction naturally slept well all these days with the hope of getting the call because according to their interpretation of the party constitution the chairperson enjoys absolute power to expel and to appoint any member of the party to any post. When the EC invited the Saifur – Hafiz group for talks, the other group raised objection.
   The writ petition has been filed on behalf of the BNP chairperson and now the ball is in the High Court. The HC bench comprising Justices Nazmun Ara Sultana and Mohammad Abu Tariq has responded to the writ by halting the EC to go ahead with the dialogue. The pro-Khaleda faction has welcomed the HC decision while Saifur-Hafiz-led faction said they hope the commission will be able to remove the obstacles towards holding the dialogue slated for November 22 through legal measures.
   Khaleda Zia has appointed Khandaker Delwar Hossain as the secretary general after expelling Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, who was the party’s secretary general for 11 years exercising the power bestowed on her by the BNP constitution. Both the letters of expulsion and appointment, signed by the party chairperson, were backdated. Although chairperson has the power to take such decisions as per party constitution, but the same constitution also requires approval of the standing committee to finalise the same. The chairperson has not been able to do that.
   Lawyers representing the BNP chairperson observed that the EC misinterpreted the party’s constitution and it was illegal for them to ask Hafiz to participate in the electoral talks. Now the HC would give its judgement based on the BNP constitution.
   The Attorney has made an interesting observation while commenting on the issue: “the ongoing dialogue is crucial to conduct a free and fair election and so it should not be stopped. Inviting one faction to the talks does not necessarily mean that the other one would not be invited.”
   The EC on October 5 issued the invitation letter to Hafiz. The legal battle is underway and this time the EC is a party to the conflict. This may become tough for it to defend its decision, critics say.
   Meanwhile, the acting office secretary of pro-Khaleda BNP had expressed his elation on HC rule. He said: “We have stepped onto the first stage of victory through the High Court’s decision and we are confident we will emerge victorious with the release of our leader Khaleda Zia.”
   This should be an interesting legal battle and an acid test for the EC. The EC cannot afford to get itself embroiled in any controversial matters, as this will again create constitutional crises putting the whole election process in jeopardy. This will be suicidal and wheeling backwards.

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