EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

           

 

BNP abstaining from JS

Putting conditions not acceptable

We are sorry that the opposition BNP has decided to remain absent from the parliament in the current session. It is all but clear to us that the reason it had joined, and that too very briefly, the last session of the parliament, was possibly only to prevent their seats being declared vacant. We feel that the party's position is not only irrational, it is impolitic and dysfunctional for democracy, for itself and for the state, and above all, it is a letdown of its supporters who are being kept unrepresented in the parliament for a long time.

We fail to understand why attending parliament should be made an issue at all. And with every passing day there is an accretion to the list of conditions. It is unfortunate that something that a party is obliged to the people, particularly to its supporters, to do of its own volition, is being tied up with preconditions. This time a new addition to the list is the demand on the government to commit to holding mid-term polls. And in this regard BNP leaders are not speaking in one voice. Barrister Maudud Ahmed has set a different precondition, that of withdrawing four cases against Begum Zia.

The current session is important not only because of the budget but also for several matters of great national significance. The issue of constitutional amendment is likely to come up for consideration, and in which the future of the caretaker government will feature prominently. The only place to call for midterm polls is the parliament, and the BNP will do a great disservice by not putting up its points of view in the House. These issues are being flogged day in and day out in every forum, and on some of which BNP's stand is opposite to the ruling coalition's, and understandably so.

BNP's position regarding the issue of joining the parliament has assumed a flippant character, which, to the eyes of the people has caused erosion of the party's credibility. The only reason that the BNP should join the parliament of its own volition is that it is elected to do so.

When the ground caves in

The accident calls for answers

The subsidence of a construction site in the city's Nakhalpara area on Saturday demonstrates once more the near impunity with which some owners of projected new buildings operate. There have been instances in the recent past of buildings collapsing owing to faulty construction, putting lives at risk. And every time such incidents have occurred, there have been fresh calls for inquiries and the need for a strict monitoring and implementation of building codes. It now appears that while a new disaster may ignite calls for corrective action, such calls remain confined to being lip service in the end.

In the present instance, the ground simply caved in even before the building, a proposed fourteen-story medical college and hospital planned by Islamic Trading Construction Limited, could come up. The ITCL was reportedly digging sixty feet deep into the ground when everything collapsed. The worst part was that the caving in took with it a road as well as three tin-shed buildings nearby. It also left nearby multi-storeyed buildings with cracks. Why did those responsible for the projected building fail to note that the ground was essentially part of a wetland filled in with debris. It should have occurred to them that the soil needed to be strengthened and stabilised before construction work could be undertaken. One would be inclined to pin the blame on the engineers for the disaster. At the same time, clear questions about the quality of materials used to prepare the soil for construction also need to be answered. The Rajuk chairman has stated that his organisation had given approval for the construction of the building. But then he also noted that Rajuk's instructions had not been followed. Two questions arise here. First, what was the nature of those instructions? Second, if instructions had not been followed, was Rajuk around to hold the owners to account?

The simple truth is that such disasters cannot go on happening. Unless action is taken against individuals and firms responsible for such accidents (we still do not know if transgressors in earlier instances have been penalised), tragedy will become a repetitive affair. Will Rajuk wake up, in citizens' interest?