EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

            

 

Widening chasm in politics

Avoid hasty action on CTG bill

The chasm between the government and the opposition BNP on the caretaker issue is clearly widening. That is unfortunate. It should have been the other way round, especially after the ruling party’s exhortations to the BNP to engage in talks on the issue in the Jatiyo Sangsad. Now, ironically, it is the government which appears set to present the opposition and the country with a fait accompli: the cabinet has just approved a raft of constitutional amendment proposals, including one on abolishing the caretaker system.

Our concerns have only deepened with the submission of the amendment proposals by the law minister before the Jatiyo Sangsad yesterday.

We believe that having called on the opposition to engage in negotiations with it, the government should not have rushed into an approval of the draft amendment proposals by the cabinet in the first place. All efforts, no matter how painstaking and time-consuming, should have been expended on drawing the BNP into talks. Since the caretaker issue will have a deep impact on the future of national politics, the ruling party ought to have stayed its hand. For its part, the opposition, in the larger interest of the nation’s future, should have dropped its belligerence and come forward to make its own contribution to a solution.

The haste in which the series of moves were made by the government only muddies the waters. It has now given something with one hand, namely, its offer of talks to the opposition; and then taken it away, by formally presenting its proposals in parliament. Even so, we appeal to the JS not to rush into adopting the amendment proposals but allow more time for the two sides to discuss the issue to the nation’s satisfaction. If formal means of engagement are not possible at the moment, all informal moves must be made to narrow the gap between the government and the opposition. At this critical phase in national politics, the BNP must get a sense of its responsibilities and return to the JS to carry them out as the government spares no effort to engage the opposition meaningfully on the question.

We do not think the Rubicon has been crossed yet.

Burglaries on the up

Effective policing missing

Incidents of armed robbery at shopping malls and residences have been on a rise. We have heard of robberies intermittently taking place at ornament shops nocturnally but now it's happening in broad daylight. The latest at a city's posh commercial centre in Banani throws an open challenge to those involved in crime control. Only last week, a gang cleared all valuables from an apartment house on the eighth floor in the city.

The issue is of slack in law and order being mocked at by updated robbery versions. While most of the shopping complexes are glittering and full of merchandise those remain dangerously sloppy in security. Most of the entrances do not have security personnel. Anti-burglary logistics and prevention measures are also absent. In short, there are virtually no built-in methods to ward off robberies and thefts.

Broadly, many private organisations and housing complexes have engaged private security firms in meeting their safety needs. While they may serve some purpose but are still not enough to negotiate the machinations of today's robbery gangs.

Residential areas remain extremely susceptible. These lack adequate security or many do not have them at all. Break-in operations mostly happen in collusion with building security staff, which is why the need for laying down rules even for private security arrangements.

The most wanting is police patrol in market and residential areas. The lack of presence of law enforcers often gives leeway to criminals to go about their forays. The presence of police patrols in areas vulnerable to crime is badly compromised because a large number of policemen are engaged in VIP duties and political events.

While community policing is the part of the answer, round-the-clock vigil by well-armed patrol teams should be a priority, both in commercial and residential areas. For their part, market and housing authorities should also firm up their security arrangements with modern features.