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UNDP's HD1 Report

Why is Bangladesh Placed so Low?

by Mansoor Mamoon
***Whatever the UNDP HD! report says it will be invariably drowned in the cacophony of the government 's propaganda of flowing milk and honey. Irrespective of party coating this is being witnessed for long no matter whether the government is autocratic or pseudo-democratic.***
IN the UNDP's Human Development Index(HDI) Report ceremonially made public on June 29 last. Bangladesh presents a poor rating. Previously. Bangladesh's position was better than Nepal and Bhutan In respect of human development index But in the first UNDP report of the new millenniam Bangladesh's position has dipped Tower than that of these two countries. The UNDP HDI Report has placed Bangladesh at the lowest rung In the entire South Asia region albeit the fact that Its overall standing has scaled from 150 last year to 146 this year among 174 countries of the world. Even though Sri Lanka is being torn asunder due to long standing ethnic strife It is at the top of the list of South Asian countries followed by the tiny Maldives and India. Despite being tinder martial law and Intense political instability Pakistan also managed to place itself in the fourth position In the region. Only Bangladesh went down the ladder in respect of HDI. largely a feudal monarchy landlocked Nepal and a Himalayan foothill country Bhutan have considerably advanced leaving behind In the race the deltaic fertile Bangladesh.
In HDI Report of UNDP 46 countries have been rated as good. 93 as medium and 35 as worse. Bangladesh Is among the worst of the worse. HDI is measured In the context of human rights, rate of literacy and education, medicare and above all good governance. For over a decade multi-party democracy has been restored in Bangladesh after fifteen years of military and quasi-military rule. But good governance is still a far cry. Abuses of human rights in Bangladesh is. in fact, galore. The country has been characterized as a violence ridden one. Law and order situation has reached an all time low. It is said that thousands of cases are pending before each of the judges from the lower to the higher courts. It is said that justice delayed is justice denied and in Bangladesh there are in-
stances that second general ion is to wait for the justice sought by Die first generation Rule of law Is a still a far cry and even the government admits that true Judgment, particularly In the lower courts. Is hardly available.
In Bangladesh women, the weaker class and the minorities are subjected to gross social dls-criminatlon. The ugliest thing is that wife-bashing by the husbands mainly for dowry and also otherwise is preponderant. A staggering number of wives io the tunc of 47 per cent are reported to be regularly assaulted by their husbands Dowry related death, acid throwing, desertion. divorces, polygamy etc. stare the faces of the ordinary women. Even law enforcers also indulge In women repression. Death in custody and 'confession' through torture could not be stopped notwithstanding their condemnation both at home and abroad.
Bangladesh is perhaps among the few countries literally ruled by godfathers and mafia who dictate the politics, economy and law and order And among these godfathers there arc even politicians and business tycoons (reference survey by the vernacular daily the Prothom Alo). Extortion and corruption are the 'easy methods' for minting money overnight. Manipulation in the share market and default loan are the easiest way not only to turn rich but also emerge as business leaders. Postings in police, customs, taxation, excise etc. are allegedly bought'. Corrupt elements go scot free.
Though there is seemingly an elected parliament on multiparty basis, politics has remained in the street perhaps with the glee of the ruling party that the opposition is out of the house while the opposition is foolhardy in assuming that this way it is exposing the autocratic nature of the government. Controversial postings are being made in the Election Commission allegedly in a bid to win over the opponents in the upcoming hustings. There is no
transparency and accountability at any tier of the government and the society. The dictum being practiced is might is right which resembles the Jungle law.
All the successive governments claimed that highest allocation had been regularly made to education sector. Bui education in Bangladesh is virtually on the verge of ruination due to session Jam, violence In campus, unfair means in public examinations etc. Quality edu-cation is increasingly becoming a far cry with the result that Increasing number of meritorious students are leaving the country to prosecute their studies abroad.
About medicare the less said the better At the government hospitals and health centers people do not get proper medication and diagnosis by doctors. And the government through fully aware of the sorry stale of affairs in the health mu tor has put a blind eye to the prevailing condition.
Bangladesh is well behind the high tech global trend. Neither the ruling party nor the opposition appears to be least disturbed about the neglect in respect of human development. What concerns them is power, and only power. P. To them the country or the people are just secondary.
When this is the overall situation in Bangladesh one cannot expect that there will be any noteworthy improvement in its human development index. Whatever the UNDP HDI report says it will be invariably drowned in the cacophony of the government s propaganda of flowing milk and honey. Irrespective of party coating' this is being witnessed for long no matter whether the government is autocratic or pseudo-democratic. So long this doctoring and tailoring of supposed achievements continue ignoring independent international assessment, there will be little efforts toward improvement and Bangladesh will continue to languish in the backyard of global and regional HDI.