I am closely following the opinions being expressed in the letter columns of the DS where some regular contributors have flayed Awami League for its movement to unseat the Coalition government headed by BNP. Any right thinking man would not like an elected government to go before its legitimate tenure. But when that government fails miserably to deliver good governance and when it assumes the facade of no better than a dictator ('When an elected govt, behaves like a dictator' -commentary by the DS Editor referred) what alternative is there but to want change of the men at the helm of state affairs through a midterm election? To give leverage to BNP it is often brought home that AL did not do better, and some also say it is just the other side of the same coin. But would you countenance the wrongs of BNP pointing fingers to the follies of AL? People taught AL a good lesson for its failure to live upto our expectations and voted BNP and its alliances into office. But BNP-headed Coalition government has simply shattered our expectations to the hilt.

A government's first and foremost duty should be the concern for the welfare of all citizens of the country. But has it neared to that end? It had made pledges to give us moon, and in two and a half years of its governance we got thousands of

our fellow men snuffed out, and never before had the country witnessed so great a number lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. Abduction of businessmen in particular for ransom is almost a regular occurrence. Latest gruesome murder of a father and his son in the old part of the city speaks of terrorists acting on their free will. Immediately after the Coalition's take-over there were 'harrowing tales of depravity', that the members of minority Hindu community were subjected to and supporters of AL also met the scourge. That dented our image abroad, and international human rights organisation had to intervene. Professor Muhuri of Chittagong fell a broad day light victim to terrorists' bullets, and thereafter fell a hermit in Chittagong and leaders of AL in Khulna, Rajshahi and Natore and elswhere. By this time we have many stories of torture and rape like the one carried on Mahima by young party goons. We had to see primitive bestiality of burning a whole Hindu family but one member to death in Chittagong. More than thirty houses were burnt and looted and inmates evicted in Natore following the death of the nephew of a Deputy Minister at the hand of the members of an outlawed party.

But the perpetrators, the arsonists allegedly remain at large under the party blessing. Rule of law? It is warped at will with the police used only to serve the interest of the party

in power. The claim of the party 'the nation's interest is above that of the party's is in limbo now or has gone with the wind.

The extortion or toll collection is more virulently practised than before, and many lost their lives when they declined to pay. The picture of a father and a son of Mirpur falling prey to extortionists' bullets is still vivid in our memory. A travel agency businessman at Nazrul Islam Avenue met the same fate. Only the other day a worker at a sweetmeat shop in Mirpur was gunned down. A promising cricketer's life was cut short by a hijacker's bullets. These all are happening in the capital where all branches of police with lately commissioned RAT/RAB are in place with ostentation of paraphernalia. Then what of other district towns? The drive and display of arms recovery come to be a futile exercise as it is aimed at with political motive. Trading guns between rivals of the same party cadres or between JCD and Shibir are reported but the police play the role of spectators. At the outset of the BNP-Led Coalition government the JCD cadres ransacked the cadres ransacked the Plassey market of computer services for toll collection and the police did not dare to bust them.

Now the businessmen of the whole country appear to be hostages. How come that the extortionists are taking lives one after another and government's machin-

ery cannot nab them? If the government reportedly could release about seventy thousand offenders only on the merit of their being the party adherents and brag for that, and if it could induct a lawmaker accused of holding unlicensed weapon into the party, and if it could nominate an alleged criminal to be a lawmaker, you cannot expect the government but to drag its feet than to take action. So is the rot in law and order in profusion. The Time magazine of late dubbed us 'A State of Disgrace' on myriad counts, and what more is left for our image to be badly tarnished?

The price spiral which badly affected the general mass, especially those of the bracket income, seems to be no concern for the government. Why shall we have to pay 20 to 30 per cent more for the food stuff, especially for the pulse, edible oil, flour and tinned powder milk, the every day essentials, with the changes of the government which talks big, when there is not the least increase in our purchasing capacity? The price of milk/baby food has gone beyond the reach of middle/lower middle class family and their children will grow malnourished for want of milk. The change of man of the Ministry will sway little if the syndicate that controls the import and marketing from behind is not dealt with iron hand.

When law and order has stopped all time low the corruption has reached all time high. Bangladesh

under this government also has been ranked twice in a row as number one corrupt country by Tl. Ministers were alleged to be involved, one in works under Danish grant, and the other in wheat scam, but no remorse or reproach. Even the member of judiciary faces bribery charge, let alone the police whose filthy practice is legendary. It is beyond anybody's imagination to get govt, employment without barter of bucks. It is possible only in Bangladesh for petty workers in Titas Gas, PDB, Customs to become a millionaire. When obtaining a party ticket for nomination depends on who could pay more to the party fund is an abiding practice, corruption gets its moorings there like the charity begins at home. And understandably the payer must reimburse the money back in many folds by any means, like, as they allege, a police officer makes it a point to recover what he has paid for getting the job or suitable posting.

Democracy entails other's right to freedom of speech, freedom to disagree, freedom to protest against the wrongs of the party in position by way of meeting, demonstration or procession. But this govt, would tolerate no criticism or dissent. On the other hand, journalists were put to death by 'unknown' assailants (Manik Saha the latest victim), some beaten mercilessly and some carry the threats of dire consequences, for unearthing the misdeeds of certain quarters. Coalition partner JI

lawmaker Moulana Sayedi demands in the House for arrest of Professor Humayun Azad and banning of his book, and it takes no time to launch a fatal attack on his life. To foil the meeting and peaceful gathering of the opposite camp it unleashes police and its cadres. It all started with beating the female students of Shamsunnahar Hall, shamefully under the cover of night, where also police were aided by JCD cadres.

We saw former president B. Chowdhury's meeting attacked rowdily and the arches erected and the stages made for tour in South Bengal of the Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina ravaged by the government party cadres and activists. Earlier AL leaders and women party workers were brutally bludgeoned during their every hartal day processions in Dhaka. How outrageous it was that AL President and the ex-PM Sheikh Hasina was denied her privilege and democratic rights to enter the CMH and see wounded Prof. Humayun Azad! Even the farmer of our constitution Dr. Kamal Hossain who has since been outspoken about the sad state of affairs was assailed by the BNP cadres at CHT

The PM is full-throated about unprecedented development her govt has brought forth. Yes, you can find development on the Dhaka streets, which are being narrowed by dismantling the existing dividers and rebuilding the same covering

more space which are often creating just impediments and are sheer wastage of huge public funds allegedly being rolled into the hands of the party men in the garb of contractors. The nation that cannot afford necessary drugs for its Health Complexes to treat poor patients or enough blackboard and benches in the primary schools cannot wallow in such extravagant outlay. That money could make another fly-over to help case the city's traffic jam. The countryside is also witnessing massive road works, but you will find none other than the party workers in charge of the works, and so quality of works remains a delusion (AL also did the same, but following that bad example is simply worse).

Load-shedding is getting more erratic and easy availability of fertiliser still remains a far cry. Development signifies growth of industrial infrastructure and creation of opportunity for employment. No such pragmatic policy has been evolved, nor foreign investment could be lured. Rather many mills like Adamjee Jute Mills and others have been shut down or sent to lay off making hundreds of workers jobless. There has been no upward change in per capita income to justify the claims of 'unprecedented development'. In the face of such successful stories of unsuccesses all the opposition parties including the leftists are on the streets to demand for a change.

In democracy the opposition is

reckoned to play the part of a 'shadow government' and the party in power takes the opposition into its confidence, but in Bangladesh they are inimical to each other. The incumbent government is more conspicuous in its hostile attitude to the opposition. With brute majority in the parliament and with assistance of branded anti-liberation forces it made no secret of its intention to wipe out AL; it purged all departments of officers having leaning towards AL, it harassed many leaders and workers under trumped up charges, it vilifies AL as enemy to the country media and machinery to discredit AL. The police are more after the Awami Leaguers than they are for the criminals. Look at the biggest ever arms haul in Chittagong. Like the last one in Bogra when the government promptly blamed AL, this time too the Home Minister did not take time to say that they did not rule out. AL's involvement here. The blame game is on.

If the government makes even pretension to democratic polity it must pave the way for other parties to have their say either in parliament or on the streets. So is the need for radical change in its attitude.