CORRUPTION and the erstwhile government of the 4-party alliance have become so synonymous that we are not the least bit surprised at the revelation made by the ex-minister for power, who was once a BNP MP and now a member of the newly formed LDP, of plunder of the power sector during the last five years of the alliance rule. Nonetheless we are astounded by the enormity of the sum involved and the impunity with which the sector was denuded of its funds.

The cavalier fashion with which corruption had been resorted to during the alliance rule highlights the danger of crony capitalism in our country where petty personal interests subsume larger national interest. The plundering of the power sector and also a report of how two diammonium phosphate projects, taken up during the AL rule and suspended when the alliance took over power in 2001 on grounds of corruption, were revived by the alliance government obviously after palms were greased in the right places, speak volume.

Coming as it does from the horse's mouth, he being once an insider and having seen the going on in the ministry and the sector even for a very brief period, we cannot but take his words with some credibility.

The most unbearable agony that the people suffered were caused by the acute shortage of power in the last five years. Agriculture suffered in the northern areas due to shortage of power. Yet, from the ex-minister's account, apparently there was no shortage of funds at the disposal of the power ministry not only to refurbish the old plants, of which very little was done, but for adding new plants of which nothing was done except the Tongi plant that spluttered and stuttered before grinding to halt soon after its commission. Tk 15,000 crore was spent and not a single megabyte added in the last five years! It is simply inexcusable.

Now that the cat is out of the bag and that the adviser incharge of power has indicated that he would publish a white paper on corruption in the sector, the government must take these reports seriously and not stop only at publishing of white paper. Exemplary punishments must be meted out to those that are responsible for plundering our national wealth, not only in the power sector but in all other sectors as well.