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Paucity of the public-spirited

Muhammad Nurul Huda
A distinguished academic from the London School of Economics while undertaking an evaluatory "reality check" of socio-economic upliftment programme funded by donor countries lamented about the acute shortage of public
spirited individuals. Such individuals, according to the considered view of the aforementioned academic, could have supported, enhanced and sustained the innovative capacities of the ordinary folks who displayed commendable imagination and drive during the conception and implementation of development programmes. The absence of the public spirited, it was held, put an end to a good number of potentially beneficial programmes.
The important question is, why do we hear about the frustrating wane of public-spirited individuals at this point of time? The issue acquires significance in our part of the world where in the not-too-distant past there were many laudatory initiatives of local self-government and where the grateful public witnessed admirable acts of philanthropy and emancipatory ventures of public welfare by morally and ethically-driven committed individuals.
Reflecting on our sense of public duty one could perhaps say without fear of contradiction that we in Bangladesh have scant concern for public good and far too few citizens are interested in public welfare. In fact, our lack of concern for public good manifests itself in many ways — in the way we walk or drive on the road and in more significant things like our attitude to encroachments on or destruction of public property.
The general reaction to numerous encroachments which are suffocating our cities and towns is governed by what is loosely assumed or hastily glimpsed or piously hoped. We have no sense of pride in our city, country or history. There are not many citizens who are ready to speak in support of public servants who are left with the odium of discharging their statutory duty of protecting national assets.
The sad part of the whole process is that we are as careless about public property as we are careful about our own property. Those who would not allow any trespass on their private holdings are willing to contemplate, with total equanimity, encroachments on public property and destruction of public amenities. Our urban existence is in a state of galloping decay partly resulting from public
property being encroached upon with impunity, with the misguided sympathy of a section of the citizens.
It is time to distinguish humanitarianism from miscarriage of mercy. Dubious public figures who have grabbed public lands are making large untaxed incomes every month out of the miseries of the homeless. The imperative of good government can surely be achieved by cleaner ways than converting public property into visible illegal occupancy.
There can be no two opinions on the fact that public interest requires promotion of law and order, not its denegation or destruction. Therefore when suspected wrongdoers are publicly lynched with or
without the connivance of the lawmen, citizens are concerned. If the protectors have miserably failed to do the law enforcement, the enraged members of the public have, by their bestiality, also besmirched the virtues of observance of law.
One could ponder and ask why some people with good sense did not step ahead and make some efforts to stop the group frenzy? Is our bestiality getting the better of sensibility and propriety? Do we want to prove the cynic's derisive observation right that behaviourally Bengalis are individually cowardly but ferocious in group? Must not we realise that group frenzy or vigilante justice are manifestations of a sick society that is damagingly oblivi-
ous of public responsibilities?
A considered view is that for public-spiritedness to grow, the local government has to be entrusted with the responsibility of addressing a large part of our socio-economic deprivations; and they have to bear the responsibility of devising their solutions. It needs to be remembered that supersession in this regard will render their restoration and empowerment immensely difficult for painfully long years.
The possibility of contracting out aspects of urban services such as solid waste can be considered, and the scope of contracted out services be extended gradually. At present, our urban municipal bodies have limited management capacity and it may not be possible to put into effect regulatory systems which are needed to allow greater private sector provision of services.
The challenge is to find medium-term policy options that compromise between two extremes of inefficiency and the less-performing public sector, and costly private sector provision by individual firms. There is evidence that urban dwellers are willing to pay more for reliable services when available. Regulatory audit to assess the costs, benefits and distributional consequences of specific regulations will need to be carried out.
The efforts of communities and NGOs to provide services in the neighbourhoods should be supported. The local government institutions have to establish strong information and community relations units to work with the planning and implementation of machinery for dissemination of information to the public and seek community involvement in the decision making and development process.
Action has to be focused on issues that will restore the confidence of the people in the state without involving any financial outlay. People want security of life, fair-play and justice. They also want a rudimentary infrastructure and an enabling environment where they can work and prosper. A participatory mode of governance will foster public-spiritedness.
The blame for failure to develop public-spiritedness had to be shared by the people along with the government because politicians are voted into power by the people. It is time to recognise that private initiative can go a long way towards counteracting the deficiencies of the government.
We can certainly hope for more administration than government, more public service than public servants, more welfare than controls and more justice than laws.
The writer is a Columnist for The Daily Star.
****Reflecting on our sense of public duty one could perhaps say without fear of contradiction that we in Bangladesh have scant concern for public good and far too few citizens are interested in public welfare. In fact, our lack of concern for public good manifests itself in many ways — in the way we walk or drive on the road and in more significant things like our attitude to encroachments on or destruction of public property.*****