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The disobedience mode
From recent happenings it would appear that the disobedience psyche has assumed an ominous proportion to the
serious detriment of public good. Such an extreme observation springs from the reported illegal scouring of river beds that has posed a dangerous threat to the existence of two major bridges — Meghna and Gumti bridges -- on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Despite repeated warnings the mischief could not be stopped and as a result we have reached a point when, at least temporarily the plying of transports has to be suspended.
One can imagine the enormous inconvenience that would be caused to the travelling public and the adverse impact on national economy caused by slow traffic on the most important highway of the country. The mess we are in has been caused by our carelessness about public property. Many of us who would not allow any trespass on our private possessions are actually willing to contemplate, with total equanimity, encroachments on public property and destruction of public amenities.
The blame for inaction must be shared by the people along with the government. The fact is that private initiative and vigilance of the citizenry could have gone a long way towards counteracting the deficiencies of the government. In the ultimate analysis, it is the citizens who stand to suffer most from disloca-
tions in public services.
The question is, do we have too much government and too little administration, and too many public servants but too little public service, and finally too many laws and too little justice? Why do we have a growing tendency not to show obedience even to the enforceable laws? Such queries arise because there were long periods in our history when there were few laws but the people practiced the ideal of obedience to the
unenforceable.
It is understood that obedience is not easy to practice or inculcate, particularly in times characterised by escalating violence, intemperate thirst for power, and social and ideological conflicts. It is especially difficult in organised industrial relations. We have witnessed, particularly in the readymade garments sector, that undisciplined trade unionism is as dangerous as undisciplined capitalism. Similarly, undisciplined demagogy has been as menacing as undisciplined student power.
In the sub-continent, people lived for generations without a government, not even an effective regional government, but life went on. The
nation had perhaps a certain moral depth and knew how to behave. In our present situation there must be some wisdom behind the view that a handful of individuals cannot, for their selfish gain, hold the whole society to ransom. The reality is that physical violence and strong-arm tactics are still practiced by irresponsible trade union leaders and their followers.
In countries where people are mature enough to practice obedi-
ence to the un-enforceable, there arises no need for a law to ban strikes or the use of physical force. Militant trade unionism is absent there. In our situation, where obedience is not a virtue, the law has to intervene in all industrial cases because selfdiscipline and self-restraint do not prevail.
At present, what we need is a commitment of time and energy to public causes which transcends the narrow and selfish materialistic objectives of individuals and groups. The individual businessman or industrialist must give not only money but also the standards which are so essential to the physical environment that enhances healthy public life. He, as a
leader, must get personally involved and not merely be content to place his resources at the disposal of others for public causes.
The disobedience of law, which has become nearly a way of life for many in the country, manifests itself very dangerously in the brick kilns in the immediate periphery of the capital. Equally hazardous and menacing is the indiscriminate dumping of chemical wastes and other pollutants in the rivers and fields without caring a bit for the health and environment safety. Industrial enterprises are required to make arrangements for treatment of the wastes and pollutants but in reality there is more breach than observance.
The objective at national level is definitely balanced and harmonious development and surely not development at any cost. If that be so, then the disobedience mode in all sectors and at all stages has to be faced directly and dealt with squarely.
For balanced development there is need for close identification with the common man, the dominant emphasis being on the collective good. This emphasis would mean sharing their sorrows, understanding their difficulties and anticipating their wants. The reality demands that the guardians identify themselves with the villagers who toil under the hot sun beating on their bent backs, and see how they would like to drink water from the pool in which the villagers bathe, wash their clothes and pots and in which their cattle drink and roll. The leaders will then truly represent the masses and shall be responding to their calls.
The writer is a columnist of The Daily Star.