The New Nation - Internet Edition

In the event of Dhaka City Corporation election, together with like minded people, friends and co-workers in Dhaka, we are thinking of some ideas as a victims of misrule and corrupt administration. I would like to hear from the fellow citizens of Dhaka about the idea's described below.

Present perspective: Recent changes in Bangladesh suggest that positive attitudes and activities are required in every sense of public life; this much is accepted by everyone as the requirements of the time. The people's expectation is in favor of honest, sincere and straightforward public administration.

The present authorities declared their intentions for a fare Election within a time frame. As a part of local government elections, Dhaka City Corporation Election is scheduled in the March 2008.

What's happening?: Many interest groups and individuals interested in the election have started to show up their credentials. Their aims, objectives and approaches seem to be traditional. For example, the candidates for the Mayoral position are still expected to have the ability to spend crores of taka. Some spending of the Iftar Party oriented to the election preparation involved spending lakhs of taka.

As a result, the interest groups are trying to find people from the affluent elite personalities to contest the election as a Mayor. There is nothing wrong with the affluent seeking election as long as they have public interest at heart. My fear, however, is that a corrupt administration in the municipal corporation will continue if all the spending leads to a demand for high returns on the investment.

What's the situation?: The total administration along with the elected Commissioners is absolutely corrupt with a little exception. The low income, less privileged people among the city dwellers are oppressed with the pressure of increased taxes and less services. The Rich, privileged and powerful city dwellers escape by not paying proper taxes. The dealings of tenders, contractors and markets operations are not transparent. There is little effort to improve the services in the area of public health as well the environmental health. A huge number of children cannot enter school because of lack of vacancy, and more municipal maintained primary schools required. All these suggest that it is time to work together with the progressive, patriotic forces and mobilizes the citizens of Dhaka with the aim to create conscious and effective Peoples Power.

What is to be done?: It is time to act and take responsibilities to get organized with the aim to establish an honest, fare and effective administration in the Corporation. The citizens of Dhaka need to get organized themselves. People with good intentions and goodwill should come forward and initiate a Citizens' Group. To establish the effectiveness and trust of the citizens it is important to launch a mobilization plan.

What the experience suggests?: In the early 1980s, a group of people from the different professions representing the different areas of the Dhaka Metropolitan city decided to form an organization to protest the unjustified increase of the municipal taxes and the charges of electricity, gas, and water. The City dwellers felt themselves helpless because of those one sided decisions. At the same time service standards of the related authorities were unjustifiably low. The "Dhaka Nagorik Odhikar Committee "(Committee for Citizens' Rights, Dhaka) was formed. The committee successfully campaigned on different issues and attracted spontaneous public support and media coverage.

After some years it was difficult to maintain the Committee as a complete organization and it was dissolved. The experience indicates a Citizens' Group can be formed with a clear agenda and honest intention and launch a large scale mobilisation. It is not easy, but it is not impossible either.

What are the commitments?: The clear and straightforward intention could be forwarded to the Citisens that mass participation in the election is very important. The honest, reliable and effective people need to be encouraged and supported to contest the election as commissioners and the Mayor. The main intention is to create right leadership and fight the corrupt, tout and reactionary elements. Bring all people with good intention and good will into one platform.

Mohammed Abdul Matin

Writes from Sydney, (Australia)