The New Nation - Internet Edition

Peace, prosperity and welfare of our people depend on good governance, good character, efficiency and honesty of our political leaders, top government, civil, army and police officials, judges, lawyers, intellectuals, economists, univesity teachers, as well as traders, businessmen, journalists, thinktank specialists, industrialists, mills and factories owners, physicians, landlords and so on.

Do our Ministry of Finance, Bureau of Statistics, Anti-Corruption Commission, Income Tax Department or any NGO maintain any list or record of the above mentioned persons category-wise ?

We are not interested to know their (rich people) wealth, property, daily, monthly or yearly income.

But we would very much like to know how much amount of money they (rich people) spend per day, per month or per year on food, clothing, housing, furnishing and air-conditioning their individual houses, drawingrooms and offices, maintenance of cars, purchase of petrol, payment of telephone, electricity, gas and WASA bills, rest and recreation, medical check up, education and marriage of their sons and daughters, foreign tours and so and so forth.

On the contrary, what is the daily, monthly or yearly income and expenditure of our majority people the farmers, cultivators, fishermen, daily wages labours, mills and factories workers, clerks, MLSS, hawkers, vendors, rickshaw pullers and so and so fort living in abject poverty in sub-human condition in thatched and tin-shed houses in villages, bustees and slums in cities and towns without supply of pure drinking water, electricity and toilet facilities, medical care and education.

But then, who cares for the poor ?

Our governments, poltiical leaders, economists, lawyers, think tank specialists, VIPs, World Bank, IMF and foreign diplomats always speak sweet words and make promises for the welfare of the poor people but all in vain it is just a bluff.

How and when the differences between the rich and the poor people in our country would come to an end if ever ?

O.H. Kabir

Dhaka