Free press, VAT, girl's education,
A lady did her best to serve the nation.
Trumped up charges put her in jail.
Going abroad is a right she deserves to avail.
1. When we were kids, we used to watch just one channel---Bangladesh Television. Cable TV had not arrived yet. With all my wonders, I watched how one single channel broadcast programs of three TV broadcast companies. In the morning, CNN aired its programs for couple of hours. From noon till afternoon, BBC broadcast its news services1. From afternoon till midnight, BTV aired its programs. Bangladeshis in general had a clear idea about what was going on around the world. Images of First Gulf war, Balkan war, Larry King live, release of Pulp Fiction, handing over of Hong Kong, news of tragic death of princess Diana reached this part of the world in the blink of an eye with accompanying discussion that third world citizens were not accustomed to see and hear. Earlier, they had watched just one channel and received a government-set narrative. However, there were few dailies and weeklies that relentlessly published reports and stories completely different from the government narrative. The credit for giving this access to news and views of the world surely goes to then Ministry of Information and Communication. That initiative tremendously empowered Bangladeshis in terms of getting information and molding their own opinions about different issues at home and abroad, a quintessential aspect of modern democracy.
2. Later government also introduced Bangladesh Open University (BOU), inspired by similar initiative in the UK, that introduced distant learning , secondary and higher secondary school certificate, SSC and HSC, programs for working people and housewives who were dropped out or did not manage to get the regular degree.2 When we sat for SSC exam I saw many mothers along with their daughters sat for SSC exam. Jubilation and joy after the news broke out that they had passed the SSC gave an aura as if the heaven descended on earth.The society would now recognize them as "shikkhito"(educated). It is more like passing Baccalauréat (equivalent to HSC) in France. Millions of people directly benefited from that program. Moreover, BOU offered many other programs through distant learning and modular lessons to get certain degrees and skills that many working people had not dreamt before.
3. By the time, we reached college and university, we saw a good number of female students there. Government offered free education to girls at college level. And it helped many rural households to get education for their daughters without incurring any cost. Enrolment of women at tertiary educational institutions not only increased but a great number of women entered job market. By the way , the present government discontinues the stipend program for women.
4. In 1991, government introduced Value Added Tax (VAT) , a 15% general sales tax on all goods and services3. Prior to that, government depended a lot on foreign loan, which contains unfavorable conditionalities. VAT tremendously lessened government's dependence on foreign loans as it increased government revenue manifolds. In 2005-06, total tax revenue earning was 9.3% of GDP, of which NBR revenue( including VAT) accounts 7.1% of GDP. In 2018-19, total tax revenue earning was 13.4% of GDP, of which NBR revenue( including VAT) accounts 11.7% of GDP. 4VAT gave the government that ease and flexibility to finance government projects.
5. The lady behind all these good policies is in jail now. A trumped up charge against her lodged in the time of caretaker government, complemented by other harassing charges,landed her in jail for the last 2 years. Just before the Corona virus outbreak, she got bail and has been staying at her home since then. Recently she received medical treatments from a private hospital5. I do not subscribe to the politics her party does, nor do I agree with many of their policies and position on various issues. The policies I mentioned earlier did a lot of good in the lives of ordinary Bangladeshis.
We have to keep it in mind that Khaleda Zia is wife of a freedom fighter. During the tenure of this government, dear ones of those opposed the idea of Bangladesh grabbed opportunities including lucrative position in party and parliament. Even wife of a convicted war criminal managed to go to Germany on health grounds. Chief and leaders of a party convicted in war crimes make frequent visits abroad, particularly in UK and USA.
Just few months ago perpetrators of the mayhem unleashed in Brahmanbaria and Chattogram went to Bangkok in a brainstorming session, as per some news reports.
Not just that. Many criminals managed to go abroad. Even during the time of Corona many minor transgressors were pardoned and released from jail.
Compared to them, Khaleda Zia is a former Prime Minister who did her best in spite of having so many shortcomings to lift the country out of backwardness and to bring positive changes in the lives of many people.
If there were a social credit score in Bangladesh, I bet, Khaleda Zia as an individual would fare well in that score.Her government's tremendous achievement in free press, liberalizing the economy and girl's education would make her score outstanding.
Even if her case were presented before the court of Gods, they would be compassionate and kind to her judging her past deeds.
It is a shame that a lady who is more than 70-year old and a popular politician is rotting in jail. In our country, politicians do not see any respectable and civilized end of their career. They face all kinds of tragic and savage ends. In that light it is highly untrue that politicians are untouchable and above the law.
At the end of the day, Khaleda Zia is a colleague in the same vocation our PM practices.In another vocation, differences in opinion does not lead one colleague to confine another one. Khaleda Zia has every right to go abroad like a free bird and to plan how she will spend the last leg of her political career. As a colleague and wife of a freedom fighter, she deserves better.
----------------------------------------------- Notes And References:
1. In the mid-1990s BTV started to broadcast the news programs of BBC and CNN. Link here
2.Bangladesh Open University was set up in 1992 and designed to be a center for distance learning.Link here
3. Bangladesh Economic Review 2019.
4. More on VAT. Link here<
5. "Still in CCU, Khaleda Zia's health improving slowly",a Dhaka Tribune report, May 20,2021. Link here
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