| June 22, 2003 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 21,1424 |
When violence replaces decency
HYPOCRISY has always played a big role in the politics of Bangladesh — thanks to a section of the ruling elite. They always pretend to be secular democrats at social gatherings but do not hesitate to use religion to score political points. The presentation of the 51,980-crore taka (TK) budget for 2003-04 provided another example of this.
In his budget proposals, Finance and Planning Minister Saifur Rahman proposed a substantial reduction in supplementary duties on certain goods, including “beer, whisky, rum, gin, vodka, liquors and wines”.
Given the social and economic class the ruling BNP politically represents, there was nothing wrong in the proposal for reduction of duties on imported alcohol, which is mainly consumed by the local rich and foreigners living in or visiting the country.
The finance minister’s backing the rich was also evident in his proposal for substantial reduction of custom duties on items like pearls, diamonds and other precious stones and “furniture bases”.
It was, therefore, not inconsistent with the economic policies of the mainstream political parties that Mr Saifur Rahman proposed some comforts for the local rich and their foreign patrons by way of reducing the price of alcoholic drinks. But his political opponents seized on this to bring up the 2001 election manifesto of the BNP which said that if it were voted to power, the party would ‘not enact any law contrary to Islam’, implying that the party would also not entertain un-Islamic activities like alcohol consumption, let alone making drinks cheaper.
The Awami League, which believes that the BNP’s “pro-Islamic” image always helps the party to secure the bulk of the Muslim votes, did not waste any time to “expose” the ruling party’s “un- Islamic” facet. AL president and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina even went to the extent of making a personal attack on her BNP counterpart, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, by publicly claiming last week that duties were reduced in the proposed budget only on those items which the PM liked. Hasina’s party had also pledged before the 2001 national polls that it “will enact no law contrary to the dictates of the Holy Quran and Sunnah”.
Of all the people, H.M. Ershad, chief of his faction of the Jatiya Party, who still suffers from a playboy image, was also critical of the finance minister’s proposal for reducing the prices of hard drinks.
What is, however, interesting is that none of his critics in question has demanded closing down the dozens of bars, licensed and unlicensed, operating across the country. Nor have they demanded a ban on the import of barrels of alcohol every year. Again, there is hardly any mystery in the protesting parties’ silence over the unhindered operation of the existing bars.
In the midst of criticism by her political opponents, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia did not have to do much agonizing before instructing her finance minister to withdraw the proposal for reduction of duty on liquor imports. So the duties remained as before, and so do the bars. The elite is happy: something is better than nothing.
But the episode, many believe, clearly passes a message to the ruling elite that the hypocritical mixing of religion with politics, if it continues, might deprive them of many worldly privileges — not to mention the citizens in general of their democratic rights.
KARACHI: Water supply in Karachi. Let’s begin with the past. Stretch your memory as far back as possible. One thing stands out so obviously — Decency. Even if water was not available regularly, daily, there was a visible decency, self- respect in trying to get it. Even if the citizen on foot, weary, with an empty bucket, standing in a queue in a backward area of the Sindh capital was looking for water, he had not to lose his self-respect. His decency was intact. His family members did not lose their dignity, and get humiliated in the process.
Now from the look of things, and the perceptions that one has, it has all gone. Today, there are strange fears, dear citizens. Instead of decency, there has come about an impatience, violence. Wanting water can get you disgrace, it seems, opined one Karachiite, as we discussed what appeared to be a sort of disturbing theme of the week gone by.
From the kind of incidents that have taken place in the city during the week, it appears evident that those residing in Karachi are unwilling to condone or resign themselves to the fact of being without water. Especially, in a context where some people have so much water that its abundance seems immoral. The way, they water their lawns, maintain their gardens, and wash their cars, even if they have the money, is something that needs to be focused upon, said a Karachiite, who believes that if there would any violence or trouble (civil wars he contends) in future, it would be on the subject of water.
Something as elementary as that. So it is the time that some thought is given to the fact that this inadequate water is shared fairly among the citizens. Inequality on this count can create trouble. Serious trouble, putting it mildly.
Before one focuses on the water violence that has taken place this week in the city, look at what the official news agency APP said on 20th June. An amazing story really, which I quote here, “The lower staff of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board is working unchecked, as top bosses of the Board are occupied with official meetings.” (But, is that not the situation in most of our offices, especially in such public utilities?) The agency adds, “The KWSB officials seeking anonymity told APP that the official meetings in connection with the water shortage in different areas kept the chief engineer so occupied that he found no time to check superintending engineers, assistant engineers and etc.” There is still more to disturb us, “there was no monitoring of the field staff, who were allegedly involved in giving illegal water connections to individuals after taking bribe.” Let us underline this word bribe. There is a lot of bribery in this society, and in the case of water supply too it is common to hear that bribery is common. From the details given, it is also reported and not surprisingly that the interference by political pressure groups was another factor contributing to the erratic and inequitable distribution of water. The politics of water.
Keep this context in mind and look at the violence that took place in the city because of water. On June 16, Dawn stated, “12 injured as water protestors teargassed.” This was in North Karachi, during a protest by residents living in sectors 2, 3, 5-D/1, and 5-D/2. Keep in mind that water related unrest in Lyari has been going on for all of this summer. It has been going on for months. How do you see the water related violence next year, given the context that the water supply position is steadily, surely turning grim, worse. Of course, localities like the Defence Housing Authority are looking into the future and planning to set up desalination plants for sea water in the foreseeable future. But, what about the foreseeable future for those, who have the awareness about the need for clean water, but no where is its supply guaranteed. Are these people going to wait and watch while those who have water carry on their lives merrily?
A day before this violence took place in North Karachi, there were continuing reports of water scarcities in town in the midst of the heat of June, and of course good old KESC was also unable to meet the challenge of summer once again. Generation shortage, distribution inadequacy, illegal supply through hooks and downright cheating and so on. Who would buy this kind of KESC, said one disgusted consumer. And on June 14, it was reported that due to the water crisis “protestors turn violent as LEAs take action”. This was in Lyari, the trouble spilling onto Mauripur Road, where the angry protestors were teargassed and baton charged. Now, read this sentence and visualise the scene: “The law enforcement agencies pushed the protestors into narrow lanes and streets, but they again emerged on the main road. This continued throughout the day and the road could only be opened after sunset”.
A PECHS resident said, “One of these days, someone would film it all and it would make a powerful realistic documentary on the battle for water. And what a battle it would be. As if this was the only worry in town, and the only destabilising factor, there is this report from the news agency PPI that said, “Situation in Baldia was volatile.” It is stated, “Town Nazim, Mr Aurangzeb Khan Bonaeri put blame on the owners of cattle pens and factories. Orangi causes water shortage in Baldia. Pause.
Factories have their own story to tell. They too are unhappy and angry about water supply, which is woefully short and at an exorbitant price. But, they are not the only shouting sufferers, they have sent an SOS to the Prime Minister from the entire North Karachi industrial area. These factory owners are paying 100 per cent more for water through the tankers. (They call it the tanker mafia these days.) So when citizens read that the city government had ordered the complete and immediate closure of the privately run hydrants in town, regardless of whether they were licensed or not, they were pleased. What the average citizen wants is action, punitive and deterrent, against those, who are contributing to the water crisis in the city. For example, there are educated and affluent citizens also who are making lives of their neighbours hell by showing complete disregard to the needs of the community. They use water in a manner that is a shameless waste of it, in times, when there isn’t enough of it for others to drink.
About water and tankers, a resident of Hazara Colony near Kalapul (the locality being part of the Clifton Cantonment Board) said even tanker drivers are reluctant to drive on the broken roads in narrow lanes. He was facing some problems in getting the water tankers to his small house. So, he warned the tanker owners that if they did not supply water to him, water tankers would not be allowed to drive even on those roads in the area which were in satisfactory condition. And there was threat in his stance. The threat worked.
That is the dreadful way in which water is being got in more and more areas. Either by violence or by threat. There is trouble lying ahead on this count too, my friend.