End crisis to restore night time highway traffic

THE suspension of movement of transport by the government after 9 pm on inter-district roads and highways snapping countrywide communication from and to the capital in the face of continued opposition blockade has sent the wheels of the economy largely to ground. Finance Minister AMA Muhith decried the situation as very critical saying rural economy is breaking apart failing to bring their produce to city markets. In such situation snapping night time long distance communication was rather a highly critical choice ostensibly because of government’s failure to give protection to bus and trucks; which carry the bulk of passengers and merchandise all over the country and particularly export goods to the port. As we see the government decision alone proves that the situation is beyond control; although it came much delayed after the death of over 88 people as of Wednesday, mainly from petrol bomb attacks on night time buses and trucks in the two way fight between the government and the opposition. Earlier the State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal announced the decision saying they did so to avoid growing fatalities; tacitly admitting their lost control over the highways while asking bus owners that they may operate on their own risk. Police are also failing to run the railway service as it is coming under regular attacks. News report said police had earlier told the government that it was almost impossible for them to ensure safety to night time transport convoys, or railway service which the authorities attempted to run so far with police and BGB escort while RAB, Ansars and such other forces kept high vigil in the highways. Meanwhile several news reports also have it that police are running out of patience from fatigue and duress of continued overtime duty. They have advised the government to use political force to subdue unrest. One may tend to believe that self-defeating decision like snapping of night time highway traffic may only come when the government feels unable to give safety to public life.  We wonder why then the government is not taking steps to sort out the differences with the opposition and rather stubbornly denying them their rightful democratic space instead of fighting them as criminals and terrorists. Meanwhile, the Finance Minister has sounded the alarm bells saying the deployment cost of forces on security duty is skyrocketing, besides the blockade has cost the nation over US$ 10 billion in terms of business and infrastructure loss by Saturday last. This cost is increasing by about Tk 2500 crore daily.We believe that the purpose of clinging to power should have the ability to govern and keep the services running. Shrinking government’s ability to govern is failing to govern and that is not something that can be defended honourably by blaming the opposition or anybody else. If police are fit to run government then they would not be trained specially as law enforcers for protecting the people against crimes and criminals. The government, must prove its competence to govern.