No respite for consumers when a corrupt government in power

Less than two weeks are left when Muslims will start their holy month of Ramzan. Unlike the previous observance of the month of fasting in the recent past, this time Muslims will be observing fast in a period when the country is witnessing unprecedented food inflation.
Like every year, businessmen have already spiked the prices of commodities that are consumed most during the month. It is more than one month now that sources of animal protein such as broiler chicken, sonalika chicken, beef, fish as well as lentils, chickpeas, sugar, etc. have already seen a preplanned rise.
In many places of the country, a kilogram of beef was sold at Tk 800 during the time of Shab-e-Barat and broiler chicken was sold at Tk 250 per kg. When prices of everything have risen, it is ludicrous as well as meaningless that some people in the government are unleashing their roar that if, on the pretext of Ramzan, businessmen increase prices of essentials they will have to face their wrath, and so and so forth.
We do not understand where these people live. Don’t they know the nature of the businessmen in Bangladesh? By spiking the price, they have already created an abnormal market price of essentials. In other words, they will fleece the consumers for three months including the Ramzan by their cleverly manipulated business strategy. Therefore, the warning of people from the government is futile now.
Similarly, it is useless now for the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) to suggest, in the pre-budget discussion held at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) office Tuesday, that the government should reduce duties and taxes of 28 daily essentials both at import and domestic levels, providing some respite to consumers amid higher inflation.
Even if the government listens to what CPD says, it is the business people who will be benefitted rather than the consumers who are always at the receiving end. Moreover, can’t the think tank see that for the present economic crisis the blame squarely falls on the corrupt government that is in power for about a decade without people’s mandate?
If the think tank at all bothers about common people’s welfare, it should stop beating around the bush and target the unelected corrupt government that is at the root of most problems plaguing the country now.