Best governance!
Best governance we have !All of us acquainted with the good governance, the term donor countries lovingly prescribe to the developing or LDCs to follow. I prefer best governance, not just good governance- Bravo Bangladesh. Do the ministries use telephones in your countries? Do they pay bills; one would wonder what a stupid question is this? But if you live in Bangladesh you know what’s going on in the governance. We have giant sectors run by government e.g., Water, Electricity, gas and oil. It means whatever you get in the country are supplied by the government. They are government business, oh one more surprise which challenges the basic economic theory that say if you have monopoly in the market you will earn super profits.. Believe it or not the above monopolies have been facing losses since the independence, 1972.Well let’s have some example, hope it would not surprise you –Take only one sector- telephone bills that various ministries owe to the Telephone authority. BTCL, Bangladesh Telephone communication limited- Ministry-wise dues: ( All figures are in Tk. i.e., US$1= Tk. 75.00)- Local government and rural development = 19580651.00- Finance ministry = 15582389.00- Communication ministry= 14895570.00- Education ministry = 13861865.00- Ministry of Land = 13514618.00- Fish and livestock = 11708663.00- Agriculture = 10279847.00- Housing and local government = 10025258.00- Prime miister’s office = 7751252.00- Primaery education = 6945400.00- Planning = 6920858- Election commission = 5892595.00- Information = 4703223.00- Youth and sports = 4077214.00- Environment and forestry = 3836888- Labor and manpower = 3538663.00- Post and telecommunication = 3465347.00- Social welfare = 3470336.00- Industry = 3227299.00- Electricity, power, and minerals = 2654561.00- Women and Children = 2430546.00- Commerce = 2346875.00- Jute & textiles = 2306189.00- Cultural = 2051660.00- Airlines and tourism= 1921630.00- Maritime =1403656.00- Science and technology = 918609.00- Presidents’ office = 777829.00- Religion = 756518.00- Hill tracts = 679635.00- Water resources = 665535.00- BTRC = 646186.00- Anti corruption Commission = 404611- Overseas welfare and foreign ministry = 405735.00- Freedom fighter related = 390770.00 Every ministry has their budgeted allocation in the beginning of the financial year to pay the bills for various utilities, taxes, and other recurring expenditures. Now anybody could ask where those funds have gone? I spell something gone wrong, misappropriation. We could take this as an acid test for the government’s intention to have good governance. Where are those big mouths are who fight the corruptions in the government? Where are those ministers who are shouting against opposition’s corruption and lawsuits? Where are those environmentalists who are fighting the world for environment funds? Should we look at the mirror?
