Diplomats
I have just returned from a 10-day trip to Dhaka after four and a half years. There were many pleasant surprises in terms of positive developments; the energy I noticed in the streets and the infusion of a sense of purpose with which the 16 million city dwellers seemed to go about their day says volumes about the growing economy despite the political and administrative incompetence of the country's leaders and civil servants. The inside of Zia International Airport was most impressive. The $10bn remittance sent by expat workers is having an effect on the way of life in Bangladesh. The traffic alas is the bane of Dhaka!
However, something that disturbed me was the attitude of western foreign workers. I noticed how they go about in their gas guzzling SUVs all paid for by international agencies (ultimately the Bangladeshi taxpayers) while a significant number of car owners in Dhaka have opted to use compressed natural gas (CNG). CNG is not only cost effective but it is also environment friendly. Living in Gulshan, the diplomatic quarter of the city, I noticed a fair amount of belligerence on part of the diplomats. Let's be honest, most of the diplomats sent to an outpost like Bangladesh are by no means the cream of the crop of their respective countries. All this I could excuse but the limit of my tolerance was reached when I witnessed the height of shameless self-importance of one of these diplomats in front of the Emirates Airlines office (S.A. Tower, Rd 134, Gulshan-1) on Monday, 3rd August at around 10:30am. This was a busy time of the day and traffic was overflowing the six lanes going in both directions. While we opted to park our car in a relatively quiet side street instead of paying the US$0.35 to use the dedicated parking space under the building, a diplomatic vehicle parked itself on the busy road blocking out one of the two lanes and adding to the traffic congestion. After finishing my business at the airline office some 45 minutes later, I came out and asked one of the senior security guards of the building what the deal was with the offending vehicle. He lamented that cars belonging to the embassies (marked by yellow plates) do not bother with traffic rules; not only do they ignore the security guards but they also pay no attention to the traffic sergeants!
I hope there is at least one mature foreign diplomat in Bangladesh who will address this issue and be sensitive to the inconvenience that they are causing to Dhaka residents.
I request them to treat Bangladesh and Bangladeshis with some minimal degree of respect. Please grow up and don't break our traffic laws. You are not making any friends.
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