Diplomats and traffic
It is not my habit to write blistering missives to editors. However, the appalling attack by Shabbir A. Bashar, (PhD, Vancouver, USA) on the community of diplomats in Dhaka is such that I feel compelled to reply, if only to prevent certain of his assertions from passing into local lore as fact.
Although I am not a diplomat, I have been married to one for 15 years.
Thus, I believe my experience should have at least as much weight as Mr. Bashar's recent 10 days.
First, his assertion that the cost of the cars owned by the international community is borne by the Bangladeshi taxpayer is not true. The cars owned by embassies, and the gas to run them, are paid for by the taxpayers of the home country. The international NGOs pay for their own cars and, so far as I know, they are not subsidised by the government of Bangladesh. If the local taxpayer is paying for any SUVs, it will be the ones owned and operated by their own government. And, I would be willing to bet that these far outnumber the ones owned by the accused foreign diplomats.
Second, the assertion that the diplomats assigned to Bangladesh are less than the cream of the crop is not merely untrue, it is an insult to the many foreign diplomats who chose -- yes, chose -- to come to Bangladesh because they want to make a difference in the lives of others. These are dedicated officers who really believe that the point of their profession is to prevent conflict and to ameliorate the conditions that lead to it.
They could have asked for postings in many othe, less difficult, places. But they chose Dhaka. Think about that, Mr. Bashar, when you return to your home in Vancouver, USA.
Third, the number of SUVs on the road would not, I think, be appreciably reduced by the removal of all those used by the foreign community. As I walk, and drive around Dhaka, the largest number of SUVs I see are driven by Bengalis for Bengalis. My understanding, from Bengali friends, is that the SUV is the muscle car of choice for the well-to-do Bangladeshi.
Finally, I would love to dump the gas guzzling SUV, and do whenever I can. However, there is a cost, one that makes me appreciate the hefty wheels prescribed by home governments for their diplomats here. The number of times I have been pushed into the traffic by large groups of importunate beggars, surrounded by staring Bengalis as I wait for the light to turn green, assailed by children looking for taka, faced rickshaw or CNG charges anywhere up to ten times what a Bengali is asked for, and had to dodge complete strangers who seem to think I keep visas in my pocket is quite enough to make me understand why the less determined foreigner gives up and retreats to the company car.
And I dress not like some fancy foreign celebrity, but in shalwar kamiz and shawl.
As for the officer who claimed that diplomats do not obey the local traffic officers, it would be interesting to know whose diplomats he is referring to. I know most of the Caucasian diplomats do their best to obey the law, when they can find out what it is. The biggest complaint I hear from foreigners about Dhaka traffic is that they appear to be the only ones following the rules, with unfortunate consequences for their mileage, their paint jobs and their stress levels.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments