Ershad's Suggestion
Former President Ershad, a veteran politician, is bold enough to suggest publicly the formation of provinces in Bangladesh and making Dhaka a federal capital (like Islamabad and New Delhi). But the other political leaders, especially belonging to the two major (dynastic) parties and the MPs won't agree, due to obvious subjective advantages.
Environmental conditions support this new move. Our density of population (around 1,000 persons per sq km) is one of the densest in the world, and the deltaic region hampers transport and communications, as the IWT sector is neglected, and Bangladesh, an LDC, is subject to natural calamities. The economic holding power of the average voters is low (the majority live in the rural areas, facing severe communication gaps).
The immediate concern is the overcrowding of capital Dhaka, making it a dying city (surrounded by water bodies). The districts are not developing as the investment possibilities are not bright. The MPs have a tight control over local politics and leaders, and are apt to misuse their power and position.
Decentralization is a taboo for the political leaders (they like the umbrella effect!). This would open the doors for apprenticeship of young leaders, who find the tip crowded and unchanging (lack of ventilation). This is due to the culture of dynasty rules, cultivating and patronising the sycophants.
Today, one has to come to Dhaka for pushing jobs to be done (undemocratic); and hand out bribes to the syndicate controllers. Politics today in Bangladesh has a monopolising effect, affecting all the non-political sectors. The backdoors are more crowded than the front doors! For the ordinary citizens it is difficult to run daily lives without patronizing the political masters.
Politics should work in the background, and should not be a front stage tamasha all the time.
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