Editorial
Fighting for the right to wrong
A corrosion of law and order
Sunday's protest by transport owners and workers at Gabtoli Bus Terminal opposing the mobile court drive against fake drivers and driving licenses has challenged the legal system and questioned state authority. We wonder on what, other than muscle power of their sheer numbers, their strength is based.
The workers only ended their agitation following orders from the Shipping Minister -- also leader of the Bangladesh Transport Workers' Federation -- who later addressed them at a rally, basically supporting their cause. He, in not so many words, defended the driver of the bus which caused the collision that killed Tareque Masud, Mishuk Munier and three others on August 13; attempted to justify Bangladesh's position in terms of road safety by saying that Nepal has a higher rate of traffic accidents; and complained that those demanding that proper procedure be followed in issuing licenses to trained and skilled drivers do not understand the problem. He also stated that a road safety activist who has trained drivers in 16 districts should train them in 64 districts. We express concern at the misguided message conveyed by the minister which essentially undermines the issue of road safety and the measures necessary to ensure it.
As for the mobile court drive, while some excess may have occurred in the tying up of the offenders, we believe that the court had the full authority to charge, arrest and fine them for carrying fake or no driving licenses at all. Rather, the court's backtracking on the sentence and reducing the fine to a token amount in the face of agitation sets a worrying precedent.
The corrosion of law and order made obvious by this incident is alarming. The government must deal with the matter with a stern hand and, instead of conceding to the narrow vested interests of a few, reinforce the authority bestowed upon law enforcers and the legal system. Transport owners and workers, too, must realise that if they continue in their unlawful ways, public anger will eventually turn against them. The authorities' and civil society's drive to ensure safety on the roads must be given all-out support.
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