The divide
I had the opportunity to witness the first ever Martial Law in Pakistan imposed by General Ayub Khan in October 1958.
I have also witnessed the Martial Law imposed by General Ziaur Rahman and General. HM Ershad in Bangladesh. Pardon me for not mentioning the Martial Law government of Gen. Yahya Khan! The most common and significant point of all these Martial Law governments was that they did not disturb or antagonise the business community of the country. On the contrary, the business communities were encouraged to come forward with their grievances and were redressed to make the economy vibrant in whatever scale possible at that period. These generals who had come to power by virtue of imposing Martial Law probably realised that poor economy was the cause of all ills in the nation. So they went all out to rejuvenate the economy rather than parceling it to doldrums. Even in the last fifteen years of so called democracy the private sector and the business community played a big role in keeping the economy afloat and vibrant despite inflation. During this period, industrialisation in private sector made a great leap forward in sectors like edible oil, sugar, cement, steel, textile, pharmaceutical, agro and plastic products.
Nowhere I have ever seen or heard businessmen being antagonised en masse. This is where a great divide has been created by the present interim government. It has been reported that in the import sector the traders of essential commodities are scared to open L/C fearing harassment and illogical questioning by banks and taxation departments.
Hence the nation is now feeling the pinch.
It is okay to prosecute neo businessmen who had become rich overnight by extortion, blackmailing, land grabbing, hoarding, adulteration, etc. but putting industrialists into jail and closing down their industries where hundreds of people are employed is not on. A businessman's heart and soul is money. He could be fined according to his business status, be it for tax evasion or wrong wealth declaration, but putting him in jail and compelling him to close his industry is not the right decision.
A poor country like Bangladesh cannot afford this.
In politics also a great divide is visible. The government is not interested to sit down with politicians and thrash out any misunderstanding that may have developed. The government is least interested to heed the public mood or opinions. We only see journalists and television crews hovering around the interim government advisors. In the case of the recent turmoil at Dhaka University, the government could have sat down with the Vice Chancellor and teachers of the university and chalk out a peaceful solution to bring back a congenial atmosphere to the campus.
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