The Minister's Helicopter

A VIP motorcade goes on the wrong side of the road. Photo: Star File

A few weeks ago the news of the head-on collision of two buses hit the headlines of our newspapers and had filled us with immense sorrow. It cost 36 human lives with hundreds of others left wounded. Now the news has become an event of the distant past. With the constant barrage of chilling news popping up every day it is quite natural for us to forget the plight of Zakia, the wife of a small tradesman, who was struggling to ensure the treatment for her badly wounded husband.   

Zakia's husband Shamim Reza (35) was returning to Dhaka after the Eid vacation. Suddenly his bus collided head-on with another bus. Hearing a huge noise and suffering from the violent shock, Shamim fainted.

When Zakia got the news from a local clinic she rushed to the hospital but could not see her beloved husband. Shamim's face and body were completely covered with blood. The doctors quickly transferred Shamim to the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. After some primary treatment, Rajshahi Medical College sent Shamim to the Combined Military Hospital, Bogra. After examining him, the doctors said that Shamim's lung had been severely ruptured and he would have to be immediately transferred to Dhaka's National Institute of Chest Diseases and Hospital, and Shamim's family would have to take him to Dhaka by air ambulance as his body would not survive a journey by any other means of transport.

Zakia faced a real challenge: renting an air ambulance or a helicopter costs around Tk 2 lakh was far beyond her means. At first she sought the help of the hospital and the district administration. But all of them gave her the cold shoulder saying they could not afford to spend such a huge amount. She asked for the help of the local MP, who never showed his face. Zakia pleaded even with the Prime Minister's Office for a helicopter, explaining her husband's condition. And it went unanswered. Nobody showed any interest in saving the life of an ordinary citizen. (The Daily Prothom Alo, October 27th, 2014)

When the State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu landed in the premises of Bharateshwari Homes in Mirzapur, Tangail hundreds of students gathered to see the helicopter he rode to visit them. The minister used the expensive chopper to go to a place that was only 60 kilometres away from the capital. He went there not to launch a new power station; in fact, his visit had nothing to do with the ministry he heads. He went there by helicopter, visited the school and Kumidini Hospital, watched a cultural performance and delivered an epic statement--“There is no power shortage in the country. The electricity situation of Bangladesh is now at its best.” (The Daily Samakal, October 28th, 2014)

The very day (October 28) the minister boarded the helicopter on what seemed to be a pleasure trip, Zakia was running door to door to get a helicopter for her dying husband. And ironically she was refused by everyone showing the same reason that it was too expensive for the government.

No matter what the sufferings of the ordinary people are, our ministers' infatuation with helicopter rides is growing day by day. On the same day, another member of the cabinet, Engr Mosharrof Hossain, the minister for Housing and Public Works, went to Khulna and it was of course via a helicopter.

But this time the minister went a bit too far. His helicopter landed in Khulna District Stadium in the middle of a football match. Seeing such an uninvited aerial guest descending upon them, the frightened players started to run away from the stadium. Then police intervened and stopped the day's game. The players and hundreds of supporters booed the heli-borne minister. (The Daily Samakal, October 28th, 2014)

The minister was supposed to have a meeting with some journalists in the circuit house. But he returned to the capital without attending any meeting. It remained a mystery as to why he went to the city in the first place, people were perplexed whether the minister just wanted to stop the game or was it because he wanted to show his helicopter to the people of Khulna.

This is how our hard earned money is being spent to ensure the luxury of some so-called leaders. Zakia could not get a helicopter transport and our indifference has pushed her husband to the jaws of death. On the same day Zakia was denied of that minimal help, these two ministers were enjoying a copter ride on government exchequer. Where is the fairness in all this? And where is the rule of law, for which the ordinary citizens of this country so valiantly fought to become free?

The writer can be contacted at shahnawaz.khan@thedailystar.net