TIB calls on PM to prioritise reforms in ruling party

TIB on Friday called on Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman to focus on “purifying” and “reforming” his political party, warning that otherwise renewed attempts to normalise corruption would invariably play into the hands of an “anti-Bangladesh” force.

In a statement, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman particularly requested Tarique to prioritise “inner party purification” to prevent a section of party members from defying his anti-corruption pledges.

A recent statement by the newly appointed road transport minister attempts to support extortions on roads and highways by misinterpreting the practice as a “mutually agreed transaction,” thereby normalizing diverse stages of corrupt activities through the abuse of power.

Furthermore, the statement only adds to the grand festival of changing hands in the countrywide rackets of extortion, corruption, politicisation and illegal occupation that began following the fall of the previous corrupt and authoritarian regime.

If left unchecked, the “self-destructive” pursuit of corruption, extortion and illegal money-making would ultimately benefit an evil force that maintains “dangerous levels” ideological conflict with the foundational spirit and identity of Bangladesh.

The foundational spirit, which the “evil force” opposes, has been nurtured for decades since the 1952 Language Movement, through the 1971 Liberation War and the July 2024 Mass Uprising, the TIB statement read.

The harsh impact of the emergent evil force, under the cover of a better alternative to corrupt politicians, was seen during the interim government’s tenure and the general elections, TIB said.

Warning of another bloody uprising

The road transport minister’s “logical backing for extortions” is starkly reminiscent of almost the same statement issued by the road transport minister of the ousted regime in February 2012. At that instance too TIB had strongly condemned the “self-destructive” remarks.

The statements in reality give credibility to a ruling party-backed large and organised syndicate that hold the transport sector captive through illegal grabbing and politicisations.

The syndicate not only promotes extortion but also thwarts legal action against all other forms of offences including deadly road crashes.

Attempts to rationalise and normalise the illegal acts by the transport sector syndicate contributed to a road safety movement by the students from schools and colleges, and a cruel crackdown on the protests culminated in the bloody July-August 2024 uprising.

By all means, the countrymen do not want to see the same route again, TIB said. TIB also wants to believe that the ruling party, which holds the people’s unassailable mandate to fulfill aspirations of the bloody upsurge, will also not allow a repetition of the bloodbath and subsequent political upheaval.

To this end, the ruling party and prime minister must keep in mind that every wrong step will contribute to the emergence of the “evil force” that gained prominence following the uprising. It is high time the government and ruling party set its priorities.