Disaster Within

According to the study, among the 100.22 million people at high risk in terms of health and economics, 53.64 million are facing extreme poverty, earning less than 160 BDT ($1.9) per day. The study also found that more than half of these people already live in extremely poverty-stricken conditions and have already run out of money.

According to the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), the rate of poverty in Bangladesh may double to 40.9% since the beginning of the pandemic. Since March, the average family income has decreased by 74%.

The country’s farmers have also faced a loss of over $6 billion between March and May of this year.

The manufacturing sector in Bangladesh has suffered tremendously, particularly the readymade garments sector, which accounts for 80% of the country’s total export earnings. More than 4 million garment workers depend on the textile industry for their livelihood and are thus severely affected. Due to the reduction of orders placed by the United States and Europe, more than 1,000 factories have closed and more than 2 million workers have become unemployed. Conversely, the price of food, rents and other basic necessities have been on the rise.

Recently, the anti-corruption organization, Transparency International published a report detailing the Bangladesh government’s mismanagement of the Covid-19 crisis.

According to the report, the Sheikh Hasina-led government has failed in sectors such as:
-disaster management
-testing
-providing adequate hospital care
-training medical staff
-treating patients
-creating Intensive Care Units and ventilators
-providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers - no allocation for the 50 million unemployed daily workers
- distribution of basic necessities
- distribution of funds to the abject poor
- medical waste management
- purchase of medical supplies
- transparency in the purchase of ventilators

Unfortunately, the list does not end here. Even amidst the extremity of corruption and mismanagement, the Awami League government has not abandoned even temporarily its characteristic surveillance and abusive actions against journalists. The Ministry of Information has formed a cell to monitor 30 private television channels across the country to monitor “propaganda”. For those who know the Awami League, this is just a cover-up for monitoring any voices of dissent, of which there are many. Some 37 journalists had 67 cases filed against them for reporting on the corruption, theft and embezzlement of funds by the Awami League during the relief efforts.

All things considered, the question of whether the Sheikh Hasina-led government will be able to manage, coordinate and ensure the country’s well -being and security in terms of health, morale and economics is a rhetorical one. If the performance of the Awami League were to be graded, it would receive a dismal failing grade.

This is not to rub salt on the wound, but what more can be expected of a government which has continuously, since 2009, coerced its way to power without the people’s mandate? There will obviously be no accountability or transparency, nor fear of losing votes. After all, the Awami League does not bother with votes, except to manipulate them.

Regretfully, this status quo is one which Bangladesh is stuck with for the very simple reason that there is no possibility visible even in the distant future in which there will be a regime change because there has been an absence of proactive willingness from the people of Bangladesh for change, which does not appear magically from rhetoric and criticism of the Awami League. It would entail identifying the myriad of problems which have resulted from essentially one-party authoritarianism and making efforts to establish and put into practice the solutions.

That awakening has not occurred in Bangladesh since 2009. The question is: will it and if and when it does, will it be too late?