We all are to blame for these deaths.

Those who are blaming only the owner of Rana Plaza for the Savar Incident, are just kidding themselves. Those holding only garment-owners responsible are guilty of the same mistake. In truth, the state, all of its machineries, veins and arteries, brain, liver, bones and all else is responsible for the executions. All of us connected to this system – we, who have surrendered to sheer greed – are guilty of this crime.

Today, I will analyze some of the culprits. Very first mention goes to the causal nexus of politicians, bureaucrats and media. These three have successfully institutionalized corruption.

There was a time when politicians, bureaucrats and media nurtured a mutual fear of each other. They maintained a safe distance from each other. But gradually, the three have come together to establish loving harmony. Even in Savar we see, Murad Jung provided political support, the UNO provided administrative help while the police was standing by in case a little legitimate violence was called for. Under the protection of this nexus, Rana annexed the property. And with proceeds from the crime, Rana Tower was built. And the rent from Rana Tower finances Murad Jung’s anti-hartal processions, postering and patronization of cadres/goons. Dig around and you’ll find that it was upon recommendation from Murad Jung that the UNO was appointed and after a chat with the Home Minister that the OC’s transfer was averted. Thugs like Rana never have access to these higher echelons of power.

In an earlier post I wrote that after 40 years of a Culture of Corruption – corruption has been institutionalized over the past five years. Many of my friends criticized me after that.
They were upset that I had implied lower corruption in the previous years. But they misunderstood my post. I never meant corruption-levels were any lower during the BNP or caretaker regimes. My contention was that corruption has been institutionalized in the past five years. Higher or lower corruption and institutionalization of corruption are very different things.

The grand union of politicians and bureaucracy was presided over by none other than MK Alamgir.
In 1996, there was a movement demanding a Caretaker Government system, just like the one taking place now. During that time, a number of secretaries – led by MK Alamgir – ignored the tradition of administrative neutrality to setup the ‘Jonotar Moncho’ (citizens’ platform) and endorsed the Awami League’s demands. This was a revolutionary moment in the history of Bangladeshi administration. I have searched the internet and there has never been precedence in any other country of the world.

Back then, there weren’t this many media (channels) or talk-shows. But the civil society was scathing in its criticism of this involvement. The living proof that they were right lies in the 400 corpses in that heap of rubbles in Savar and in Shahinur’s orphaned child.

MoKha (MK Alamgir) has been rewarded for his obedience: the 400-crore Farmers Bank, ministership, apartments, plots and other unknown riches! But the nation will have to bear the burden of MoKha’s grievous wrong. The unholy union of politicians and the administration reached its height with a flourish of creativity, perseverance and devotion during Awami League’s latest term.

Previously in government corruption, contractors paid a percentage to bureaucrats or politicians in order to get the contract. What happens now is bureaucrats and politicians get together to agree on a contract value. Then they divide the value amongst themselves, call in contractors and ask for the lowest possible price.
They then negotiate with the contractor. Which is why, you’ll see all government contracts go to some politician’s company and is actually implemented by a professional contractor. Contract for the flyover that collapsed in Bahaddar Hat, Chittagong – had gone to the late, once-famous student leader Jahangir Sattar Tuku. A professional developer had implemented the project.

This term, the media pledged it allegiance to the government – completing the tripartite nexus. There was also a holistic acceptance of corruption in the society. These are the two specific reasons I have stated that the institutionalization of corruption is now complete.
This time around, a key feature of Sheikh Hasina’s government has been visible state patronage for bureaucrats and the Corrupt. Previously, their actions had been implicitly condoned. Because things would’ve heated up – had this been revealed. But this BAL term, such matters were out in the open. To bureaucrats accused of corruption during the last Caretaker Government – the Head of the Government said ‘you have been persecuted ; go ahead with your work’. They have been promoted too. They have been given the clear impression that they would be protected by the government. Unleash your greed.

With patronage from the top-levels of the government, politicians, bureaucrats and officers had formed an alliance and usurped state resources and annexed citizens’ property. But there had been something missing: that is the media.
To acquire media’s acquiescence – the Awami League (BAL) government used its culture capital of ‘Bangalee-ism’ and the moral high-ground of ‘on the side of liberation forces’. BAL’s trusted intellectuals take on the role of armed muscle in this encroachment of the media. Still those who refused to acquiesce, have been pressurized in different ways. News dailies like the ‘Prothom Alo’, which gained popularity by launching a Jihad against corruption, were silent during this term. Apart from the Padma Bridge case, Prothom Alo’s role in preventing corruption was pitiable: not a single minister’s corruption was exposed. They didn’t even bother to follow-up news printed by other newspapers. And (in Bangladesh), it’s really not news until Prothom Alo covers it.
My deduction is that Prothom Alo has been tamed – through the manipulation of the business interests of Transcom Group (parent company). The government has put fear into the minds of Transcom, ‘if you cross your limits, your business will disintegrate’. Transcom could not bring itself to risk the fall of its empire worth thousands of crores of Takas.
Plus, most of the media has lost its moral strength after colluding with politicians to partake in the politicians’ corruption machinery. Therefore, Bangladesh’s 70-years’ tradition of activism against corruption was absent during this term. That is also why, even after the APS was nabbed red-handed with 70 lacs Taka and after there was direct proof, Suranjit is still a minister.

Having been procured by politicians and the administrations, media professionals too – in a spirit of ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ – joined hands with the corrupt officials to complete the tripartite alliance and became an important part of corruption. The civil society that had taken action against corruption during the Caretaker Government’s term, embraced a silent defeat after witnessing this institutionalization of corruption. And thus, a tolerance/acceptance for corruption developed in society.
Defeated in battle, hapless and maimed – the conscious citizens of the society then geared up to resort to corruption in their own domains. One would begin a race to deceive another and ensure his own survival. He saw that his values had no worth. This is the ugly face of capitalism: survival of the fittest.
Money becomes the biggest source of power. Money becomes the all-encompassing, all-controlling. Morals, ethics, humanity and all such values cease to have a place in society.
Previously, the common people would look down upon corruption. Newspapers did not spare a single corrupt official. But all that has changed. Now, corruption has found acceptance. And during this present time, corruption found a level of acceptance in the psyche of the common people. There was a time when daughters would never be married to a corrupt family or individual. But this too has changed in most families. Now the father of the bride himself says, ‘(groom) works in the government. He’ll lose his job if he doesn’t take bribes! It’s nothing, really! And how is he supposed to take care of his family? What great salary does he get?’

When society accepts corruptions, then it has to be said that corruption has been institutionalized.
Now many will say, ‘so you want to say the Awami League is responsible for all this? Everyone else who came before were blameless? You must be very anti-Awami League!’
Please don’t get me wrong. All I’ve said is that this attempt had been ongoing throughout the past 40 years. All that I’ve said here, had been there all those years. But, in the last five years, the glorious unification of the tripartite nexus just took corruption to new heights through collusion of the media. Besides, the Corrupt belong to no parties. They become Awami Leaguers during BAL’s term, and BNP supporters, in BNP’s term. If a third-force were to emerge, the Corrupt would support them too.

So, why take this roundabout way to arrive at the topic of Savar? It’s because, institutionalization of corruption has led to it being integrated into the work of the 14 government agencies which issue license permits. They will take bribes whether there’s safety or not. So naturally, industry owners figure – if money must be spent, why should I have to pay? For example, generators had been installed in five floors of the Rana Plaza. This is simple to observe. It should be obvious in any factory-inspection. And it shouldn’t qualify for environmental certification. I know of no buildings in Bangladesh where generators have been hoisted to five floors! But Rana and Murad Jung have made it possible through their influence. There just was no one to check their unbridled greed.
If you pay attention: when a crack was discovered in a column of the building, who came to certify (its safety)? The UNO (district executive officer)! The UNO came and assured everyone that nothing was going to happen to the building. A UNO is the highest administrative officer in a union. There’s little anyone can say after he has spoken.
Another thing: the corruption in our power sector is the reason why every other building in Dhaka needs to install its own generator.
In 1993, our total power generation was 4000 MW. In 2013, we have reached 6000 or 7000 MW. During the same time-period, Vietnam went from 3000 MW to 15000 MW (at present). Why can’t we do what they can? The answer: corruption. If there wasn’t corruption, we would have power. If we had adequate power, no generators would be needed at Rana Plaza. And without generators, the entire building wouldn’t have come crashing down. Shahana – after living for 110 hours – would not have to die in the flames of anger, shame and grief, fretting over the future of her toddler.

Everything is connected. Everything, connected.
You may call it failure of the administration, bad governance. But I say this is the built-in Greed of the capitalist system: the very Greed that forms the basis of capitalism. The ugly system we have setup without even attempting to check Greed.

Rana Plaza did not collapse under the weight of columns or concrete. It imploded under the burden of the boundless Greed of capitalism.
If you said it was garments-owners’ greed that brought it down – you would be wrong. This Greed is mine, yours, your brother’s, your father’s, everyone’s. we, the nation, have embraced this culture of greed and avarice. And only one issue remains before you and I: survival of the fittest. The only measure of ‘fit’ is money. Ours is now a society of profit and greed. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Everyone wants 100% – but without spending a single buck.
How can we speak of garment artists? We who pay 600 takas to domestic workers after making them toil 24/7.
This culture of greed, this cut-throat competition, this I-want-all -you-got-or-else – cannot be escaped without profound soul-searching. In the second part, we will see how hopes of super-normal profits have joined hands with systemic greed. And how this industry is flourishing without any sense of ethics or morals and solely on the basis of ‘maximum profits’. Where humanity and workers-rights are ritual sacrifices.

Coming up in the second part: Capitalism Exposed, Part 2: 2006 Labor Law & Third Party Contracts.

ক্যাপিটালিজম এক্সপোজড -সাভার ট্রাজেডি পার্ট ১- রাজনীতিবিদ -প্রশাসন-মিডিয়ার ইভিল নেক্সাস

বিশ্বব্যাপী ক্যাপিটালিজম এর সাফল্যের প্রধান কারণ হচ্ছে ক্যাপিটালিজম মানুষের  লোভ কে  প্রমোট করে। এবং ঐ লোভটাকেই একটা প্রয়োজনীয় শক্তি হিসেবে দেখায় এবং  ঐটাকে আপনার অর্ন্তনিহিত, বৈশিষ্ট্য বলে স্বীকৃতি দেয়। সংবিধানে যাই লেখা থাকুক,  আমরা আগা, পাশ তলা পুঁজিবাদ- নগ্ন কদর্য আভরণহীন, ক্ষুধার্ত  নেকড়ের দলের মত নিয়ন্ত্রণহীণ- নির্লজ্জ পুঁজিবাদ।  সাভারের রানা প্লাজায়, এখন পর্যন্ত জানা ৪০০ মানুষের মৃত্যুতে,  পুঁজিবাদের ওই কদর্য রূপটাই পরিস্ফুট হয়ে ওঠে।

আপনি সবাই  এই হত্যার দোষে দায়ী।

সাভারের ঘটনায় যারা যারা রানা প্লাজার মালিক রানাকেই শুধু  দায়ী করছেন, তারা নিজেদের সাথে ছলনা করছেন। যারা শুধু পোশাক মালিকদেরকে দায়ী করছেন একই আত্ম প্রতারণা করছেন। বাস্তবে আমরা পুরো বাংলাদেশ রাষ্ট্র, আমাদের কড়ি-কব্জা, শিরা-উপশিরা, ব্রেইন, কলিজা, হাড্ডি সব কিছুসহ এই পুরো সিস্টেম এই হত্যাকাণ্ডের জন্যে দায়ী। এই সিস্টেমের সাথে জড়িত আমরা সবাই – যারা এই লোভের কাছে আত্ম সমর্পণ করেছি- এই  হত্যার দোষে দায়ী।

আমি একটা পোস্ট এ লিখেছিলাম,গত ৪০ বছরে দুর্নীতির সাংস্কৃতিক চর্চার পর, গত পাঁচ বছরে দুর্নীতির ইনস্টিটিউশনালাইজেশান  হইছে। এরপর বেশ কিছু বন্ধু  আমার সমালোচনা করছে। তাদের ক্ষোভ, আমি কেমনে মিন করলাম যে , তার আগের বছর গুলোতে দুর্নীতি কম হয়েছে। আমার পোস্টটা তারা ভুল বুঝেছেন, কারণ আমি কোন মতেই মিন করিনাই যে তার আগের বছর গুলোতে বি এন পি বা তত্ত্বাবধায়কের আমলে  দুর্নীতি কম হইছে। আমার পয়েন্টটা হইলো, গত পাঁচ বছরে দুর্নীতির ইনস্টিটিউশনালাইজেশন হইছে। দুর্নীতি কমা বাড়া বা দুর্নীতিয়ের ইন্সটিটিউশানালাইজ হওয়া আলাদা জিনিষ।

এবং এই টার্ম এ এসে মিডিয়া সরকার এর বশ্যতা স্বীকার করে, এই তিন পক্ষের দুষ্ট চক্র টি সম্পন্ন করে। এবং সমাজে দুর্নীতির ব্যাপারে একটা সামগ্রিক এক্সেপ্টেন্স আসে। এই পারটিকুলার দুইটি বিশিষ্টের অর্জনের কারনেই, দুর্নীতির ইনস্টিটিউশনালাইজেশন সম্পন্ন হইছে বলে বলছি। 

তো সাভারের কথা বলতে এই গরু রচনা কেন টানলাম। কারণ, দুর্নীতি ইনস্টিটিউশনালাইজ হয়ে যাওয়ার কারণে, আজ যে ১৪ টা সরকারি অধিদপ্তর থেকে লাইসেন্সের পারমিট নিতে হয়ে তাদের কাছে দুর্নীতি তাদের স্বাভাবিক জীবন যাত্রার একটা অংশ হয়ে দাঁড়ায়ছে। সেইফটি থাকলেও, সে টাকা নিবে, না থাকলেও টাকা নিবে। তাহলে শিল্প মালিকরা চিন্তা করে, টাকা যখন দিতেই হবে তাহলে কেন আমি খরচ করবো । ফোর একজামপল, রানা  প্লাজার পাঁচটা ফ্লোরে বসানো হইছে জেনারেটর। এইটাই  একটা সিম্পল অব্জারভেশান । যে কোন ফ্যাক্টরি ইন্সপেকশনে এইটা ধরা পড়ার কথা। এইটা এনভায়রনমেন্ট এর সার্টিফিকেট পাওয়ার কথা না। বাংলাদেশে কোন বিল্ডিংয়ের পাঁচটা ফ্লোর জেনারেটর তোলা হইছে আমার জানা নাই। কিন্তু রানা তার মুরাদ জংএর খুঁটির জোরে সব অসম্ভবকে সম্ভব করছে। তার লোভকে ঠেকানোর মত কেউ ছিলনা।

একে আপনি বলবেন, প্রশাসনের ব্যর্থতা, কুশাসন। কিন্তু আমি বলব ক্যাপিট্যালিস্ট সিস্টেমের বিল্ট ইন লোভ। যে লোভ হচ্ছে ক্যাপিটালিজমের ভিত্তি। তাকে নিয়ন্ত্রণ না করে যে সিস্টেম আমাদের দেশে বানানো হয়েছে, তার একটা নগ্ন কদর্য রূপ।