THE OTHER HALF

According to this report, seventeen percent of the population of Bangladesh is "moderate poor", 31 per cent ultra poor and five per cent is destitute. That makes more than half of the total population below the poverty line. But how are our political leaders & parties and the government addressing this issue?

* A political party called 2 days general strike for murder of one of its activist which lead to postponement of HSC examination and disrupting livelihood of the daily-laborers. An auto-rickshaw driver was brutally torched to death because he brought out his vehicle during strike. No general strike called because he belongs to the other half of population.

* Activists of another group of political parties gathered after the Friday Juma' prayers to denounce alleged desecration of Koran in some other country and hurled a lot of hated remarks against the US and blah blah but they had never mentioned the recent death of hundreds of poor people by consecutive ferry disasters. They did not want to waste energy on that other half.

* The transport minister had to eat his own words to take strong action against the ferry owners curtail because some of the ferries are owned by the prime minister's family. Which half would he benefit?

* The railway is again facing huge loss. Lots of money are required to revamp the infrastructures so that poors get benefit from this medium of transportation. But the govt. ministers are keen to introduce magnetic levitated train in capital for the rich. What a brilliant idea (tip: one of the ministers is associated with the local agent of the supplier)! Screw the other half. There are also other examples of puting cart before horse.

* The other half will remain neglected in this unbearable heat wave, when the power authorities will manage its deficit power by load-shedding in impoverished areas of the cities stopping the electric fans, while the posh areas will have continuous power to run the air-conditioners.

This other half will continue to be exploited this way by the political leaders, the NGOs. Why people like us are remaining in a "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" state?