Decentralisation is the cure

The second priority is to encourage suburban living around the main cities, through attractive investment schemes in the private sector for the middle -and lower-middle class housing schemes (now concentrated on the rich clients).

That leads to the third priority, which is fast, frequent, and cheap mass transportation networks round the clock. The corollary leads to the fourth priority: development of inland water transport around Dhaka and elsewhere.

One-stop services will lessen movement and travel volume and time -- indirectly a critical economic factor in day to day transactions. The counter services offered by the government offices is below par, and need to be upgraded through administrative reforms -- do away with the colonial system of the civil service. Why the secretariat should indulge in field-office work, and not remain confined to policy-making? The issue of the separation of the judiciary from the civil service is a rope around the neck of each regime for so many decades. It is not difficult to write an essay on "the varieties of excuses."

The politicians have so far failed in their basic objectives of public service. No that they cannot do it, but due to private ambitions and secret schemes for self-gain. This is an open secret, threatening the popularity of political regimes. The message from the general public is: be counted, or get lost.

Another default culture is the hibernation of the opposition leaders for five years -- waiting to come back into power! What's wrong in being in the opposition? Power lies in opposing the misuse of power, and it is good public service. Our myopic political culture is delaying the development of the society, not to speak of specific single projects, macro or micro. These styles of governance create huge accumulative system losses, which are not counted officially by the GoB or private think tanks. It is not enough for one minister out of five dozen to talk rationally. What the PM has to say? She may try drafting her own speeches, after collecting the points to ponder upon.