—Mofazzal Karim—

The Bengali daily Kaler Kantho reported last Monday that Voice of America conducted a public opinion survey on Bangladesh’s current inflation. The survey revealed that 47.7% of people believe the interim government is performing poorly in controlling commodity prices. Furthermore, the report said that the government is performing worse than the previous Awami League administration in reducing the cost of essential goods.

Kaler Kantho incorporated the necessary findings from the survey into their report, making it data-driven. Given that a responsible and significant organisation like Voice of America conducted the survey, questioning its credibility seems unwarranted.

Moreover, it’s akin to someone with a fever of 104-105 degrees not needing a thermometer to confirm their condition. Telling Bangladesh’s inflation-stricken populace about the government’s failure to control prices merely adds to the interim administration’s embarrassment. Declaring that it is performing worse than the Awami League government implies people lived in paradise under the Awami regime, a notion that hardly requires Voice of America’s endorsement.

As the proverb goes, “Wearer knows best where the shoe pinches”—only the person wearing the shoe knows where it hurts. The Awami shoe didn’t pinch for just a day or two, but for almost a decade and a half, severely tormenting those who wore it. Thus, instead of debating whether the interim government has gained the people’s trust or if they are still awaiting the return of the “fugitive Awami leader”, let us consider the inflation issue based on current realities.

The leader who abandoned the nation and her followers in grief, fleeing abroad to enjoy luxury while chanting “Dua Yunus” day and night, has left no immediate solution to fill the nation’s stomachs.

The people, desperate to secure two meals a day, are struggling to figure out how to feed their children tomorrow morning.

In urban slums, families survive on one meal a day or go hungry for two, barely managing to scrape through life. Daily wage labourers stretch their earnings or resort to loans to keep their families afloat. Men often pull rickshaws or push carts, while women work as domestic help to increase household income. With both parents out working, children are often left unattended.

Neighbours play a significant role in the lives of slum dwellers, acting as an extended family in both crises and everyday life. Yet, their existence remains a relentless struggle for survival. Recently, even this fragile balance has been upended, a situation lamented by a rickshaw-puller in his 50s who shared his despair over rising costs of essentials like rice, oil, and vegetables. He vented his frustration over inflation with palpable anguish in his voice and fire in his eyes.

Villages fare no better. The people left behind in rural areas suffer from skyrocketing prices, unprecedented in their lifetimes. Additionally, thefts and robberies have added to their woes. A farmer recounted losing two cows, nurtured for Eid-ul-Adha, to thieves, while another villager shared an incident of being robbed by young miscreants. Food scarcity and deteriorating law and order dominate their lives, dimming the hope they had placed in recent political changes.

The current government has managed to patch up the country’s troubled economy, bringing it to a reasonably stable state. It is also arranging for a fair, transparent, and universally acceptable election in due course. However, the ultimate priority remains ensuring that people can eat adequately and live peacefully with their families without fear or distress.

As the old English proverb goes, “A hungry man is an angry man.” Hunger and unrest are both profoundly dangerous forces. Therefore, addressing rising prices and ensuring law and order should be the top priorities at this moment.

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The writer is a former secretary and poet. He can be reached at: [email protected]