Counting the death toll of Bangladeshis BY Bangladeshis

Arnab · #1 December 18, 2003, 12:08 PM

The news of these ferry disasters kinda made me wonder:

Has there been any statistical estimate on how many people's lives have been lost so far in Bangldesh due to the direct ineptitude and negligence of the people in power or administration (all regimes) since our independence?

For example, we can count how many people have been killed so far in ferry disasters for boarding more people than possible. That's a good start.

[Edited on 18-12-2003 by Arnab]

Shubho · #2 December 18, 2003, 01:01 PM

Why blame the government for deaths in the ferry disaster? Those guys flouted the rules, and passengers had to pay the price. Blame the ferry-wallahs. A lot of the time we're the only ones to blame. We shouldn't hold the government responsible for everything that goes wrong in the world.

Arnab · #3 December 18, 2003, 01:38 PM

The government and the people in the administration share the majority of the blame because they are supposed to ENFORCE the law so that these things don't happen.

Shubho · #4 December 18, 2003, 07:44 PM

We, sir, don't live in a totalitarian state where the government enforces everything. In the case of ferries, there are clear laws as to passenger capacities, etc. But people choose to flout them nonetheless. Surely you can't expect the govt to police a people's every move. The government is only to blame if they learn nothing from the experience and do nothing to prevent similar events in the future.

**Tehsin** · #5 December 18, 2003, 09:46 PM

Flouting the law is a HABIT of our people. Some take PRIDE in it. Any wonder why we are judged (who decides it anyways?) the most corrupt country in the world ? It's in a state of utter lawlessness. We can blame the government but they simply a representation of - the people.

Arnab · #6 December 18, 2003, 10:48 PM

Quote:

The government is only to blame if they learn nothing from the experience and do nothing to prevent similar events in the future.

Exactly. And how many times do you reckon ferry disasters have happened in BD?

Shubho · #7 December 19, 2003, 12:55 AM

My point still stands: you can't police everybody...we've got to stop making the government the boogeyman for everything. But then, that's a very Bangladeshi trait...I can't say I've been free of that syndrome either. I guess what I'm trying to make clear to you is we should point the finger at ourselves first. Furthermore, a people get the government they deserve. The people in power today are just a reflection of our society as a whole. Face it, we're all a bunch of crooks and cronies. How many times have you seen an overloaded rickshaw in Dhaka (that was meant for not more than two persons)? How many times have you had to pay "baksheesh"? How many people do you know that got a place in the workforce, at uni, at school or even at kindergarten based on merit? Dude, our society is like that. We've got to change something fundamental...blaming the government just ain't gonna cut it.

rafiq · #8 December 19, 2003, 01:37 AM

I doubt the problem exists because of lack of laws, its's more to do with the inability to enforce the law. There are actually some groups working hard on the ferry problem, but apparently without much headway. The ferry owners association is a powerful lobby. And despite laws, they are not always enforcable. Undertrained and corrupt police cannot enforce the law evenly. It's likely owners are fined or shut down one day and they bounce back, fully operational the next day.