State has right to interverne
A.T. M. Nurun Nabi
Onion is now selling at taka 40 per kilogram, an increase of taka four over last week’s selling rate while potato sells at taka 24 only, marking a rise of taka four in last seven days against the fall of rice price through out the country. However, the rise of price of onion and potato and few other things indicate that the government should build its own ‘market force’ in order to keep the price of essential commodities at sustainable level. And that market force could be Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), which now exists on paper.
In the eighties, TCB played a vital role in importing a good number of food and non-food items, and marketing those nicely. But early nineties, the country witnessed a diminishing role of TCB because the government, which was voted to power in 1991, did not provide the corporation necessary support. Not only that government, all other governments who came to power thereafter followed the same policy to keep TCB week.
However, the AL government from 1996 to 2001 was exceptional in keeping the price within purchasing capacity of common people for its allowing TCB to perform its due role.
Modern State is welfare State. And to make a welfare State, it implies upon the government being the legal agent of the State, to do a lot of things, which an individual or group of individuals cannot execute. Regarding the functions of the State, Professor Garner said, “The purpose of the state is to look after interest of the individual, nation’s interest and to develop human civilization.” According to Adam Smith, “There are three main purposes of the state: firstly, protection from external aggression and maintenance of internal peace and security; secondly, protection of individual against injustice and atrocities of other members of the society; and thirdly, to establish different jobs and public institutions and to maintain them, which cannot be established by an individual or group of individuals.”
But sadly, the past BNP Government and the Interim Government of Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed failed to realize their duties towards nation. Rather, they provoked to raise price as far as possible as saying, “The government has nothing to do with market price.”
But the real thing is, when a section of wholesalers and retailers raise commodity price beyond economics index, or when they do not follow ethics and morality in trading, or when they ignore relations between demand and supply in determining the price of a thing, the government cannot keep its eyes shut because if it does so, it means it does not discharge its functions conferred on them.
The recent economics meltdown in the western hemisphere has proved there are more evils than good in capitalism and time has arrived for all the governments of the world except few to take lessons from President Bush’s bailout programme. Thus, the present AL Government should reactivate TCB with full strength to keep the price at reasonable level. In case of necessary, the help of Sena Kalyan Sangstha may be taken.
Courtesy: thebangladeshtoday.com
