The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the country's apex trade body, has complained that extortion is largely responsible for price rise during Ramadan. It is a serious allegation not because it is made in a view-exchange meeting with the Home Minister at his office but because of the specific mention of parties involved in the crime. The extortionists too are not quite unknown but it is the pointing of finger at the coalition of a section of law enforcement agencies and political activists that really shows the gravity of the situation. Earlier, a similar complaint was made against the police for realising toll amounting between Tk 50-100 from each heavy vehicle at different points. This, it was alleged, is responsible for creating tailback on highways and roads. If this is a usual practice at other times of the year, taking recourse to the malpractice is taken to its optimal level during a couple of months prior to Ramadan.
Admittedly, there are elements like the general secretary of the Chattogram city unit of the students' wing of the ruling party. A six-minute-long video clip of unleashing of his wrath on a trader in the latter's office has become viral. Furious, the leader of the organisation got hold of the trader's hair, slapped 13 times during the six minutes and was trying to strangulate his victim when the latter begged for mercy. All because, the trader refused to hand over the extortion money of Tk 2,000,000 (2.0 million). Quite a number of men in uniform have made news for not getting the money they demanded from traders. At times they take recourse to intrigues in order to implicate the innocent. One such police attempt, according to a report carried in a Bangla daily, to implicate a trader in Jashore city with possession of yaba was foiled by local people. But the law enforcers in plain clothes ransacked the trader's residence, destroying the valuables -TV, fridge, micro-oven included.
All this shows that the claim made by the FBCCI certainly has its basis but then all the blames apportioned to the erring members of the law enforcement agencies and muscle-flexing political elements cannot be fully endorsed. Businesspeople are not angels. Why do particular items, not all items, register sky-high prices during or prior to the holy month? Mere extortion will not explain the fact. 'Syndication' is no myth in the business world of this country. Onion and spice prices soar notwithstanding their ample supply. Rice and sugar prices have shot up outrageously at a time when in the international market both were stable. Market is manipulated in order to create artificial crises and make the most of it.
On top of this, a section of businesspeople are habituated to compromising on quality of products. Profit rather than health and hygiene of customers stands out on their minds. In advanced countries, products of an entire batch are taken out of market if one sample is found faulty with the potential of harming people's health and well-being in any way. Can anyone remember any such thing has ever happened here? Rather, spurious medicines produced by drug companies are marketed with impunity. When ethical consideration becomes a casualty, it is impossible to stem the rot. The government has no scope to be lenient to such malpractices.