A microbus burns during hartal hours ahead of January 5 polls. File Photo Although constitutionally recognised as a democratic right, in reality, hartal is a crime against the country and the nation as it affects education, hampers industrial and agricultural production, disrupts business and shatters economy. Normal activities in all sectors of the country came to a standstill for over a week from Thursday last as Jamaat-e-Islami called staggered hartals on Thursday, Sunday-Monday and again on Wednesday-Thursday in protest against the death sentences of its leaders Motiur Rahman Nizami, Mir Quasem Ali and Kamaruzzuman for crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971. Though the violence and vandalism during the hartals were not as widespread as that of last year, the series hartals caused heavy damage to national economy and disrupted education. The JSC and JCD examinations dates have been forced to be rescheduled more than once, affecting over two million students. Education at higher levels also was affected by the hartal. The Jamaat hartals which started on Thursday last and with intervals continue till today (Thursday) have hit hard the education, industry, agriculture and commerce causing heavy losses. As communications are disrupted by hartals, transportation of industrial and agricultural products are badly affected including export and import, hitting hard the industrialists and farmers inflicting huge loss on the national economy. The losses being caused by one day’s of hartal amount to Tk. 1500 crores in economy, according to DCCI, Tk. 40 crores in duties and taxes, according to NBR, Tk. 110 crores in RMG sector, according to BGMEA, Tk. 250 crores in Road Transport sector, according to Transport Owners’ Association. While the overall economy is being badly affected, the marginal farmers are being worst victims of hartal onslaught as their produces cannot be sent to different destinations due to absence of transports on the long route. Particularly, vegetables, fishes and poultry can not be marketed for this reason. On the other hand, the businessmen irrespective of big and small are being affected as their interest on bank loans are piling up while production. sale and transactions are minimum or nil due to hartal. Against the backdrop of massive losses being caused to the economy by the hartal, a public uproar is getting louder as to why hartal is not being banned officially and why law is not being enacted to punish those who cause harm to economy, education, industry and agriculture, in other words to the country and the nation? Hartal is disrupting examination process of lakhs of innocent students. The children of most of the political leaders of the country pursue their studies abroad. So, they are obviously unconcerned over the fate of the examinations of the children of ordinary people who are unable to send their wards abroad for studies. But, for many guardians the examinations of their children is very crucial. And, hence they may rightly ask for an end to the poltics of hartal. Hartal can do no good to either the people or the parties that call hartal by disrupting normal activities. However, sponsors of hartal may feel delighted by bringing the country to a standstill. It is no denying the fact that calling hartal to press home demands is a democratic right and a long-standing practice in this country. But, in fact, because of indiscriminate use hartal has lost its utility as a political weapon to realise demands. Besides, the disastrous effects of hartal have made the people scared of it. Most of the people now hate and fear hartal as a source of social disruption and economic loss which is irreparable. People are no more ready to become the victims of politics of hartal. So, they urge all opposition political parties of yesterday, today and tomorrow to show respect to public sentiment by finding out alternative political means instead of hartal for realising their demands.
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