A democratic system of government is basically an unwritten contract between the citizens and the elected government. Under this agreement, it is the government's responsibility to take care of the people. They must not only draw up laws, but ensure that those laws are protected too. But is it not uncommon to see a state violating the very laws they are supposed to protect. The protector becomes the perpetrator.
Let's look into certain recent instances of the state being the perpetrator.
One. Bangladesh's Pillow Scam.
In the residential project of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, pillows worth a mere few hundred takas were purchased for nearly one hundred thousand takas each. Carrying each pillow from the truck to the building cost around five thousand takas. Because of this pillow scam, the state had to count losses of several extra crore takas. The intriguing part is that everything was executed strictly following the legal paperwork.
The project was approved, tenders were invited, and the accounts were even audited as per regulations upon completion. This outright plunder happened right before everyone''s eyes, under the supervision, consent, and participation of state-appointed officials. Those who were responsible for oversight either neglected their duties or intentionally lined their own pockets.
Two. Pakistan’s Kohistan Scam in the Pakhtunkhwa Province
Billions of rupees were allocated for development work, but the project officials, in collusion with government authorities, embezzled at least several crore rupees. There were fake companies, fake contractors. There was even the name of a garbage truck driver who was paid 1.6 million dollars. Following an investigation, it was revealed that officials from the very top of the government down to the absolute bottom were involved in this outright plunder.
Three. Donald Trump’s 1.8 Billion Dollar ‘Slash Fund’
The US President recently filed a lawsuit against his own government. In 2019, while he was the president, an IRS contractor leaked his tax returns to a newspaper. Trump alleged that this damaged his reputation; therefore, he demanded 10 billion dollars in compensation from the government. Now, instead of pursuing the lawsuit, Trump has reached a settlement.
The government (meaning himself) has agreed that the Department of Justice will set up a special fund of 1.8 billion dollars, from which people affected by government actions will receive compensation. It is being said that Trump supporters who faced imprisonment for attacking the Capitol building on 6 January 2021, might also receive compensation. In other words, this is an excellent mechanism to line the pockets of his own supporters using state funds.
The matter does not end here. According to the agreement signed with the Department of Justice, no lawsuit regarding tax issues can ever be filed against Trump, his family, or his company in the future. A 100-million-dollar penalty lawsuit currently pending against him on charges of tax evasion will also be considered null and void.
From suitcases to spreadsheets
If you look closely at the examples provided here, you will notice that in every single instance, state assets are being plundered while seemingly complying with all laws and regulations. In the past, illicitly acquired wealth was smuggled out in suitcases, just as Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, or Sani Abacha of Nigeria did. The way our very own Sheikh Hasina slipped away with a few suitcases can also be placed on this list.
A country or society can recover if it only loses its wealth, but once its moral backbone is lost, it is incredibly difficult to reclaim.
Nowadays, stuffing cash into suitcases is no longer the only way. Computers, spreadsheets, and clever accountants and lawyers are now used to plunder state assets. Previously, money was taken covertly under the table; now, funds are laundered via wire transfers. Ultimately, whether it is stuffed into suitcases or sent through bank transfers, none of these scams could ever take place without the backing of those in power.
Public bus vs. private taxi
To understand what the state is, we can use the metaphor of a public bus. A public bus is a vehicle where passengers of all kinds can travel along a designated route by paying a fixed fare. But the trouble begins when, by order of those in power, that bus stops carrying the general public and is used exclusively for them and their families instead. The state owns the bus, and its fuel is bought with public money, yet only a specific class of people gets the privilege to ride it.
Consider the "slush fund" Trump is claiming. The fund is to be formed through the Department of Justice, which is under his control, and its allocation will come from the state treasury, but its benefits will only go to those whom Trump considers his own people.
This is so unprecedented that even members of Trump’s own party are questioning how such a thing is possible. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell remarked that this is not only an asinine move, but it is also immoral.
The ''ecosystem'' of crime
When such outright plunder takes place right before our eyes, are a handful of top-heavy officials the only ones to blame?
The German philosopher Hannah Arendt argued no; more or less, we are all complicit. Even when we know a crime is being committed, we do not protest it, assuming that protest will achieve nothing, or that this is simply "the system." Consequently, we remain silent. This normalises even the most horrific crimes perpetrated by the powerful. In this way, ordinary citizens, either unknowingly or reluctantly, become partners in that crime.
Arendt noted that an even greater danger than the crimes committed by the powerful arises when citizens accept that the country's president, government ministers, or the local police officer are bound to steal. This is where the ultimate catastrophe occurs. A country or society can recover if it only loses its wealth, but once its moral backbone is lost, it is incredibly difficult to reclaim.
In his book Development as Freedom, Amartya Sen wrote that the greatest danger to democracy occurs when the majority of a country''s people stop speaking out or protesting against the misgovernance happening within their civil society and state. When the master of the house looks the other way, or gives up claiming there is nothing to be done, thieves are bound to break in.
Another crisis unfolds when, out of blind loyalty to a leader, supporters justify and accept even the gravest of crimes. Look at Trump. There is hardly any misdeed he hasn't committed, yet there hasn''t been the slightest dent in support among his loyal followers. He famously said himself that he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and he wouldn't lose any voters. This is true not just for Trump, but also for nationalist leaders like Narendra Modi. Given the rate at which Sheikh Hasina’s Awami Facebook army continues to defend her actions even after she was ousted from power, she can easily be included on this list as well.
It is worth recalling George Orwell’s advice here. From his satirical novella Animal Farm, we know that a dictator does not stand alone; they have a vast network of loyal cronies—their ecosystem. For the meager crumbs tossed by the leader, they are ready to sell their souls at any moment.
No matter how powerful a leader like Trump may seem on the surface, the source of his strength lies within this "ecosystem." If he says "howl," the members of this ecosystem will instantly chime in together and howl in unison.
How change will come
Hannah Arendt, George Orwell, and Amartya Sen, they have all warned us that the fight against misgovernance and tyranny begins in the minds of the people. Autocracy does not survive solely through prisons or propaganda. It survives when the citizens of a country surrender their ability to think, to remember, and to speak out. They do all of this out of fear. But once that fear is shattered, no fortress remains impenetrable. For dictators, the final humiliation awaits: a dark motorcade, a waiting aircraft, and the suitcases.
* Hasan Ferdous is a writer and essayist.
* The views expressed here are the author's own.
* This article appeared in Bengali in Prothom Alo Online and has been translated for Prothom Alo English Online by Ayesha Kabir