Many people have died after spending months and years running from one office to another in pursuit of their pensions. We learn about such cases through the media. We hear from many people that there is some kind of “audit objection” standing in the way. Give someone money, however, and the problem is resolved. Many do not even know how to pay this money or whom to pay it to. I told him to go to the local education officer. He said he had already gone there and nothing had been resolved. I told him to go to the Education Bhaban in Dhaka.

This reminded me of an annual report on corruption published by Transparency International Bangladesh many years ago. It listed the most corrupt government agencies, with the education sector at the top. Whenever such a report or survey appears in the media, officials of the relevant agency come charging in, loudly declaring, “We reject this report.”

For a long time now, we have been hearing grandiloquent promises. There are showers of hope and floods of pledges. We have heard so many of them that our ears have gone numb.

How much of what those who make the rules—and those responsible for implementing their promises—actually remember after they have spoken? If even a quarter of their promises were implemented, wouldn’t this country have become a golden land by now?

Whenever people are in power, they loudly proclaim that the country’s problems have become so deeply entrenched because of the previous government’s limitless waste and corruption that there is no way out anytime soon. Cleaning up this mess will take a long time. Only after that can the real work begin. Therefore, they say, the people must be patient.