Dr. Mijanur Rahman,Vice Chancellor, Jagannath University : Those with their own personal motives and interests should be kept out of state decision-making processes. If there are conflicts of interest from the people responsible for taking executive decisions regarding public interest, it shows that everyone will be after their own

interests. The influential try to take decisions  based on their own whims. This leads to disregarding public interest.

The bus owner committee, the labor unions – when they become lawmakers, it creates a crisis. The head of the bus owner committee is the state minister for rural development while the leader of the labor organizations is the shipping minister. Many believe that when the government takes any decision regarding road safety, it creates a lot of bureaucratic obstacles. The government should look into whether it can change this. The current situation can prove to be an opportunity. It will be beneficial for the government if it can prove that bus owner and labor organizations do not influence its decisions.

The government must take responsibility in remedying this lack of confidence the people have. It is not unusual to lose faith when the government is saying one thing and doing another, especially regarding fulfilling its promises. The government should take steps to reassure protesting students, so that their movement really does achieve something positive.

It is more important to prevent vehicles without fitness or licenses from driving on roads at all costs than whether culprits responsible for accidents are punished or not. No new law has to be written for this end – it is possible to achieve this with the current law.

Based on an interview by Ashiq Rahman, translated by Abrar Hussain