Picture this: You’re stuck in a traffic snarl on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, sweat pooling on your forehead, horns blaring like a deranged orchestra.
Suddenly, a hero emerges -- a bus driver who decides the laws of physics (and traffic) don’t apply to him. He swerves into the wrong lane, determined to “beat the system.”
Minutes later, chaos erupts. Vehicles pile up in both directions, gridlocking the highway into a standstill worthy of a dystopian film.
This, dear readers, isn’t just bad driving -- it’s a masterclass in Bangladeshi governance.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a rogue motorbiker who turned a sidewalk into his personal racetrack, teaching me (almost) everything I needed to know about the state of our governance. Today, let’s zoom out from the sidewalk to the highway, where the same principles apply: Rules are optional, consequences are collective, and the system thrives on improvization.
The motorbiker’s legacy: From sidewalks to highways
Recall that motorbiker -- the one who treated pedestrians like bowling pins. His logic was simple: “Why suffer in traffic when you can create traffic?”
Fast-forward to the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, and we see his spiritual successors: Drivers who’d rather invent new lanes than wait their turn. The result? A self-inflicted paradox where trying to avoid congestion causes congestion.
This isn’t just bad luck -- it’s a metaphor. In Bangladesh, governance often operates on the same “wrong-way shortcut” principle. Whether it’s political decisions, urban planning, or crisis management, the reflex is the same: Dodge the problem, even if it amplifies it.
The anatomy of a gridlock: A microcosm of systemic failure
Let’s dissect the highway fiasco.
What is the trigger? A traffic jam -- caused by poor infrastructure, unchecked growth, or monsoon floods.
And so it invokes a reaction, where a driver thinks, “Why follow rules?”
This causes a domino effect, where others mimic the rebellion, clogging both lanes.
What’s left in the aftermath? Hours lost, tempers flared, productivity evaporated.
Replace “driver” with “policymaker” and “highway” with “economy,” and you’ve got a snapshot of governance. Consider:
- Power shortages met with quick-rental power plants (expensive, temporary, and environmentally disastrous).
- Illegal buildings “regularized” post-construction (rewarding chaos, punishing compliance).
- Political compromises that kick crises down the road (see: Traffic management, river encroachment, education reform).
The pattern? Avoid the hard fix, embrace the easy bypass.
The cultural alibi: “But everyone else is doing it!”
In traffic and governance, accountability dissolves in a crowd. When one driver veers into the wrong lane, ten others follow, thinking, “If they’re breaking rules, why shouldn’t I?” Similarly, when one political leader or business tycoon flouts regulations, it sets a precedent: Rules are for suckers.
This cultural alibi thrives on three pillars:
- Fatalism: “Traffic will always be bad, so why not cheat?” → “Corruption is inevitable, so why resist?”
- Individualism: “My time matters more than everyone else’s.” → “My gains outweigh collective losses.”
- Learned Helplessness: “The system won’t change, so adapt.” → “Why vote? Nothing changes anyway.”
The rogue motorbiker and the wrong-way driver are both products of this ecosystem. They’re not outliers -- they’re logical actors in a broken system.
In traffic and governance, accountability dissolves in a crowd
The governance parallel: Policy in the wrong lane
Let’s map the highway debacle to governance failures:
- Traffic police absenteeism ⇌ Regulatory gaps: Where were the traffic cops as drivers U-turned into chaos? Likely shrugging, “What can we do?” -- a refrain echoed by regulators watching banks launder money or factories pollute rivers.
- The VIP lane mentality ⇌ Elite capture: When politicians’ and big business tycoons convoys muscle through traffic, they signal that some are above the law. Similarly, tax breaks for the powerful and impunity for influentials entrench a two-tiered system.
- Blame the victim ⇌ Gaslighting the public: After the highway mess, officials blamed drivers for “impatience.” Never mind the potholed roads or absent signage. Sound familiar? “Citizens don’t pay taxes!” (Never mind that services are dismal.)
Satirical solutions: How to govern like a wrong-way driver
If we’re committed to this ethos, let’s lean in. Here’s a policy playbook inspired by our highway heroes:
- The “creative infrastructure” plan: Why build bridges? Just let drivers invent new routes through rice fields. Similarly, why fix the economy? Print money and call it “innovation.”
- The “selective law enforcement” initiative: Traffic cops can ticket 10 drivers a day for show, while ignoring the other 10,000. Apply this to anti-corruption drives: Arrest a few small fry, let the sharks roam.
- The “blame the weather” doctrine: Monsoons flooded the highway? Perfect scapegoat. Likewise, blame global inflation for local mismanagement.
- The “citizen Darwinism” experiment: Let the public fight it out. Survival of the fittest on roads ⇌ No social safety nets.
Breaking the cycle: Can we U-turn out of this?
All satire aside, the highway gridlock -- like governance failures -- is a choice, not destiny. Fixing it requires:
- Rule of law, not rule of chaos: Traffic cameras, fines, and consistent enforcement. Similarly, independent institutions to check power abuses.
- Planning beyond the next election: Invest in public transport, not quick-rental bandaids. Think metro rails, not flyovers to nowhere.
- Civic muscle memory: Celebrate those who wait in line, pay taxes, and report corruption. Make compliance aspirational.
- Leadership by example: If politicians’ convoys obey traffic rules, maybe citizens will too.
The road less travelled (correctly)
As I write this, another driver is probably veering into oncoming traffic somewhere, convinced he’s outsmarting the jam. But his “shortcut” will cost everyone hours -- a tragedy of the commons, Dhaka-style.
The rogue motorbiker on the sidewalk and the wrong-way driver on the highway are kindred spirits. They remind us that governance isn’t just about laws; it’s about culture, incentives, and the courage to endure short-term pain for long-term gain.
So the next time you’re stuck in traffic, take a breath. Don’t join the wrong-way rebels. Instead, think: This jam is our shared creation. Maybe getting out of it starts with staying in our lane.
Zakir Kibria is a writer and nicotine fugitive (once successfully smuggled a lighter through 3 continents). Entrepreneur | Chronicler of Entropy | Cognitive Dissident. Email: zk@krishikaaj.com