THE government is truly in hyperactive mode. Of course, it’s always a wonderful sight having an activist government in action, for that is what governments are expected to be. But, then, activism is always symbolic of positive action, of building bridges and institutions. In the present instance, governmental activism seems to be taking a reverse course. A commission appointed by the government has predictably recommended breaking up Grameen Bank into as many as nineteen different zones. If you ask the authorities why they are doing such a terrible thing, the likely response would be that decentralisation and therefore a delegation of responsibilities on a wider scale is always a most healthy thing.

That would be well put, except that the record of the Awami League government vis-à-vis Grameen Bank has nothing to do with decentralization. The aim here is to take over the organisation and reduce it to emasculation. Or it is to break it up into pieces and so render it impotent. To be sure, Grameen Bank is no embodiment of perfection. But it has given hope to many. Why drill holes through hope? For hope is what has historically carried us through all our little difficulties and huge impediments. If now we must be told that Grameen Bank is being restructured, our response will be simple: why not restructure politics first? Why not decentralise the state through empowering local bodies at all tiers?

The government’s obsession with Grameen Bank has made big dents in its own reputation and embarrassed citizens to no end. Can someone call a halt to this guerrilla war? The sight of an entire government battling an individual, in this case a Nobel laureate, is not very edifying.

The writer is Executive Editor, The Daily Star.