Ramadan and rising prices
K M Zubair Sadeque, Duquesne University, USA
In this holy month of Ramadan, people have once again become the victims of unscrupulous greed of some vested quarters. As I gather from newspaper reports, prices of essentials shot up, some exponentially, in recent days. It is an irony that the holy month, which is supposed to teach us restraints, instead gives opportunity to some people to satisfy their inexhaustible lust for money.It is true that demand for some items like fruits, vegetables, etc. increased during Ramadan. But there is no shortage of supply to justify the skyrocketing prices. It is the irrational greed of unscrupulous business people which is to be blamed for the unjustified increase in the prices of essentials. The Commerce Minister has been rebuked by the PM for his inaction in maintaining price stability. Surely, the price hike would not have been so grave had the government took timely actions. It is rather a pity that the ordinary people are made hostage to the greed of the dishonest traders during occasions like the Ramadan. During festivals and during crises (during Iraq war prices of essentials shot up without any justifiable reason), price hikes become a normal phenomenon in Bangladesh. We can only hope that the traders come to their senses and refrain from the unethical practices of artificially raising prices to enable people to observe the holy month of Ramadan with due solemnity and fervour.
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