For one of the poorest countries in the world, the answer seems obvious. Coconut trees don’t provide jobs. Ship breaking yards do, besides the immense amounts of cheap steel and other materials.
But shop-keeper Abul Kalam is worried more about finding a coconut to hold on to when the next storm comes around. Has he ever wondered whether a decent paying job at a ship-yard could earn him enough money to build a proper house? Perhaps, he then wouldn’t have to worry about all the coconut trees lost to the ship yards. Sour grapes?
This is just like the liberal attitude pertaining to sweatshops – those workers can starve to death but will not be allowed to earn a few dollars a day.
