Untold Facts

Not Hijackers but Saviors of Independent Bangladesh

Not Hijackers
A Young lady in a program I listen to in my radio on the 10th May night she participated in a foreign media program commented that who toppled the government on the 15th August 1975 and then on hold on to the State power of Bangladesh had been ‘hijacker terrorists criminals’ and nothing else. Were they?

Freedom fighters
First, the first few persons who brought about the change of the 15th August 1975 had all been freedom fighters of 1971. They fought not passively but almost all in the fronts with arms, and not like many leaders did enjoy life in the comfortable hotel rooms in Calcutta (Kolkata). So they had no shortage of patriotism as the lady who was even if then born had no exact experience about the war, let alone fighting the war with arms in hand.

Victorious coup
It’s true that they toppled the top leader from the State power not by any illegal means but by legal way as the armed coup d’ etat is recognized being a successful one and not a failed putsch. Had the coup failed, the operators would legally face punishment and possibly court martial in accordance with army rule. But as the coup was a victorious one and had due allegiance from all relevant State organs internally and also given nod externally, they got full legitimacy in their action program. There was no known lamentation for the fallen one, instead the coup makers got spontaneous support and blessings of the people of the country not out of fear but for being relieved of tyranny they had been under in the rule of Bangladesh during 1972-75, despite the fact that the top leader had earlier popular support that unfortunately fell at the lowest when he fell from the power.

Patriotism
Patriotism is nobody’s exclusive property. It depends on perception and wider views of issues involved that in turn depends on one’s perception level based on ideology or higher ideals and norms.

Two goals
The 1971 war was fought for two main reasons in the framework of national independence, one, securing guarantee of basic freedoms and economic well being for all. On both these counts the majority people had been hoodwinked and miserably deprived. Well, the party thugs had not only had all ‘freedoms’ but also economic fortune not through fair means but unfair way and not all in secrecy but almost in open.

Corruption and inefficiency
Corruption and inefficiency had been the way of running everything. Inefficiency could have been tolerated for the leaders lacked experience in administration, but corruption could hardly be condoned. On top of it was the OGL (Open General License) given for corruption to the party stalwarts and to all levels of cadres. The exceptions proved the rule.

Victims of corruption
Inefficiency and corruption had their direct casualties of lives and living of the poor millions. In 1974 famine deaths in thousands (27,00 in government account and lakhs in other accounts) of the destitute had been the direct result of inefficiency and corruption that the Nobel laureate Amarta Sen has had kept on record. The fortune seekers of the party in power and their close associates had the hey day, and even transferred their ill earned properties to the banks of foreign countries converted into English pounds and US Dollars out side the border of the country.

Repression
Repression and extra-judicial killing by the unconstitutional Rakhi Bahini planned, organized, motivated, armed and supervised by the Indian central intelligence agency R&AW and their army senior officer General Oven, apart from private hoodlum forces even led by his eldest son Kamal and nephew Moni, had in reality unleashed fearsome syndrome all over the country. None dared to make open protest against these inhuman acts except the lone octogenarian politician Maolana Bhashni, despite the fact that he had been kept interned by the government for over three years at his Tangail home. His tiny periodical media Haq Katha/ Sathya Katha had also been banned off and on. The few others like Abdul Haq, Toaha, Abdul Matin, Seraj Sikder, etc. with their own groups in opposition tried to survive in resistance by going underground. Seraj Sikder was tricked and arrested for betrayal of one of his close cadres and then the patriot brilliant Engineer killed in police custody. The day Seraj was killed the leader roared in the top of his voice in the Parliament floor, boasting in his verbatim, KOTHAI AJ SERAJ SIKDER, or in English version, ‘Where is that Seraj Sidkder today, he is killed and sent to grave’. The other underground patriotic groups and Bhashni got their freedom to come over ground only after the 1975 August change and specifically General Ziaur Rahman took over as the President of the country.

Zia and after
It is after Ziaur Rahman that the lone party dictatorship of the BAKSAL introduced arbitrarily in January 1975 without any reference to the general will of the people was replaced with multi-party democracy that the people had before and was set in the 1972 Constitution. In addition, it was Zia’s initiative done by the 5th Amendment of the Constitution in April 1979 that brought about other changes in the principles of the Constitution responsive to the aspirations of the overwhelmingly majority people (85-90%) through referendum and due constitutional processes.

China, Saudi Arabia, etc
It was after the change of the August 1975 that the big power China recognized Bangladesh as the independent country that they withhold for over three and a half years due mainly to ever presence of hegemony of India. The most powerful Muslim country Saudi Arabia highly esteemed as the spiritual nerve center of the Muslim Ummah not only came forward to recognize Bangladesh but also in aid with massive financial support for reconstruction and building of infrastructure taken after the 15th August change under the leadership of President Zia. The post independence government for over three and half years had miserably failed to make any dent in these crucial matters.

Darkness
Reintroduction of multiparty democracy by Zia opened gates for western support that started to free the economy from stagnation to open development. Had there been no change of the 15th August all these positive developments would remain far to seek, and so would remain freedom, open economic opportunities and even sovereignty of the country mortgaged to Indian hegemony.

Tragedy and amazement
It is a vicious tragedy of history of Bangladesh that the political leader who propounded for democracy for all throughout his life before coming on to power but very tragically ended in dictatorship of the lone party BAKSAL State! On the contrary, it is amazing to see that some army men and an Army General being trained for one track discipline buried the politician’s lone party system and reintroduced multiparty democracy in response to the people’s will and real aspiration! Who could refute these facts of Bangladesh’s recent past? Only the naïve or the crafty crooked could misread the history and its underlying lessons.

Author: Dr.T. Hussain

Mid Term Election is a Democratic Demand

Acrimony
There is an acrimony on the question of all encompassing ineptness of the government that has brought in the hunch for mid term election. Such demand by any citizen much less any political party cannot be ruled out right away. If any one of the ruling circles starts to bash such demand, it may not be worthy of normal democratic psyche but fascist one of muscle power.

Democratic demand
Democratic demand and fascist attitude are two issues in the opposite poles. One meaning of democracy is rule by the majority opinion and clear support. Another implied meaning of democracy in practical politics for any person and or group is obtaining nod to rule through majority vote. Democracy is also a matter of concept that accepts sovereignty of the people in a free country.

Democracy for civilized Society
Democratic rule is an accepted norm for civilized societies. The countries of the advanced West are normally democratic, while the less developed ones have lately been aspiring for becoming democratic from the past colonial and feudal features. Bangladesh has been of late aspiring to become democratic but with many hindrances of ifs and buts.

British model
The present human civilization accepts Britain as the oldest democracy of nearly eight hundred years old and continuity reckoned from the historic Magna Carta yielded to people by King John in 1215 A.D. Even so, one cannot say with certainty that the British democracy has matured in perfection as we have the latest moral question raised there in regard to public expenditure by some Ministers including the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Home Secretary Jackie Smith etc. and their family members as inappropriate. In fact, it is still being improved, modified and refined for perfection for right behavior and attitude of the members elected for various levels by the people. One reason is that human being is fallible and so the system developed though by notable personalities remained imperfect in one way or the other.

Fragile nature
Democracy in Bangladesh is a very new practice so far as democratic elections and behavior of elected governments are concerned. It is as such unreasonable to expect here in Bangladesh a democratic culture of the level and quality that exist in the advanced democratic countries.

Equality and rule of law
Democracy unfortunately means in Bangladesh like many other developing countries as everything in to get a government elected on the polling day and nothing beyond. That democracy means equality of all citizens in the eye of law and supremacy of the judiciary for ensuring rule of law equally applicable to all citizens for the people are the sovereign in democratic set up hardly go along in fine tune but generally in rough rides. Thus the elected democratic persons and the government are constantly answerable to the citizens in the country as they may loose sight of as soon as the polling was over. Once a person or group elected to run the country in democratic means for a term, it does not necessarily mean that he/she or the group would finish the term period unhindered and without any question put to them about changed issues by the citizens who had elected them. In other words, reference to the people even before the set term is completed could come up genuinely for the people are the sovereign power and anybody or any group whatever majority the government might have had in the previous election. In the oldest democratic tradition of Britain this comes quite often, no matter whether the opposition would ask for it or not. The position goes for such mid term election almost all on their own initiative as gentleman’s obligation and response to the people’s changed wants and aspirations. Should the government fail to response to any such popular will and want of the people for which opinion surveys or gallop polls continue to be conducted as normal routine matters, it is taken as violation of the sovereign rights of the people. Not any culturally matured government could do so, but the fascists alone.

Fascism not democracy
There is no doubt that fascism is a way of attitude, but not a democratic one by any norm. In Bangladesh there had been rises of fascism even though it came about time and again in the past very unfortunately through election process having label of democracy. One reason had been remnant of feudal attitude and mindset and further ill education on democratic norm of the leaders concerned. May be we may have to bear with it for sometime more to come. That however does not mean that we cannot begin the practice right now.

Ponder about
What is essentially needed is that all concerned must start to think in the matter of mid term election as a way out from the acrimony and further than that it is also a process of democracy and nothing beyond democratic process.

No negative attitude
Should anybody or the government come up with negative attitude for the mid term election of the parliament it would not only be undemocratic but also be notoriously fascist in mental frame and attitudes.

Author: Dr.T. Hussain

Don’t Bluff The People

The Bangladesh Law Minister, Barrister Shafiq Ahmad, I am sure, has bluffed the simple minded Muslims of the country by stating in public as there was in the media published on the 8th morning in Dhaka that even if the 5th Amendment scrapped, Bismillah would remain at the top of the Bangladesh Constitution. How is that?

There was no Bismillah at the top of the Bangladesh Constitution when that was first adopted in late 1972. Hardly there was any scope for any such insertion, because the Constitution had been designed to be openly secular under well known external interference as one of the four principles had been ‘secularism’ and so none of any religious notation could have been there at any place.
Bismillah or in full BISMILLAHER RAHMANIR RAHIM, the Islamic notation for beginning any job pronounced in Arabic language, a must for all Muslims, got the place at the top of the Constitution formally following the 5th Amendment. That was not inserted just for the sake of beginning of the reading of the Constitution, but came along with other three items of basic principles of the original Constitution. The items changed were from Bengali nationalism to Bangladeshi nationalism, from Socialism to social justice and from secularism to Absolute Faith and Trust on the Almighty Allah. The dropping off of secularism and substitution of that by faith and trust in Allah were rightly considered as an attempt to make Bangladesh constitutionally Islamic. And as the Islamic principle had been accepted, that obviously required insertion of Bismillah at the top or beginning of the Constitution. The minister, however, clarified the position of the would be again changed Constitution that keeping the notation at the top or beginning would mean nothing so far as the secular nature of the main text of the Constitution was concerned. It was very easy to understand that by saying so he had been contradicting himself in the same breath.

One would argue though that the Awami League is a party notorious for bluffing the people. One instance of their bluffing just before the election for vote getting was the promise in the market for price of rice at Taka ten per kg that is still to be reached and may not come down to that price at any time in their rule of Bangladesh in the possible years ahead, no possibility either even the recession continues for long. Yet another is that they promised to enact no laws for the country that would become contradictory to the Quarn and the Sunnah. Now they are talking about secularization of the Constitution that almost all of the Islamic jurists consider not only anti-Islamic but KUFR or denial in essence of the Almighty Allah, as well. Perhaps we need not add any more to the examples of bluffing the people and the simple- minded folks by them. On both these accounts and also in many other people had also the similar painful experience during the previous two terms (1996-2001 & 1972-75).

It is though appreciable that the same Law Minister a few days ago had a hell of condemnation from many informed ones when he termed the Qaomi Madarasa as the ‘breeding ground for producing terrorists’! What a shame! In fact, the Qaomi Madarasa system maintained the long proud tradition of about one and a half millennium of Islamic learning kept on nourishing the Muslim mind in spiritual thought and action that no Muslim except the diehard atheists would look down upon the way the Law Minister Shafiq did.

Some perverts claim that secularism was the main inspiration for the 1971 independence war. The real truth was that the renowned freedom fighter and a sector commander in the actual war field and declarer of independence in 1971 Major Zia (later on General President Ziaur Rahman) had been the brain behind the replacement of the principle of secularism to Islamic norm of belief and by doing so earned huge appreciation and spontaneous support of the common people of Bangladesh.

The so-called secularism now in the advanced West is not only an eye wash so far as their belief system and social practices impregnated into their laws, conventions, practices even into bases of the State Constitutions are concerned but also into personal and social value systems. In the USA they have no mention of God in the original Constitution adopted in the late eighteenth century but the only a few years latter they placed religion seriously to provide for freedom of religion in the First Amendment. Britain is hardly a secular country as the Crown is head of both the temporal as well as of spiritual matter.

Author: Dr. M.T. Hussain

Hasina’s Rakhhi Bahini in making out of the disbanded BDR!

Hunch came true
What was a hunch yesterday has now today come as a truth. The truth is in the making possibly at the anvil for the final strike to be made and the shape to be formed. The State Minister in charge for the task has already blown possibly the final whistle for the task.

To media
The concerned young minister has already made public the issue in the Dhaka media on the 5th May and published in many dailies in Dhaka on the 6th morning that the Bangladesh Government has already decided to take the new model from India’s plan for the BDR that has been in disarray since the 25-26 February mayhem.

Incapable we are
Why, at the first place, Bangladesh must seek a plan for the job from the big neighbor? Is Bangladesh incapable of drawing the plan for its own need by her? How about the secrecy of the plan as for the security Bangladesh must have for defense of its border over long 4,200 km with India? One must also raise another question if the BDR mayhem had been orchestrated for another end- the disbanding the BDR and instead made a new version of the Para military force like the one then in 1972-75 known as the Rakhhi Bahini that India had planned, organized, motivated, trained and specially armed under their intelligence (R&AW) man and General Ovan not for defense of the geographical frontier of Bangladesh from foreign aggression but only specifically to guard the top leader and his whims in action against all his imaginary opponents.

Vengeance same style
Those of the older generation and not of the new faces have not forgotten the facts that Bangladesh had the worst of misfortune at the hands of the Rakhhi Bahini soon after the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. The new generation in their 40s, much less in 30s or less, hardly know anything of this unconstitutional but repressive force trained and armed by Indian clandestine scheme parallel to the regular armed force of Bangladesh having had no control anywhere except only in the hands of the top leader. The force was though euphemistically termed RAKHHI BAHINI, meaning in English version personal security force. Whose personal security the force was meant to provide? In fact, that was so exclusively meant to guard the life of the top leader. In reality the security for the leader had an extended meaning to contain any body in imaginary opposition to the top leader’s whims, informal orders and signals for eliminating even physically each and every body that the leader would consider in any bit as his opponent. One such left opponent was the brilliant Engineer Seraj Sikder leader of the PURBA BANGLA SARBAHARA PARTY killed brutally in security force custody on January 2 1975 followed by the leader’s boastful declaration in the Parliament, KOTHAI AJ SERAJ SIKDER or in English version, ‘where is Seraj Sikder today’! That was the kind of meanest mentality of vengeance of the leader that we had experienced and took lives of thousands in extra-judicial killings, 11,000 of the JSD alone, and about 40,000 mainly youths of all other parties. Most unfortunately, once again we heard the same sound in the mouth of his worthy daughter in 2000 slightly in changed form, EKTAR BADALE DASHTA LASH FELOE, ‘Kill ten for one of ours killed.’

Bhasani Lone Protester
Coming back to the RAKHHI BAHINI again, we saw them putting on the Olive color uniform that was exactly of what the Indian Border Security Force had that made easier for the Indian force to enter Bangladesh territory at any time in any pretext. None dared in open to speak against that RAKHHI BAHINI for fear of reprisal and life except the lone octogenarian politician Maolana Bhashani (passed away in 1976), despite the fact that he had almost all along been kept under house arrest at Santosh, Tangail, 60 miles away from the capital city Dhaka, and also his mouth piece HAQ KATHA/ SATYA KATHA banned from publication.

Notoriety
Rakhi Bahini was notorious for torture of imagined political opponents in thousands and perpetrating extra judicial killings also in thousands during the period of three and a half years of the leader’s rule of Bangladesh. At times even the dead bodies were not returned to the relatives and instead dumped in flowing deep stream rivers or similar inaccessible locations. The left and the Islamists had been their main targets, because such targeting suited their masters across the border, as well.

Rakhhi Bahini
The 25-26 February mayhem as the facts lately have been surfacing had two targets, cut to size the highly prized nationalist army officers, on the one hand, and sizing up of the BDR, on the other. Both these organizations and their forces had all along been protecting the national interests and in turn stood against Indian narrow interests and hegemony against Bangladesh. The final sizing up may now have come up in the planned design and format so that the force would be subservient to Delhi and also be a reformat of the late 1975 disbanded RAKHHI BAHINI for giving extra security of Hasina that was what the State Minister has had clearly signaled for all us to know and possibly to digest.

Author: M.T. Hussain

Fifth Amendment Imbroglio: Bangladesh in Huge Ransom

SC Full Bench
The declaration by the High Court in 2005 of the 5th Amendment as illegal and then filed leave to appeal right then by the previous government that was withdrawn by this AL Government on the 3rd May 2009 have obviously put Bangladesh into huge ransom. Fortunately, some responsible citizens of the country have rightly stood to become a party to the appeal that has been granted on the 4th May 2009 by the Supreme Court 7 member full bench, and allowed them to file appeal in one month’s time.

Continuity at stake
The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution made on the 6th April 1979 was not only historic but also extremely crucial as life and death issue for constitutional continuity of Bangladesh. One must ask oneself how could any responsible and patriotic person much less responsible government with any bit of concern for the country’s lawful continuity abandon the appeal petition in 2009 earlier made in 2005 to the supreme court in the case and pending since then.

Naïve’s exercise
I am neither a professional lawyer nor a political party anybody but a humble senior citizen retired from formal job nearly 15 years ago felt extremely stunned at the news of the withdrawal of the appeal on the 3rd May evening by the present government of Bangladesh that I may like to explain in some detail below.

13 minutes drama
The Fifth Amendment in serial order followed the Fourth Amendment of the Bangladesh Constitution made on the 25th January 1975. Ironically the Fourth Amendment though made in the Bangladesh Parliament had been notoriously not only ill conceived but also followed evil process so far as parliamentary norms were concerned. It had been a 13 minutes business session wherein the Leader of the House alone had his edict announced and passed without having gone through due process of debate and all that needed. Based on that violation of norms the amendment lacked normal legality of parliamentary democratic process.

Dictator
Why was that so? Why was the hide and seek with democracy and national future? The reason was simple. The leader wished to become lone dictator for life having there none in opposition to him, much less any opposition party in the national Parliament. He banned all political parties and then imposed instead the lone party of his own Awami League versioned anew as the BAKSAL or Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League, as if by changing thus the nomenclature he brought in all into the party fold! The multi-party nature of the State and the Constitution abruptly changed by the leader in thirteen minutes in such haste that he allowed none to speak in the floor against the undemocratic romantic venture.

Questionable
How much was the leader honest and sincere for overall welfare of the people was not above question for his lieutenants and cadres had been engaged in fortune seeking so much unkindly that they had inflicted famine of their own making in the country in 1974 that brought in unnatural deaths to 27,000 vulnerable men, women and children due to hunger according to government estimate and lakhs according to other estimates. The death scenes in even the city of Dhaka at the nose of the government were not only tragic but also so menacing that hundreds of dead bodies had been picked up from the streets day in and day out by voluntary organizations like Anjumne Mafidul Islam, etc. for burial.

Hoodlums and killers
The repression on the political opposition whoever had been in some action program for the welfare of the country was sized up through various private armed hoodlums including one under the leader’s eldest son Kamal, another under his nephew Moni, still another under his most favorite and S.P. of Dhaka Mahboob and the unconstitutional Para military force Rakhi Bahini unleashed indiscriminately on the imaginary political opponents. That Rakhhi Bahini, in fact, had been raised under the Indian R&AW and Indian Army General Ovan as a specially trained and armed force in parallel with the regular armed forces only for protection of the leader and answerable to the lone top leader.

Apart from making the legislative and executive taken under the sole control of the leader, the judiciary had also been made totally subservient so much so that even the Supreme Court judges had been made removable at the top leader’s mercy.

Undignified image
At the international level Bangladesh had no dignified image. Countries like China, Saudi Arabia, etc had not even in over three and a half years of existence recognized Bangladesh as an independent country for its subservience to India and the then Soviet Union. The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution that turned the country into one party dictatorial rule made it more friendless, particularly, in the West.

National Relief
Then came the national relief from repression in mid August 1975. The leader was toppled in a successful military coup profusely welcomed by the people at home and abroad. The people had a great sigh of relief so much so that none lamented the fall of the leader. Though counter coups had been tried but all failed and pro 15th August coup putsch remained in full hold. The notorious lone party BAKSAL had been declared void, medias freed, declarations one after another for freedom and democracy issued, multi-party general elections held, and ultimately the Fifth Amendment passed in the newly elected Parliament on the 6th April 1979.

Pluralism
The Fifth Amendment had been clearly featured not only by provisions for pluralism and multi-party democracy but also changing the constitutional principles. The main changes included three issues; left off Bengali nationalism and in place adopted the logical Bangladeshi nationalism, abandoned socialism to Islamic social justice, and replaced secularism to Faith and Absolute Trust in the Almighty Allah. These changes had full consent and support of the people measured not only in the election results but also as they kept in tune with the general aspirations of the people in the past historical process. All these three issues incorporated in the 1972 Constitution had no reflection of the common aspirations of the people, much less majority demands, but were well known to be imposed by Delhi as they wished to make through the armed intervention in the 1971 war.

Three decades
Since then over the last three decades, the country has moved ahead by the underpinning strength of the Fifth Amendment that nothing came up posing any challenge. How come that some evil omen in 2005 came up with a case against the Amendment. Amazingly the bench judge of the High Court who declared the 5th Amendment illegal had already proved himself in another case as some one vindictive and against the victorious coup of August 1975.

Successful coup’s indemnity
The successful coup of the 15th August 1975 by any account was not a simple murder case but victorious one that by itself had the indemnity of any bloodletting as is provided in law. There is no denying the fact that successful coup is a legal mode for political power ascendance. That was what happened following the August coup, first making Khondoker Moustaque the President of the Republic by the coup heroes on its own right and power of the victorious coup itself on the very day. Then followed the transfer of power from Moustaque to Justice Sayem in about three months (83 days) and then on to General Ziaur Rahman on the 29th November (1975) -all transfers of State power as a follow up of the lawful 15th August coup. These changes had come about one after another in sequences of continuity based on the lawful change of the 15th August 1975. In addition, Ziaur Rahman had the overwhelming ‘yes’ vote in the referendum made in 1977 for the President of Bangladesh. The Fifth Amendment was not made arbitrarily but in the duly elected Parliament in 1979 as a continuity of the national events and changes made through participatory democratic process all based on the successful coup of August 1975 that was given nod and due allegiance for further legitimacy by all concerned at home and abroad.

Silly
It was absolutely silly that the challenge of the Fifth Amendment was made in the court after 30 years. It was very stunning and possibly very injurious for the nation that the sort of judgment was made in the case for it implied so many vicious syndromes to obviously resurface before the nation and the country.

Vacuum
First, in the vacuum created by the judgment, shall the country go back to the constitutional position of the 4th Amendment as it was on the 25th January of 1975? Could now any party be in existence except the BAKSAL? How about even the Awami League and its chief now holding the position of the P.M. as the elected leader of the house and of the Awami League and not of the BAKSAL? How about the validity and legality of all administrative actions taken after the 15th August 1975 for about 35 years now? Could the 2009 parliament be legal or made legal and in what way? Could Sheikh Mujib’s dead body dug out of the grave and placed as the President of the BAKSAL and of Bangladesh Republic as of today in 2009? Or else, could his daughter and now the P.M. be given legitimacy in power due to her being the legitimate inheritance? I am sure none could make any satisfactory reply to these questions today.

The Fifth Amendment’s fate
It is a matter of simple common sense that even if the Fifth Amendment is to be done away with, one has to follow steps based on the same Amendment for the time being. That is, the present parliament as the continuity of the Fifth Amendment has to initiate a bill in the due process and then get that passed in the Parliament for scrapping not the Fifth Amendment proper but issues possibly one by one that constituted the Fifth Amendment.

Not easy
Such scrapping off would entail naturally the three issues involving the principles of the Constitution, and certainly the BISMILLAH at the top of the Constitution. Though this Muslim code words are not part of the Constitution, and its scrapping off involves no amendment process as such, but the task may not be that easy as some might have thought. The Muslims constituting 90% of the population emotionally attached to the code words BISMILLAH may play some havoc in case the issue is surfaced. Attempts to change the other three of the principles would face the same situation, I am afraid. Why should any government of Bangladesh go for the venture at all? Are these changes anyway needed to uplift the well being of the people of Bangladesh? I would suppose, not at all.

Underlying fallacies and spirit
On the contrary, I would argue that these principles if pursued in spirit, not in letters alone, may bring in better welfare in smoother way for in such case of development process people would have motivation for spiritual end. In fact, the Prophet of Islam induced the followers with this spiritual incentive to work and to do well to others. Abandoning spiritually inspired Islamic fraternity and going back for Bengali secular approach to society is no way worth for wholesome development in Muslim dominated Bangladesh society. People of Bangladesh are everywhere better known as Bangladeshi and not as Bengali, not even in passports issued by the Government. The so-called principle of secularism has even failed in the West so far as family solidarity and social cohesion for comprehensive peace are concerned. So far as the issue of socialism put up in the 1972 Constitution is concerned, that is almost a matter of bygone days except dictatorial Cuba and North Korea that can hardly be a model for development for the 21st century Bangladesh pursuing pluralism and multi-party democracy, on the one hand, and free market open policies appreciably with efficiency for the last three decades, on the other.

Inherent good
It is true that the spirit of the Fifth Amendment had hardly been implemented in Bangladesh but the spirit is inherent there and if stayed they might well be taken recourse to in future for social uplift and for increased productivity through materialization of what some authority rightly calls spiritual incentive.

Loss and gain
Going secular would no doubt please our big neighbor and some Western powers but that may not equally please our brothers in faith in many countries. The loss and gain have thus to be measured with care and for accuracy.

Author: M.T. Hussain

Rotten Phobia

Inept new faces
Sheikh Hasina’s NOTUN MUKH (new faces) in the Ministry rarely can keep up in right frame of mind in consonance with their high and responsible position meant for the nation so far as the national prestige and interests are concerned.

Phobia behind ploy
A senior minister’s warning was quoted in verbatim in Bengali in a Dhaka daily on the 4th May that if they would fail to control ‘terrorism’, Bangladesh would turn into another Pakistan! The minister meant clearly further that the terrorism of the particular kind apparently of Islamic label and not those that have their hands of sponsorships as the Students League wing they have at the colleges and universities and have been perpetrating all crimes for the last four months since January 2009. The Government has already black listed 12 of such Islamic/Muslim organizations few days ago. None of them political but mainly is cultural. A few days ago they arrested 20 women from a Tablig Jamaat (congregation for preaching main teachings of Islam) small gathering in a distant mofussil town, and now on bail. The extra surveillance of the nearly one thousand year old Qaomi Madrasas now nearly 15,000 in number but self–supported by local Muslim communities throughout the country providing fundamental Islamic and Muslim learning for leading Muslim life has not only put on hold in management and administration but also in replacing their learning contents by secular subjects. A new education committee has also been formed that consisted well known atheists and now working towards the end giving damn to parental choice for education of young children that is fundamentally a basic citizenship right. These few instances should suffice to prove that the Government is apprehensive of anything not only Islamic and Muslim in group label or gathering but also against having basic learning to grow up as Muslims.

Prudence of our forefathers
Muslims in this land had the similar vicious cycle of all round misfortune soon after the British East India Company had taken over the administration. Muslims from being in a position of high ups and well educated lot since their coming in to the subcontinent and settled permanently not only gradually in decades turned into ‘drawers of water’ and ‘hewers of wood’ by the British colonialists and their local henchmen in 190 years (1757-1947). The Muslims of Bengal along with the whole in the Indian subcontinent dreamt for their liberation and freedom in the framework of one and united Pakistan. Amazingly and what the present generation do not know exactly the truth that the Muslims of the then East Bengal and part of Assam (Sylhet) overwhelmingly voted for establishment of Pakistan in the 1946 general election and in the immediately held historic referendum in Sylhet. Pakistan movement had the goal and aims for three fundamental freedoms- economic emancipation, democratic polity and Islamic way of socio-cultural living that all combined together had a lightening effect among the then 100 million Muslims of the Indian subcontinent and not only among the Muslims of East Bengal. The East Bengal Muslims though did lend the biggest and massive support that none of other Muslim majority areas did. Why was that overwhelming support in the 1946 general election?

Rationale for prudence
If one would carefully look into facts, one is certain to discover that the Muslims had been the worst of the exploited and oppressed in this area not only by the foreign British rulers but also by their henchmen natives who happened almost all from the other religious community elites. That was what the Muslims sought to get rid off in the independence of 1947. The 1971 independence from federal Pakistan had in the main two issues, better economic fortune and active political participation and sharing of power. These two issues had also been in there in 1947 but had been in a sort of non- fulfillment afterwards. The third issue of Islamic cultural persuasion of 1947 had in no way been any point of contention in 1971. But some ultra-left tried to make that a point of contention as well but had no success, particularly following the victorious and profusely welcomed army coup d’ etat of mid August 1975. Since then Bangladesh enjoys not only multi-party democracy and free economic development but also continuity of Islamic ideals in the State Constitution.

Current Omen
Following the 2009 controversial election, the party that took over power, it seems that they have opened a front for crusade against Islamic basics, talking openly to abandon the Islamic principles duly incorporated into Constitution in April 1979, sizing up Islamic education and learning, stop the Qaomi Madarasa education for good, ban Islamic/Muslim political parties, resort to erection of Islamically controversial sculpture in important locations including the Parliament House, etc. They have stood for the model of Moustafa Kamal Pasha of Turkey to follow by officially declaring Hasina’s father but controversial in the patriotic circle as the so-called JATIR PITA just as Kamal did assume the title ATATURK for himself sometime after consolidating his power and position in mid 1920s. There is no lack of support for these action programs from across the border for they abhor Muslim identity pride particularly in Bangladesh just as on the 16th December 1971 the then Indian P.M. Indira Gandhi termed the Bangladesh victory in the war as theirs as then in her verbatim, HAZAR SALO KA BADLA LE LIYA or in English they have taken the revenge of the defeats of one thousand years; but she was then and then rebuffed by some other of their senior leaders stating that Indira’s father Pandit Nehru due to his arrogance created one Pakistan in 1947 and Indira’s arrogance created two Pakistan in1971. It is as such no wonder that some one in whatever sense would see SECOND PAKISTAN in Bangladesh.

Rotten verbatim
But there is the rotten egg in the sermon of the Bangladesh minister mentioned here. He means to say, I am sure, not in disagreement with his colleagues in the ministry that they had a ploy to contain Islam and Muslim heritage by so calling bad name to what the ancestors of the Bangladesh Muslims have had huge contributions and sacrifices. Whether the people in their full consciousness would be with them in the matter is to be tested in the immediate future.

Self inflicting injury
Disowning one’s past is no credit for any self-respecting person; so is not of any nation. In fact, future of any nation is built on the past and the present, no matter whether of achievements or otherwise.

Terrorism is worldwide and not exclusive to Bangladesh
Terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon. No single country is immune from the menace. But it is also factually true that Islam and the Muslims are being blamed for all terrorisms. In close proximity of Bangladesh the Nepali Maoists, for example, had been the ‘terrorists’ for decades, but now as patriots they have been sharing the power and position of the democratic government there. Are the Tamil LTTE’s terrorists or freedom fighters? ULFA’s? None of them are Islamic /Muslims.

Address inequities
Why must then one raise finger at Muslims alone in Bangladesh? One must not let others forget that the overall syndrome is vicious manifested by conspicuous inequality, exploitation, unemployment, grinding poverty of millions around, and unless and until these are properly addressed calling bad names labeling any as terrorist would do any positive good. The inept talk of the similar nature referred here made by many ministers have already been known to be admonished by their benefactor boss and hence we need not say anything further in the matter.

Author: M.T. Hussain

Bangladesh’s Hamid Karzai and the Nation’s Future

India trained Hamid Karzai was picked up by the US-India nexus about eight years back for replacement of the Talibans in Kabul blaming them for all ills through massive propaganda. So has Indian R&AW trained Hasina was saddled in Dhaka by the same nexus, apparently having had victory in 2008 December polls that was blasted as massive fraud by Hasina’s important mate Ershad later on, albeit, having had enough propaganda of the same genre of ‘evils’ done by the opponents, as if the winners had been the angels free from any bit of wrong doing.

The Talibans once so liked by the Americans in fight for driving out the Communist Russians in 1980s from Afghanistan turned distasteful as soon as the Russians were defeated and turned out from the soil of Afghanistan. The Taliban government was manned by young bloods naturally in their exuberance, and so did some mistakes not everything bad, but had many underlying Islamic good and greater social justice. Here in Bangladesh, both India and America had a common smell of Islamic ‘fundamentalist terrorists’ of the Taliban type and so they invented the possibility of the Afghan Taliban type challenge. And hence their common action program for the common enemy, the ‘Islamic terrorists produced at the Qaomi Madarasas’ just as Hasina’s Law Minister Shafiq stated openly and published in media.

Karzai is given the task of containing Islamic Taliban and here in Bangladesh Hasina has been engaged in for accomplishing a still bigger task against anything Islamic and of the Muslim pride, the one being one and a half millennium traditional Qaomi Madarasa among the priorities blaming them in blanket for ‘producing Islamic terrorists’.

Karzai has been given armed support from America and the NATO forces, adding still more American troops in thousands by President Obama, yet no end in sight for victory of the either side and so obvious continuation of the foreign occupation of Afghanistan for how long no one can guess now extending over to Pakistan in everyday drone attacks for killing the ‘Islamic terrorists.’

Hasina may have the same sort of armed support sooner than latter that the BDR mayhem of end February 2009 has had already signaled, particularly in the fact that Indian government both at the official and demi-official levels have made abundantly clear about the mode of intervention then informed that they had kept ready their paratroopers close to Bangladesh borders for a signal to enter Bangladesh for necessary operation. The next or the third round of the Great Game they targeted to win following the first victory in 1971, then defeat in the second one in August 1975 as one of their retired Army Chief General Shankar Chowdhury has very recently stated clearly and so of their sole intention to keep Hasina saddled as long as they mutually may need just like Karzai has been kept in power of puppetry for over eight years now.

Thus the issue of formation of the task force for combating the so-called ‘Islamic terrorists’ has been aired already as the common agenda of the trio not unknown to concerned circle. Whether the uncertain fate of the 5th Amendment following withdrawal of appeal by this government from the Supreme Court on the 3rd May 2009 and the implications that may entail further provide Hasina to go for the lone party BAKSAL revived and unleash the Rakhhi Bahini style torture, oppression and extra-judicial killings of the presumed ‘Islamic terrorists’ through mass witch hunting of all political opponents as her father did during 1972-75 remains another serious matter of worry for all committed to pluralism and multi-party democracy in Bangladesh.

Despite the massive support of the NATO and the US armed forces, Karzai is hardly confident of continuing any longer in power in Kabul for he is looking for help elsewhere and asylum possibly in the USA. America is also in search for another puppet to serve them better. Should Hasina follow Karzai’s way, can she have different fate and exit? She must have no worry, because she has already second and third home in England and also in the USA.

Author: M.T. Hussain

Example is better than precept

Examples of the great souls

‘Example is better than precept’ goes the saying in English version. The same ideal saying and advice is there in other languages too. The great Prophet of Islam had set the example in his own practice in life than giving only advice to the followers.

Sermons to behave right but no effect

The P.M. Sheikh Hasina has asked once again the public servants to behave well as obedient servants and not as masters with the people. We had similar sermon previously from other similar dignitaries too but unfortunately with little following of the advice. May be that is why we hear once again the same sermon. What went wrong? No cure of the long old disease?

Ghost of Macaulay hounds

Nearly 150 years ago, T.B. Macaulay, the British parliamentarian and then turned a powerful administrator for the East India Company for the Indian colony had the credit for formulating the administrative code and set up for their specific needs for colonization that apart from India and Pakistan, Bangladesh inherits as of today in continuation since then. We must recall that previous to the formulation of the mode and code of administration the same person had his brain- child goals and structure of a peculiar educational curriculum in 1830s that in no way existed in his own country for wholesome education meaning full development of potentials of the learners but imposed in this country then their one of the biggest colonies. Amazingly he prescribed for a training through selected schooling ‘interpreters’ to narrowly function for lower ladder of the their colonial administration of the Indian empire then having Calcutta (now Kolkata) as the central seat of control for the region. Now at this point of time should one find fault in the master-servant mindset of the educated lots in administration but misses the sort of training these men/women have had from the same origin of training and framed outlook, I would feel that it would only be partial or one side view of the whole and not the whole story. Despite the fact that the British colonials have long gone and we had independence twice, once in 1947 and then in 1971, neither the training mode changed for wholesome education nor the administration was made what independence obviously demanded for all people. I would as such wonder if we have not been beating about the same bush on both accounts for the six decades now passing. Neither the educational curricula are made what an independent country should have nor the administration made pro-people, much less made them psychologically feel like servant of the people who are constitutionally sovereign.

Sermon without action program

What I wished to hammer at with these facts illustrated above that unless and until we prepare our would be officials for service to the people above self through right operation of the school-college curricula, there is hardly any use lamenting for or in intimidating the job holders to behave right. It is a matter of mindset that needs to be changed through right change of attitudes through wholesome education comprising a life of clear vision. Furthermore, the change must not only be for the employed ones in public service but also be equally for the ones who wish to have them all behave right from above, as well. But how is that feasible is another matter.

Backward feudal mindset

Apart from unwholesome education and learning, prevailing backward looking feudal mindset has been a persistent hindrance in our outlook that essentially is undemocratic and somewhat fascist. Such evil in occurrence needs to be sorted out and measures taken for rectification. Mass education and positive looking mass media can play an effective role in curing this disease. But unfortunately both are lacking in Bangladesh as I can see. So is lacking right ideas and attitudes for freedom, liberty and above all obligations towards self and equally to all others in equitable sense and manner. These are matters of socialization that are though everybody’s responsibility the onus should rest mainly of political parties and other disciplined social groups and organizations. How far and how much they have been doing in positive and constructive sense is not clear to me. But I have a hunch that these groups have been doing almost everything in negative way infested unfortunately by moral erosion.

Ethical adherence needed

Nation is built not merely on edicts and written laws but in essence on sound ethics and moral codes. Character and life attitudes are primarily built on ethics and morality. This basic issue has been lacking in Bangladesh education curricula as the legacy of Macaulay of nearly two centuries old now, despite the fact that in his own country they had enough of ethical and moral learning. Its shape here is now die-hard. The essential need is to re-mould the character and attitude of the educated lot through a curricula which could effectively break the Macaulay frame for the new one not only to be congenial to democratic norms but also be compatible with our own system of ethics and morality that is essentially egalitarian and featured by service above self and not service for self and self alone. In a nut shell, Bangladesh must redesign a school curricula based on the egalitarian outlook and for building a psyche for service above self that can alone change the mindset Bangladesh is currently manifested with service for self alone in exclusion of all other around.

Be servant yourself

For the time being, however, so long we are in the same old system and mindset, we can set examples of self sacrifice to be loyal servant of the sovereign people in full company of high ethical and moral standards that might do something better than nothing.

Author: M.T. Hussain

Awami Middlemen to make Two Pices

That the Government decision to buy paddy and rice from the producer farmers at Tk 14/ and 22/ per kg respectively for rescuing them from making losses in production cost and providing incentive for future production is appreciable. But the crucial question is if the real producer farmer would get the due.

First of all, there will be a lacuna in exact identification of the producer for two reasons. One, the buyer officers and the associates may not take the trouble to identify the exact producer in their buying work. What such officials may do is buying produces from whoever would sell them. That means in all likely the presence of middlemen or Fariahs. In such case, the specific producer would not get the price fixed at but somewhat lower rate for the Fariahs would bargain for transport cost, etc. to take the item to the buying center.

The second problem may emerge from the first one. That the buying officials could go to the sellers home one by one that is unlikely for being troublesome and also time consuming for the officials.

The third issue may be storage limitations. It is already known that the existing storage capacities are almost full and unless and until additional storage godowns are immediately constructed, there is no scope for store of additional and all of the paddy and rice the farmers would be required to sell this season at the price fixed by the government.

One may ponder in addition what safeguard would be there if the OMS rice sold at Taka 16/ per kg would in a crafty way be bought at Taka 16/ and then sold by some fake farmers to the government buyers at Taka 22/ per kg making a net profit per kg at Taka 6/? The buying officials underhand dealings that cannot be ruled out may help such rackets to take place.

Even if we presume that all of the farmers saleable products are bought by the government presuming as well there would be no shortage of funds for the purchase, the middlemen would dominate the process in selling them to the government agencies. Being the case as it is certain to be, these middlemen would hardly be anybody but the Awami Leaguers and their cadres of various genres. In almost all other areas like rent seeking, tender snatching, forcible occupation of all possible evil public business interests, etc. going on unchecked since the beginning of 2009, these middlemen as well would be all the Awami interest seekers. Already the law enforcing agencies have been proved to be helpless in dealing with these fascist terrorists of the same model and class.
The need, albeit, is enough money for them to carry on their jobs in running various levels of organizations in support of the main party, and that need made all these earning Halal that the chief can not disagree, no matter if stayed in the hierarchy or not.

One may think about offsetting some of the backlash of the intervention in the food grain market by reducing the price gap, if not totally equalizing the prices of the OMS and the purchase price directly to be paid to the farmers.

Author: M.T. Hussain