Untold Facts

Dignity- Indignity Issue: Moriarti, Sahara and Dipu

One news item published in a Dhaka daily on the 23 March said that the American (US) Ambassador Moriarty has in a letter to the Home Minister Sahara Khatun and the Foreign Minister Dipu Moni expressed his deep concern for restricting freedom of movement and so stopped going out of the country of some VIP’s of the opposition parties. He was not outside but within his right to do so for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in article 13(2) states, ‘every one has the right to leave any country, including his own and to return to his own country.’ What is, however, embarrassing is that he reminded the matter following the incident that two VIP’s recently bared from leaving Bangladesh, their own country, not for pleasure trip but for medical treatment, understandably by the two ministries run by the two ministers, the Home Minister, in particular through ordering and operating her law enforcing forces in the airport on duty to stop them boarding the booked plane and leaving the country.

Did Moriarty bring indignity to Bangladesh by the letters or the two lady ministers brought indignity to Bangladesh?

As is known both of our ministers hold law degrees, no matter whether they are practicing lawyers or not. I myself studied law but never ever went for practice, and no scope now at this age of seventies to go for practicing law. But whenever some issue of law comes to my mind, I hang on to relevant law document. The two ministers, I believe, for right performance of their functions, as ministers in point of law cannot escape looking for relevant law in relevant document. It seems that they have not done so before taking action in these matters. They have not certainly look into the article I have just quoted above or had other pressure from elsewhere. Why? Had no time to look into the UDHR document? Or boss’s fear of her carrot and stick?

Unfortunately, the top boss is ignorant of law as she did not do any study, and as I understand, she reads non-serious fiction books, if at all, only at bed time to get to sleep as she told and I knew from news some time ago. Being the scenario in points of law, I would sincerely feel that the other ministers must make some time to study through relevantly useful laws, and may, if need be, take also time to enlighten the top boss. Otherwise such indignities to our beloved country would continue to be repeated time and again in future.

There is, however, a serious point. How many of the ministers, almost all being new faces and novice, dare to speak the real truth in front of the top boss. This weakness and inferiority complex need be overcome, if not by everybody at this stage, but by some courageous ones even at the risk of loosing the carrot. Any such loss at personal level, I am sure, would reduce flaws in administration and bring less indignity to the country. In Pakistan in a recent crisis involving the question of freedom of the Pakistan media the Information Minister Sherry Rahman resigned in protest against President Zardari’s arrogant attitude, but within days of Sherry’s resignation, the crisis was settled that made Sherry the heroine once again. That could be a good example to follow.

Author: Dr. M.T. Hussain