Untold Facts

From Freedom to Enchainment!

Enchainment
An aged and renowned intellectual of Bangladesh, Mr. Farzad Mazhar, is quoted from just as he stated in plain Bengali terms in verbatim in a Dhaka daily, ‘PRITHIBITE AEI PROTHOM EKTI DESHER JONOGON VOTE THIE PORADHINATA ARJON KORESY’. The statement can be translated like this in English, ‘This is for the first time that the people of Bangladesh bought their own enchainment through casting their vote in the ballot boxes’, meaning clearly the massive and yet clandestine fraudulence adopted in the 2008 December general election of Bangladesh.

Farhad’s comment and after
There may be little bit of insignificant protest to the statement but not anything of any weight by even the media ‘friendly’ for the Awami League Government of Sheikh Hasina. But as the air of discontent spreading day in and day out for both internal and external issues of national concern, the statement made by Mr. Mazhar read with in conjunction with the blast about fraud Awami League’s Jalil made in London recently may become popular street slogan for political movement sooner than latter.

Propaganda
At the popular perception level, people are not all idiots, but due to massive poverty of nearly half of the total population of 150 million and widespread ignorance about issues of crucial national concern, many are hoodwinked not for long but for brief prelude as the period remains in the process of holding national election razzmatazz. Propaganda plays a dominant role. Money remains the underlying factor in the poverty syndrome.

Economically hard pressed
Hard pressed economically not only the overwhelming majority people but also the middle class millions, they had no way out but to believe in the slogans like Rice at Taka Ten per Kg., promises made for full time paid jobs for at least one in each family, not to speak of the so-called digital Bangladesh or technological affluence all over the country in all rural localities when the reality goes on intolerable load shedding of electricity each day in and out. That none of these and such other promised goal would be achievable even possibly in decades had hardly been clear at the perception level of those simple folks. Even so, they had a faith in bandwagon of massive propaganda fueled by huge money from inside and outside. Thus the people did not vote for selling freedom but for some hope for better and improved freedom, liberty and economic well-being. They dreamt not for enchainment but got stuck in the covert policy they believed in the cheap promises of the party but then on after getting the overwhelming majority vote, no matter though fraudulently, going to serve their masters from across the international border having no or little concern for the aspirations of the people, much less freedom for the common people and the country.

Not consciously
People have not consciously voted for in the last election for enchainment. It is the party in power and possibly the leader and the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with brute majority in the Parliament who wishes to turn Bangladesh into a vassal state of the big neighbor.

Psychological subservience
None can take the issue at ease that the present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had a pleasant nurturing for six years between 1975 to 1981 in Delhi at the Indian Intelligence Head Quarters at the South Block during her most psychologically disturbing period following her father and some other family members’ tragic death in the combat leading to the successful Army Coup on the 15th August 1975.

Earlier misfortunes
Earlier during 1972-75 Bangladesh had misfortunes though the then leader had been previously a popular one and enjoyed brute majority both in the 1972 and 1973 parliaments. But such majority meant little in terms of people’s well being and freedom. People had been enchained in almost everything from personal liberty seriously constrained by absolute dictatorship of the lone party BAKSAL fiercely regimented by unconstitutional and killer Rakshi Bahini that was rightly blamed to have perpetrated extra judicial killing of 37,000 to 40,000 imaginary political opponents, and above all national dignity bonded in subservience by the terms of 8, 9 and 10 of the 25 years treaty of 1972 manifestly unequal with India.

Restoring freedom
Fortunately for the nation and the country freedom was regained from the brutal dictator by toppling him and the genre in mid 1975 August by some seriously committed patriotic army officers and so restored not only national dignity and freedom but also somewhat curiously for army men pluralism, multiparty democracy and liberty for all citizens.

Patriots to rise
Let this time patriotic and freedom loving men and women join in hands to break the vicious cycle of enchainment and for restoring national freedom from the evil clutches of the real masters of the well-known lackeys and also from the Fifth Columnists.

Author: Dr.M.T. Hussain