Untold Facts

Image Rebuilding Digital Way!

P.M. Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, a new entrant in active Awami League politics of Bangladesh, has frankly admitted that overall Bangladesh image abroad is murky and poor. And so he is going to launch something in his term ‘Nation Brand’, possibly, using her mother’s bandwagon of digital technology, that would project and promote the existing poor image of the country better abroad. The project is appreciable and worth of a young person trained in the USA in IT. But there would come up not only many relevant questions but ifs and buts, as well.

In terms of population size of nearly 160 million now and increasing at still quite fast at about 2% Bangladesh is the 8th largest country in the world. But in geographical area it is one of the smallest land mass areas among 200 or so independent countries. That it is the densest populated country, on the one hand, and extreme resource constraint, on the other. Over and above, natural occurrence of disasters for geographical and environmental vulnerability, man made disasters caused by inefficient administration, biting corruption at all levels, low per man hour output in almost all productive sectors due to low level of human development index and manpower expertise are some common but major hindrances to productivity and pace of development. In the backdrop of the real position, how much any new technology, much less sophisticated digital, could work efficiently here remains to be seen. The poor state of educational curriculum implementation, if not the poorly organized curriculum itself having low level of inbuilt motivation for essentially needed deep concentration for efficient learning, as the present positions in general are in schools, colleges and other institutions, even the technological ones, except rare ones for particular upper class wards, is factual reality.
Owing to the hindrances just mentioned above, the factor of grinding poverty of the overwhelming majority people, 50% having as low as only one US dollar a day average income among nearly 40 million unemployed working age population among 90 million or so employable age group made things further difficult internally that made image abroad not palatable. In the Middle East that employ nearly 7 million Bangladeshi workers (another 12-15 million in all other countries), mainly low paid laborers, the term ‘Miskeen’ or destitute is a common derogatory label used for Bangladeshis and workers, in particular. How would and through what detailed programs the digital ‘Nation Brand’ work to hide the poor-murky stature?

In midst of grinding poverty there are some billionaires and millionaires in thousands. Differences in income gap between the rich and upper classes and the poor destitute have been widening everyday further worsening the existing image. Whether the on going free market operation of economy in mixed up with massive corruption well sponsored and supported by the political government in power could minimize income disparity for improved equity in the immediate future looks only an illusion.
In the deliberation Joy made on the subject in a function held at the Novo Theatre (Dhaka) on the 6th March underscored the need for ‘stability’, ‘continuity’ and ‘commitment’ (The New Nation, Dhaka, March 7) to do the job he has in view. Well, there is nothing to disagree about. But there is, at least, a big but there. The issue must be about which stability, which continuity and what commitment.
The Constitution and the people of Bangladesh are committed to continuity of democracy not absolutism, stability through democratic order not dynastic nuisance, commitment for openness, fairness, equity and social justice and not for making ‘some are more equal than others’. Unfortunately these basic issues are rarely found in Awami League parlance except in rhetoric not in actions. In the past there had been no difference in lacking of the party in all these basic requirements for national progress and positive development as they are now going on exactly in the same pattern only for conspicuous self aggrandizement. People had experienced with extreme pain that the Awami League/BKSAL flouted all those civilized democratic norms in the past before 1975 as they have been equally painfully experiencing them now, as well. What they did in the past further for the so-called stability and continuity was in fact continuity of one man rule proceeding openly to reach dynastic aim. As for commitment, fortune making of the party cadres and of the clans had been the sole matter in their administration. Nothing is seen different as at present except commitment for rent seeking, tender snatching, commission earning not only by the young cadres but also by the ‘Big, Medium and Small Thieves’ just as one Minister has had openly admitted in a meeting in Mymensigh only a few days ago. Would the Nation Brand propaganda items be able to hide these criminals to the backbone and their heinous activities beating the outside world media in dissemination of facts otherwise?

In 1972 in a discourse, I had a comment from the then Finance Minister Tajuddin Ahmad, ‘We are suffering seriously from crisis of conscience and character’. He said so not in a big gathering but in a selected one and fortunately saved his neck right then but not removal from the cabinet post and then ended up in prison soon afterwards. The erosion of moral values of the so called and sham secularists is no better now but I am afraid to say that the situation has worsened further beginning in 2009. Digital IT is no cure in this serious disease of moral erosion but different psychological medicine that need to be met by nourishment from early childhood in the psyche and so may be built in on to one’s grown up mature personality. I am afraid, as a septuagenarian educationist, I see here serious lapses in the curriculum and implementation on this account.
Even so, let’s say good luck to Joy. Go ahead with the digital Nation Brand.

Author: HB Khair