Untold Facts

Lest we forget

Propaganda
Propaganda has taken on viciously in every aspect of Bangladesh media. It’s not only that the government controlled ones but also almost all others for their own taste, choice and possibly for self survival. The most worrying thing is that the school text books for young kids have been filled with propaganda items hardly anything to do with truth of history. The propaganda’s central aim is to present an icon with nothing but all lofty praises and bouquets. One group of ‘OLAMA’ even has joined the propaganda to present the icon as the God sent divine, if not the Great God.

Icon’s Folly
There is no denying the fact that the country had a political icon in late 1960s that the stature continued until about early 1973. Then on specifically after the 1973 March general election’s massive vote rigging by the icon’s own cadres at his behest (Check BBC Radio report by Mark Tully and Serajur Rahman), the icon’s image started downward sliding.

Corruption
The sliding image had another valid reason in massive corruption by the same genres making illegal fortunes from internal exploitation of the poor millions that took the toll of thousand lives if not the million in hunger of famine in 1974 ( See, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen).

Misery
The India factor had been seriously active from the very day one in multiplying misery of independent Bangladesh. The icon, despite HAMBI TAMVI or loud talks, fires and furies meant nothing in action for people’s ease of lives and living and only for transient public consumption the icon’s stature dwindled down to the lowest. He lost hold on the people. That is why in December 1974 he promulgated the State of Emergency only to keep and firm up control through repression and torture of the dissenting voices of the millions in sufferings. But unfortunately for the icon, things hardly changed for better for his administration, and so he looked for other outside help.

BAKSAL
The external blessing came in. There was some sycophantic internal support, as well. The strength so assured, the icon went for arbitrary action programs. On the 25th January, 1975 the Assembly as the facade looked like still then in operation convened and sat for the briefest until then session for 13 minutes. He alone took the floor and none else was permitted, much less permitted to speak, just only to declare by himself all parties in the country banned except his one, slightly changed in style and nomenclature. He went on further to declare himself the life long President of the country and also the party chief with new nomenclature BAKSAL (Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League). The icon hardly cared for the fact that he was made the icon by the people for his apparently visible stand of a true democrat as was understood in the advanced free world countries.

Malevolent Dictatorship
The turning of the country into lone party malevolent dictatorship ditched the people into blind alley so far as the aspirations of the freedom loving people were concerned. Unfortunately they had no light in the dark tunnel. Nothing they had for restoration of pluralism and free democracy in any peaceful way.

Patriots Rose
Very fortunately for the nation a few deeply patriotic army men took on arms on the 15th August 1975 early morning. Victoriously they ditched the then very much despised icon from the political and administrative power of the country. That meant that the victorious mutiny of the day freed the country from tyranny, annihilation and repression of lone party malevolent dictatorship of the icon. The 25th January 1975 happened to be the blackest day of the nation so far as the basic freedom of the people was concerned. Not only that. The 15th August mutiny freed the people from the deepest darkness imposed on the people by the icon for the mutiny ditched down the BAKSAL and re-charted the country since then in pluralism and multiparty democracy.

No Forgetfulness
How could the well-informed patriotic people be misled with the propaganda galore now on since the icon’s daughter’s equally malevolent rule since January 2009?

Bangashotru
The older generation who had experienced the misrule and oppression of the malevolent dictator perpetrated and killed people at random in thousands with impunity of anyone taken as opponents of the rulers, particularly, by the unconstitutional Para-military RAKHSI BAHINI during 1972-mid August 1975 can not forget those tyrannies. Thus the mutiny followed spontaneous jubilation that the national and international media had recorded can not be lost in oblivion. Internally some celebrated the 15th August as the Day of Deliverance. Others externally hailed the occasion for the essential removal of the BANGASHOTRU or the enemy of Bangladesh from the administrative hold of the country (See, renowned British journalist Anthony Mascarenhas, Sunday Times, London, 17 August 1975).

Condemnation
The patriots of all genres thus now have a duty not only to observe the 25th January in 2010 to commemorate the notorious day for arbitrarily killing of multi-party democracy in Bangladesh on the day in 1975 but also to expose the malevolent BAKSALite dictator’s just fall from State power on the 15th August victorious mutiny of 1975.

Author: H B Khair