Untold Facts

VIP’s Life Long Security: Moral Bankruptcy

Immoral
Yet another morally untenable law is being enacted in the otherwise honorable Parliament of Bangladesh that would only denigrate the national pride institution. The relevant bill has already been placed in the house on the 5th October and referred to the select committee for scrutiny just as a nominal routine practice. It is very likely that the bill would turn into act within days sooner than latter, passed overwhelmingly in the floor of the house for the party in power has the brute majority.

Public Exchequer
Once passed in the Parliament the provisions would be to provide life long security to the members of the family including the little off springs of Hasina’s son Joy born and to be born, Saima’s children born and to be born, Sheikh Rehana’s grandchildren born and to be born who are now infants and would be infants and possibly would live for not less than seventy/eighty years until near about the last decade of the 21st century. Most of the 3rd generation of Sheikh Hasina being now children and foreign nationals of Britain, USA and Canada by birth, provision of their life long physical security would mean and involve huge recurring expenses in foreign exchanges from the Bangladesh public exchequer. How much it would mean in recurring cash terms, I cannot figure out at this stage.

Irrational
What was the rationale for the foreseeable huge cost? Their life is under threat and those they are VIP’s by birth for being second, third and fourth generation off springs of the ‘FATHER OF THE NATION’. An incident came up at this point to my mind if GANDHI being universally acknowledged as the Father of the post 1947 Indian Nation assassinated in January 1948, soon after the birth of the nation had not had any similar provision for protection for even the immediate family members of the Indian Father from the Indian Government. Not, at all.

Imputed Value
The person imputed so by Sheikh Hasina as the ‘Father’ is not acknowledged as such by all in Bangladesh but by the Awami family alone. They are a big family, no doubt, had ups and downs in their existence of nearly six decades, and now third time in State authority with absolute majority now well known to be done by covert fraud and fraudulence sustained not only from within but also from without. The other crucial point is that though the imputed figure father had immense popularity at one time, but when he fell from the State power had already turned in popular imagination the most hated person in history (Anthony Mascarenhas, Sunday Times, London, 17 August 1975).

Betrayer
He fell tragically from the State power on the 15th August 1975 in a successful army coup in midst of people’s jubilation as the most hated person not without good reason but for valid, reliable and authentic reasons. One, he promised for democracy and pluralism but betrayed all people by becoming an unenlightened dictator of the lone party BAKSAL. Two, he promised for economic well being of the people but turned along with his party men looters of public properties. Three, he promised rule of law, but unleashed reign of terror of private hoodlums and the unconstitutional killer RAKHSMI BAHINI clandestinely controlled by Indian Intelligence R&AW high official General Oban that killed near about 37,000 to 40,000 imaginary political opponents in three and a half years. Four, he promised freedom of the country but turned Bangladesh into a subservient State by the bondage of the terms of unequal and of ignominy of the 25 year treaty undertaken on the 19th March 1972.

Refurbishing Image
The refurbishing of the dark image was reinitiated by the R&AW from the other side of the international border allegedly through huge back up funds and from inside their well known lackey gently nourished for six long years from mid 1975 to mid 1981, the worthy daughter of the ‘Father’ from 1996 as she then hold the power of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the first term. She took up the same security issue that ended though in fiasco rightly for democratic norm as soon as the opposition group won the election in 2001 and formed the next government.

Monarchy
Father’s inheritance is good enough in monarchial parlance and privilege, not so in democracy. The Bangladesh Constitution and the Parliament are for nurturing democracy and not for promoting monarchy. The relevant bill introduced by the Home Minister might be sounding democratic in form but not in essence at all for the bill was not only morally untenable but also a sort of debauchery in the name of democracy.

No unanimity
Shall I expand further that the nation is divided on the so-called ‘Father’ issue. First, as an overwhelmingly Muslim nation, there is no place of ‘Father’ ‘Son’ relation acceptable in the country. Even the Prophet has not been assigned to such position.

Much Older
Politically speaking, people of Bangladesh have not had the nation status just in post 1971 period but long before 1971. Though the present geographical entity was settled in 1947, the identity of distinct entity goes back to the independent Sultanate of Bengal in the early 15th century. Cynics, however hold that in 1971, provided Zulfi Bhutto would have been little more careful and have more patience, the so-called ‘Father’ would have ended up in the position of the Prime Minister of united Pakistan and none would be needed in the position so imputed by her daughter now. The more romantic Bhutto in this sense should instead be called the ‘Father’. Thus Hasina’s imputed father figure remained as controversial as ever and so her royal privilege act though is certain to be passed in the Parliament of brute majority, the matter would remain morally untenable as long as that would be retained and not annulled some time in future for rightfully restoring democratic norms and values.

Author: Dr. M.T. Hussain