THE verdict in the case of the gruesome killing of four national leaders -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, M. Mansur Ali and A.H.M. Qamruzzaman -- inside Dhaka Central Jail on the night of November 3, 1975 was delivered on August 28. Let me remind the nation in an effort to stress the importance of the case that while it was the responsibility of the state to protect their lives, it not only failed to do so, it also failed to punish their killers.
The then DIG (Prison), Abdul Awal, filed a case with the Lalbagh Police Station a day after the killing against four persons, including Risaldar Moslemuddin -- the lone accused whose death sentence has been upheld by the HC.
No investigation was ordered and no further action was taken in this case. Not surprisingly, then inamous Indemnity Ordinance was drafted and put in place quickly and surreptitiously to indemnify all those who were involved in the tragic killings of August 15 and November 3 of 1975.
It was only in October 1996, when the Awami League government headed by Sheikh Hasina removed all legal obstacles to try the perpetrators of this heinous crime, that investigation into the killings and prosecution case could begin.
It was not an easy task collecting and putting together relevant evidence and building a case against those once powerful people who masterminded these inhuman killings and those who physically carried them out, given that much of the evidence might have been destroyed during the 21 years of rule by governments not very well disposed to judicial trial of this case, and some of the evidence may be well nigh impossible to produce now.
But does it mean that our judicial system is such that those who committed the offence would go unpunished?
The trial court had earlier acquitted five accused and sentenced to death three, while giving life imprisonment to twelve, in its verdict on October 20, 2004. The HC has set aside the death sentence of two out of three, and life imprisonment for four out of twelve, and freed them.
The lone accused whose death sentence has been upheld happens to be a fugitive. The HC did not pass any order on eight sentenced earlier to life imprisonment, as they did not file any appeal.
The HC, in acquitting six persons convicted earlier, has blamed "poor" and "faulty" investigation for damaging the merit of the case. With due deference to the honourable judges, should we not be pragmatic when we ask for evidence to indict and prove who were behind the killing? Are we naïve enough to expect that someone will come forward now and say that he or she saw so-and-so enter the jail and gun down the four leaders 33 years ago?
Maybe someone who witnessed this tragedy is no more in this world. Maybe someone who saw this tragedy happen is not brave enough to stand as a witness. Maybe someone who committed the crime is not morally strong enough to admit his guilt and say who were his accomplices. But does this mean that the people of this country, including the honourable members of the judiciary, do not know who called the shots on that fateful night? Do we not know who were at the helm of affairs of this country when this tragedy took place, and without whose orders the dastardly and abominable act could not have taken place?
There is something known as circumstantial evidence in law. When direct and documentary evidence is hard to get, the prosecution, or even the defence, can rely on circumstantial evidence. Indeed, in the vast majority of cases, the evidence is circumstantial. The honourable judge can also look for circumstantial evidence in his or her quest for delivering justice.
Is it not common knowledge that those who were involved in the tragic killings of August 15 and November 3 were given safe passage out of the country, and later many of them were given government jobs in the diplomatic service? Do not those who stand accused in this Jail Murder Case fall in this category? Was it beyond the purview of the trial court and the higher judiciary to take cognisance of this fact while delivering their verdicts?
The fact remains that the four national leaders who had guided the liberation war of this country to victory in 1971 had been brutally killed inside the Dhaka Central Jail, and that those who ordered them to be killed and those who snuffed the life out of them have not been punished, whereas the law of the land demands that they be punished.
It is the business of the judiciary to punish the guilty, and ensure that justice has been done to all. Which is precisely why the judiciary is treated with such honour and respect, like no other state organ is. It pains us to see that justice in many cases has not been delivered on the plea of poor prosecution case.
On more than one occasion has justice been delayed far too long, thus denying justice, because either a particular judge felt embarrassed to hear a particular case or because there were not enough judges to hear and dispose of a case.
If there is even an iota of truth in the charges levelled against an accused, and if the honourable judge feels at any time during the trial that the accused committed the crime, it would be injustice to let the accused enjoy the imprimatur of an innocent man.
In cases like the Jail Killing Case, instead of blaming the poor and faulty investigation for damaging the merit of the case, it would have been worthwhile on the part of the higher judiciary to order a retrial of the case without acquitting the accused.
We want justice to be delivered, no matter who is the plaintiff or the accused. It is injustice if an accused who has committed a crime is not punished and is set free, whatever be the reason for acquittal, as it is equally injustice to punish an innocent person or confine him or her in jail without a fair trial.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Nazrul's death anniversary observed in Rajshahi
"Mancho Kotha Theatre" observed National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam's 32nd death anniversary in Rajshahi recently.
On the occasion, a cultural programme was held where local artistes performed songs and poetry of Nazrul.
A discussion was also held on the occasion. Theatre director Mahmud Sarkar presided over the discussion. Professor Ashik-ul-Islam was present as the chief guest.
Monwar Hossain, Faridul Islam, Ayeen Uddin, Rakibul Hassan, Faruk Hossain and Shushanto Kumar Sarkar also spoke at the discussion.
The speakers discussed the life and works of Nazrul. The discussion also covered Nazrul Sangeet, poetry and in general the contribution of the "rebel poet" to Bangla literature.
Speakers urged the government to publish more books and documents on National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam's life and his works.
Later, artistes Shohag, Tonmoy and Togor recited poems of Nazrul.
Theatre artiste Shushanto Kumar, Ayeen Uddin and Shampa Yasmin performed Nazrul Sangeet at the programme.
On the occasion, a cultural programme was held where local artistes performed songs and poetry of Nazrul.
A discussion was also held on the occasion. Theatre director Mahmud Sarkar presided over the discussion. Professor Ashik-ul-Islam was present as the chief guest.
Monwar Hossain, Faridul Islam, Ayeen Uddin, Rakibul Hassan, Faruk Hossain and Shushanto Kumar Sarkar also spoke at the discussion.
The speakers discussed the life and works of Nazrul. The discussion also covered Nazrul Sangeet, poetry and in general the contribution of the "rebel poet" to Bangla literature.
Speakers urged the government to publish more books and documents on National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam's life and his works.
Later, artistes Shohag, Tonmoy and Togor recited poems of Nazrul.
Theatre artiste Shushanto Kumar, Ayeen Uddin and Shampa Yasmin performed Nazrul Sangeet at the programme.
Waste transfer stations to stop littering the streets
Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) with the help of a non-profit organisation has brought 56 zones of the city under the plan, which will work with small garbage dumping stations.
"We are calling them mini waste transfer stations," said an official at DCC”s waste management department. "The trash collected from the adjacent neighbourhoods will be stashed in these stations. This way the garbage trucks will have to make one pit stop to collect the trash rather than stopping in front of every garbage containers."
"The basic idea is to standardise the garbage disposal system in a way that the trash would not be lying around in streets. People will be obliged to dispose of their trash inside the containers rather than around it," he said.
“The tall brick boundaries are there to make sure that the trash would not lie around in streets. This will also stop the foul odour from spreading,” the official said.
The paved floors of the transfer stations are directly connected to Wasa sewerage lines to help the flow of liquid waste. Water hosepipes will also be available near the containers so that DCC cleaners can hose away the scattered trash.
“Full-time sweepers will be around the transfer station to make sure that garbage is disposed in the proper way,” the official added.
Sources at the waste management department of DCC said 12 such stations are now operational in the city. Another 24 will be introduced very soon.
"We have divided the city into different zones that need major refurbishments in the waste disposal management. We have constructed the mini transfer stations in some of zones. Construction of transfer stations in the other zones is currently in progress," said Commander Masudur Rahman Chowdhury, chief conservancy officer of DCC.
The currently functional mini garbage transfer stations in the city are located in Kalyanpur, Mirpur-2, Mirpur-14, Kachukhet Bazar, Sayedabad, Karwan Bazar, Kalabagan, Natun Bazar and some other places.
The DCC scheme is being financed by a non-profit organisation called Association to Assist The Underprivileged (ASAUP), sources said.
"This is undoubtedly a good move," said Shafayat Hossain, a resident of Kalabagan. "If you watch closely, most of the people tend to drop the trash beside the garbage container, not inside it. Now people will have to go inside the dumping station and dispose of their garbage rather than throw them in the street."
"Every morning on my way to office I see the garbage trucks making rounds inside the narrow streets to collect garbage from the containers, creating traffic jams. It will be better if they can collect the garage from the mini dumping station on the main road," said Rezaur Rahman, a resident of Sayedabad.
"However, the authorities should put more focus on creating awareness among general people so that they dispose of their trash in an appropriate manner. Otherwise, this scheme will have little meaning," he said.
DCC officials believe the new initiative will help the corporation bring some major changes in the outlook of the city. This will allow them to tackle the multi-dimensional problem of waste management that has become a major concern over the years.
DCC is the sole organisation responsible for the management of over 4,000 tonnes of waste generated in the of 360 sq km city every day.
Out of this whooping amount of waste, only around 1,500 tonnes are disposed properly, while the rest are left unattended and dumped locally, suggests a joint study by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and DCC.
The corporation has around 5,000 cleaners to sweep trash and litters off city streets. They are also responsible for waste collection and disposal activities. The number of cleaners per thousand population in the city measures below 1, sources said.
“We have to refurbish the whole system. If implemented properly, this would improve the overall situation in the long-run,” said Masudur Rahman.
400 Years of Dhaka :Save ageing Pogose School
Pogose School, one of the oldest schools of Dhaka, has become a living relic due to lack of steps to conserve the building located near Shankharibazar.
Founded on June 12, 1848, the school was initially run at the house of NP Pogose, a well-known Armenian at Armanitola and founder head teacher of the school. At that time it was known as Pogose Anglo Vernacular School.
The school was shifted for some time to a rented house of JC Panioty, also an Armenian, before being shifted to this building.
On a visit to the school last week this correspondent found the old school building in a shabby state. The two-storey building was standing with the quaint features of its own in the midst of a vast field. In the middle of the pediment the year 1848 is embossed in plaster.
The building is now used for administrative purpose only. Classes are held in another building. The portico in front of the entrance was crowned with battlements, a style of the colonial period.
Climbing up the wooden staircase one will find a long veranda, lined with wooden doors, on the first floor. Entering the last door of the veranda one will find the old cashier working at a quaint counter with wooden banisters.
There is a fireplace in a room once used as a classroom. The old teachers' room has a big table and long benches with handles all around it. It has a quaint chandelier hanging from the roof.
On the wall in front of the headmaster's room the portrait of NP Pogose is hung prominently. The portrait is assumed to be drawn by C Pote, also an Armenian and teacher of the school during its early days.
Conservation Architect Dr Abu Sayeed M Ahmed said the school's structural design reflects the classical architectural style of the colonial period.
"The school has arcaded veranda on the ground floor and pillared veranda on the first floor. Wooden lattice windows were constructed for shedding purpose," said Dr Sayeed.
Covered portico, circular pillars and triangular pediment are some important architectural features of the building.
"The building has circular pillars with ionic shaped capitals. There is a covered portico. Its roof was used as the veranda of the first floor. It has a triangular pediment to highlight the central entrance," he said.
The central portion of the veranda on the first floor is highlighted with three projected bays that include four columns.
"At present the outlook of the building is poor. Its surrounding is quite barren. If trees, plants and gardens can be arranged in the surrounding areas then the building will become more appealing and its features will be manifested greatly to the visitors," said Dr Sayeed.
Present head teacher Zulfa Mohammed said the school has lost its past glory as one of the best schools of Dhaka since they are not getting good students for the last few years.
"Now we don't get good students like we had before. Previously good students from Shyampur and the other side of the river got admitted to this school. That stopped after closing down the eastern gate, which we shared with Jagannnath University,” he said.
"We had to close it down due to the political clashes among students who used to get into our compound when a fight broke. Now we have the entrance near Shankharibazar," said Mohammed.
The school's former students believe it is a matter of pride for them that the school is their Alma Mater.
“I was a student of the school in 1950s. At that time it was one of the most prestigious schools of Dhaka,” renowned cartoonist Rafiqunnabi (Ranabi), an ex-Pogosian, said.
“I loved my school a lot because of the big field in front of it,” he said. “At that time I was not aware of the heritage value of the building. But now I feel quite proud that I belong to this quaint place,” he said
An art school run by a Freedom Fighter
Freedom Fighter Abdul Aziz is neither a reputed artist, nor an affluent man but has taken a commendable initiative. He along with seven of his colleagues has been voluntarily running at art school for rural children.
Aziz, through his own initiative and funds, has opened an art school at the remote village Rawtara -- about 13 kilometers from Magura district town -- where children get art lessons.
Lessons are free and teachers are sincere; the school usually remains vibrant with enthusiastic children and their guardians.
Pahela Baishakh (Bengali New Year), Independence Day, International Mother Language Day, Victory Day and such other national events are observed at the school with participation of students, teachers and villagers.
"This school has been playing a key role in making the youngsters and local people culturally aware," said Nazrul Islam, a guardian of a student.
At the school, teachers also generate awareness in anti-corruption among the students. Everyday students chant the anti-corruption slogan "Durniti korbo na, durniti shoibo na," as a part of their lesson.
Each student however, pays Tk 15 per month for tiffin that is provided at school.
According to Aziz, who actively took part in the Liberation War, "Childhood is the appropriate period to instill creativity and help them broaden their outlook. Our devotion to this cause is the reason behind our success," he added.
Every Friday about 200 children from adjacent villages go to the school. The school was named after noted sketch artist Mustafa Aziz.
The school (founded in 1985) was initially housed at a rented place. But as the school faced financial crunch and Aziz failed to pay the monthly rent, it was moved to a tin-shed on his own land in 2002.
There is not enough furniture and light is insufficient in the classrooms. But the shortcomings don't dampen the spirits of the students and teachers.
Sustainable development
Bangladesh faces great challenges in coping with the infrastructure and service requirements of its growing population. Access to food, sanitation, pure drinking water, healthcare, education and social security are obviously inadequate in both urban and rural areas of our country. Poverty still remains a major environmental concern. Poverty means a lack of income, a permanent state of vulnerability and lack of access to resources. Over 40% of the population of our country live in abject poverty. Poverty, population growth and environment have strong linkages in our country. It is critical to check population growth to achieve sustainable development. Because the growing numbers of the poor are forced by the few powerful rich to over utilize the environmental resources and put strain on their carrying capacity while the environmental degradation further limits access to resources for the poor. Poverty has devastating effects on people's lives.
Reducing poverty is the central theme of development dialogue in our country. Promote sustainable development through increasing the productivity of natural resources involving the people in planning, decision making and management. Bangladesh, despite its increasing population pressure, poverty, illiteracy and natural disasters, will be able to manage its scarce resources in a sustainable way with continued political commitment and with the help of public and private sector bodies, NGOs, civil society, the media and the people at the grassroots level who have been managing the resources. Even the recently introduced Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) has been criticised for giving less attention to the environment.
It is necessary to alleviate poverty keeping environment in mind through proper use of the natural resources. It is also necessary to have ecological balance to make development sustainable and poverty alleviation more effective.
Bangladesh eyes doubling rubber output by 2020
Bangladesh targets doubling its natural rubber production to 60,000 tonnes a year by 2020 to tap the growing potentials in its export market on meeting domestic demand, industry people said.
Currently, the country has a capacity to produce about 30,000 tonnes of rubber a year, but some 10,000 tonnes were produced in 2007 because of the limited market demand. The production target has been set at 16,000 tonnes for 2008. There are 1,300 rubber gardens across the country.
“We need to ensure quality to export the item to the developed market where the use of rubber is growing rapidly,” said Motahar Billah Chowdhury, vice president of Bangladesh Rubber Garden Owners' Association.
He blamed negligence of the successive governments for not yet entering into the multi billion dollars export market.
However, Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman said on Monday that Bangladesh had opened up rubber trade with Turkey, which is trying to get certificate for Bangladesh's rubber from renowned Japanese tyre maker Bridgestone.
“Bridgestone's certification may take the Bangladeshi rubber industry to a new height,” Hossain Zillur said.
Bangladeshi rubber is less costly than the imported one. One kilogram of locally produced rubber costs Tk 110-120, while it is Tk 200 for the imported rubber.
Natural rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer. It is used extensively in many applications and products. It can also be synthesized. The scientific name of the rubber tree is Hevea brasiliensis.
Around 25 million tonnes of rubber were produced in 2007, according to global statistics. Of which, around 42 percent was natural. The bulk of the rubber produced is the synthetic variety, which is derived from petroleum. Asia is the main source of natural rubber today, accounting for around 94 percent of output in 2005. The three largest producing countries are: Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand -- together account for around 72 percent of all natural rubber production.
Rubber garden owners said they are producing the item traditionally with layman farmers. They said the government has not done anything to develop the industry despite repeated requests.
“Government has neither set up any administrative wing to help the sector, nor formulated any policy for the industry,” Motahar Chowdhury said.
Garden owners have been pressing the government to formulate a policy since 1995. Rubber production in the private sector was allowed since 1980-81.
Still the government owned forest department is the leading rubber producer in the country with annual production of over 3,500 tonnes on more than 32,000 acres of land.
According to industry people, as many as 10 people are employed in every 25 acres of rubber land.
Bracing for floods :Infuse urgency in relief efforts
NOW that a large swathe of northern and central Bangladesh is inundated, it is time to engage vigorously in tackling the effects of flood that has affected a large number of people.
Flood is a regular occurrence for us, but the sufferings of the people of the flood-hit areas need not be a regular feature, particularly when we have proven record of efficient management of flood disasters, and when we are forewarned and adequately prepared to tackle it. According to experts 4-5 days of forewarning is adequate. Here one cannot emphasise enough the need for info sharing with India -- through which 52 of the 53 rivers run into Bangladesh, in order to allow gearing up the readiness level.
It was not as if we were caught unawares. The situation in Bihar should have given us adequate warning of things to come. People of the areas that were likely to be most affected should have been given proper advisory, which might have saved many from the sufferings they are undergoing.
This time the situation has been compounded by the fact that all the three major river basins that serve us, are in spate. The outlook, one apprehends, is very dismal, and going by what experts predict, a 1988 repeat is very likely. And added to it is the fact that it is the month of Ramadan, where disruption of normal course of life of the common people adds to their woes.
It is good to hear assuaging comments of the officials of the water development board, but telling people "not to be worried" brings little comfort to the thousands that are marooned and the many that have been uprooted from their homes because of flood. Without sounding too alarmist there are reasons for concern if the river basins continue to receive the amount of rainfall that they have in the last fortnight.
The priority must be to save lives while taking measures to reduce the scope of the damage. While mobile teams have been sent to the vulnerable areas to help local officials protect embankments, rescue efforts of the marooned must be intensified and the displaced must be provided with food and drinking water and afforded necessary protection against diseases.
Flood is a regular occurrence for us, but the sufferings of the people of the flood-hit areas need not be a regular feature, particularly when we have proven record of efficient management of flood disasters, and when we are forewarned and adequately prepared to tackle it. According to experts 4-5 days of forewarning is adequate. Here one cannot emphasise enough the need for info sharing with India -- through which 52 of the 53 rivers run into Bangladesh, in order to allow gearing up the readiness level.
It was not as if we were caught unawares. The situation in Bihar should have given us adequate warning of things to come. People of the areas that were likely to be most affected should have been given proper advisory, which might have saved many from the sufferings they are undergoing.
This time the situation has been compounded by the fact that all the three major river basins that serve us, are in spate. The outlook, one apprehends, is very dismal, and going by what experts predict, a 1988 repeat is very likely. And added to it is the fact that it is the month of Ramadan, where disruption of normal course of life of the common people adds to their woes.
It is good to hear assuaging comments of the officials of the water development board, but telling people "not to be worried" brings little comfort to the thousands that are marooned and the many that have been uprooted from their homes because of flood. Without sounding too alarmist there are reasons for concern if the river basins continue to receive the amount of rainfall that they have in the last fortnight.
The priority must be to save lives while taking measures to reduce the scope of the damage. While mobile teams have been sent to the vulnerable areas to help local officials protect embankments, rescue efforts of the marooned must be intensified and the displaced must be provided with food and drinking water and afforded necessary protection against diseases.
Ground Realities :The big mistakes that men have always made
CHIEF Election Commissioner A.T.M. Shamsul Huda says he is sorry about the mess the Election Commission made by inviting the wrong faction of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to a dialogue. Apologies accepted. But what remains a question is why, despite all those reminders and entreaties about the need to do the right thing, the Election Commission (EC) ignored Khondokar Delwar Hossain and invited Major Hafiz to speak for the BNP.
The truth was that it was Delwar who wielded lawful authority, by virtue of the powers vested in the BNP chairperson under the party constitution. But the EC paid little or no heed to that. It was not until the judiciary decided that Hafiz and his faction did not qualify to speak for the BNP that the EC acknowledged its blunder. By then it was too late. By then too much water had flowed under the bridge. By then, things had got a lot too hard to handle.
That mistakes can cost a nation dear is a fact just proved by the EC. If the Delwar faction had not been so rudely pushed aside, if no one had spoken of a so-called doctrine of necessity, we would perhaps have not come to a pass where the grossly corrupt and the terribly malfeasant would now be preparing to walk out of prison and expect to be welcomed back as heroes by their followers.
Today, when an endless stream of individuals are hopping, skipping and jumping back to freedom through bail orders unthinkable even a couple of months ago, you begin to wonder if the entire purpose of the program set out by the caretaker government in January last year has not eventually been defeated. You ask yourself if drift has replaced a sense of purpose, if uncertainty about the future is not beginning to cloud the present.
It is a lesson that comes down to us all the way from history. Every time mistakes have been made, in this country as elsewhere, people have paid a high price. It was a blunder of the most terrible sort when, in the late 1970s, General Ziaur Rahman permitted a re-entry into politics of those elements that had opposed the liberation of Bangladesh and had even aided and abetted the occupation Pakistan army in its campaign of genocide.
The bad tremors caused by that act of regressive politics are yet being felt; and compounding our difficulties is the heart-breaking knowledge that at this point in time we do not have the morally strong leadership that could inspire us into a new secular future once again.
The annihilation of the Bengali nationalist leadership, beginning with the assassination of Bangabandhu and going all the way to the murder in prison of the four leaders of the Mujibnagar government, has proved to be a most effectual way of keeping Bangladesh on its knees, almost subservient to outside forces and to fate. You might raise your eyebrows at this talk of subservience.
You will not, when you remember what has of late been happening to our citizens abroad, especially in the Middle East. And we as a people, we in the form of the governments we have had and yet have, have not quite been able to recreate for ourselves the self-esteem and the confidence that so remarkably liberated us from our despondency in the days of Pakistan.
Go back to August 1975. Had the chiefs of the three services and other senior officers in the military moved speedily to take out the majors and colonels who had murdered the Father of the Nation and his family, Bangladesh would be spared the many indignities it has gone through at the hands of unscrupulous men and women in these thirty three years. Had General Osmany opted to take a firm position against the 1975 murderers, had he not joined Moshtaque's regime as defence adviser, life for you and me might well have been different.
Osmany had demonstrated great courage only months earlier when he defied Bangabandhu and voluntarily gave up his membership of the Jatiyo Sangsad rather than be part of the Baksal political arrangement. And yet, there he was in the company of unsavoury men who had murdered, and caused the fall of, constitutional government in the country!
Of course, it is in the nature of people to make mistakes. Why would a certain class of Bengalis, convinced that Bangladesh was a fallacy, go all the way to the United Nations in 1971 to plead the case for Pakistan? But look, then, at the consequences. They ended up losing a country they loved, in this case Pakistan. And they became pariahs among their own people, in this case Bengalis.
Yes, people do make mistakes. Back in March 1940, we can tell ourselves in hindsight, it was a mistake for the All-India Muslim League to demand the creation of Pakistan. The ramifications of that move are yet being felt and millions of people, especially Muslims, have suffered grievously. In August 1946, it was a huge blunder on Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy's part to declare a holiday in observance of Direct Action Day in Calcutta.
That myopic move pushed thousands of Hindus and Muslims to their deaths. It also marked the point where Hindus and Muslims finally lost political faith in one another. In 1950 and 1964, refugees crossed paths between India and Pakistan. In 21st century Gujarat, Narendra Modi has presided over a murder of Muslims. In Pakistan, religious minorities remain a persecuted lot. In Bangladesh, there is yet the Vested Property Act to remind us of the horrific legacy we are all heir to. And all because of mistakes made by men who should have known better.
In 1994, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party cheerfully rigged the Magura by-election. That theft of the vote led to the peculiarity we have been dumped with, in the form and substance of an un-elected caretaker government. Surely there is something queer about such a government. Every five years, an elected administration quietly hands over power to a body of men not chosen for office by the electorate and, therefore, not accountable to the country.
You may pat yourself on the back at having devised this unique form of politics as a way of ensuring free, transparent general elections. But try being serious. If only the ruling circles in 1994 had chosen to be democratic and decent, if only they had not laid their grasping hands on the ballot boxes, we would not be in the kind of embarrassment we are in today.
It was a terrible mistake to have Justice M.A. Aziz in the office of chief election commissioner. And certainly it was a scandal having President Iajuddin Ahmed take charge of the caretaker government and, by that act, push the country down the precipice a little more.
In this country, we are trying to claw back to a modicum of respectability today. A.T.M. Shamsul Huda's apology helps, quite a bit, in our collective effort to have our self-esteem restored. That is good enough -- in a country where everyone sets out to create a fiefdom, then plunders and pillages and will not say sorry at all. It takes courage to say sorry. By that measure, Huda has demonstrated courage. We appreciate the gesture.
The truth was that it was Delwar who wielded lawful authority, by virtue of the powers vested in the BNP chairperson under the party constitution. But the EC paid little or no heed to that. It was not until the judiciary decided that Hafiz and his faction did not qualify to speak for the BNP that the EC acknowledged its blunder. By then it was too late. By then too much water had flowed under the bridge. By then, things had got a lot too hard to handle.
That mistakes can cost a nation dear is a fact just proved by the EC. If the Delwar faction had not been so rudely pushed aside, if no one had spoken of a so-called doctrine of necessity, we would perhaps have not come to a pass where the grossly corrupt and the terribly malfeasant would now be preparing to walk out of prison and expect to be welcomed back as heroes by their followers.
Today, when an endless stream of individuals are hopping, skipping and jumping back to freedom through bail orders unthinkable even a couple of months ago, you begin to wonder if the entire purpose of the program set out by the caretaker government in January last year has not eventually been defeated. You ask yourself if drift has replaced a sense of purpose, if uncertainty about the future is not beginning to cloud the present.
It is a lesson that comes down to us all the way from history. Every time mistakes have been made, in this country as elsewhere, people have paid a high price. It was a blunder of the most terrible sort when, in the late 1970s, General Ziaur Rahman permitted a re-entry into politics of those elements that had opposed the liberation of Bangladesh and had even aided and abetted the occupation Pakistan army in its campaign of genocide.
The bad tremors caused by that act of regressive politics are yet being felt; and compounding our difficulties is the heart-breaking knowledge that at this point in time we do not have the morally strong leadership that could inspire us into a new secular future once again.
The annihilation of the Bengali nationalist leadership, beginning with the assassination of Bangabandhu and going all the way to the murder in prison of the four leaders of the Mujibnagar government, has proved to be a most effectual way of keeping Bangladesh on its knees, almost subservient to outside forces and to fate. You might raise your eyebrows at this talk of subservience.
You will not, when you remember what has of late been happening to our citizens abroad, especially in the Middle East. And we as a people, we in the form of the governments we have had and yet have, have not quite been able to recreate for ourselves the self-esteem and the confidence that so remarkably liberated us from our despondency in the days of Pakistan.
Go back to August 1975. Had the chiefs of the three services and other senior officers in the military moved speedily to take out the majors and colonels who had murdered the Father of the Nation and his family, Bangladesh would be spared the many indignities it has gone through at the hands of unscrupulous men and women in these thirty three years. Had General Osmany opted to take a firm position against the 1975 murderers, had he not joined Moshtaque's regime as defence adviser, life for you and me might well have been different.
Osmany had demonstrated great courage only months earlier when he defied Bangabandhu and voluntarily gave up his membership of the Jatiyo Sangsad rather than be part of the Baksal political arrangement. And yet, there he was in the company of unsavoury men who had murdered, and caused the fall of, constitutional government in the country!
Of course, it is in the nature of people to make mistakes. Why would a certain class of Bengalis, convinced that Bangladesh was a fallacy, go all the way to the United Nations in 1971 to plead the case for Pakistan? But look, then, at the consequences. They ended up losing a country they loved, in this case Pakistan. And they became pariahs among their own people, in this case Bengalis.
Yes, people do make mistakes. Back in March 1940, we can tell ourselves in hindsight, it was a mistake for the All-India Muslim League to demand the creation of Pakistan. The ramifications of that move are yet being felt and millions of people, especially Muslims, have suffered grievously. In August 1946, it was a huge blunder on Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy's part to declare a holiday in observance of Direct Action Day in Calcutta.
That myopic move pushed thousands of Hindus and Muslims to their deaths. It also marked the point where Hindus and Muslims finally lost political faith in one another. In 1950 and 1964, refugees crossed paths between India and Pakistan. In 21st century Gujarat, Narendra Modi has presided over a murder of Muslims. In Pakistan, religious minorities remain a persecuted lot. In Bangladesh, there is yet the Vested Property Act to remind us of the horrific legacy we are all heir to. And all because of mistakes made by men who should have known better.
In 1994, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party cheerfully rigged the Magura by-election. That theft of the vote led to the peculiarity we have been dumped with, in the form and substance of an un-elected caretaker government. Surely there is something queer about such a government. Every five years, an elected administration quietly hands over power to a body of men not chosen for office by the electorate and, therefore, not accountable to the country.
You may pat yourself on the back at having devised this unique form of politics as a way of ensuring free, transparent general elections. But try being serious. If only the ruling circles in 1994 had chosen to be democratic and decent, if only they had not laid their grasping hands on the ballot boxes, we would not be in the kind of embarrassment we are in today.
It was a terrible mistake to have Justice M.A. Aziz in the office of chief election commissioner. And certainly it was a scandal having President Iajuddin Ahmed take charge of the caretaker government and, by that act, push the country down the precipice a little more.
In this country, we are trying to claw back to a modicum of respectability today. A.T.M. Shamsul Huda's apology helps, quite a bit, in our collective effort to have our self-esteem restored. That is good enough -- in a country where everyone sets out to create a fiefdom, then plunders and pillages and will not say sorry at all. It takes courage to say sorry. By that measure, Huda has demonstrated courage. We appreciate the gesture.
Crisis of drinking water, food mounts:Rivers Mark A Fall In Ne Region
Two children drowned in floodwater in Sirajganj yesterday.
Reports from different char areas are grim. Water level rise is continuing at many places including the northern and central parts of the country. Water levels of rivers, however, registered a fall in the north-eastern region.
Experts hope the situation will start to improve after three days as the monsoon active over neighbouring Indian states started to weaken.
"The crucial period is over and I do not think that a devastating flood is going to occur now as the monsoon has become weak over neighbouring Indian states," said Saiful Islam, director of Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).
The Water Development Board (WDB) during a press conference a few days ago said they had been monitoring the situation and they thought the flooding could become devastating.
Yesterday, many areas were freshly inundated in central Bangladesh including Tangail, Munshiganj, few parts of Dhaka, Faridpur and Manikganj districts causing suffering to the poor.
Reports from different districts, including Chapainawabganj, Munshiganj, Sirajganj, Lalmonirhat, say that flooding has forced thousands to leave their homes and take shelter at safer places. The situation in chars was bad.
Our Sirajganj correspondent reports: At least two children drowned in floodwater in Chalonbeel area in Tarash upazila yesterday. The victims are Kakoly Khatun, 2, and Sanjida Khatun, 3, of Kuthirgachha.
Pneumonia and diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases are spreading in different flood-affected areas. There is an acute shortage of drinking water and food in those areas, sources said.
Meanwhile, 92 medical teams were sent to different flood-affected areas to handle the disease situation, said sources in the district civil surgeon's office.
Our correspondent in Bogra reports: Hundreds of people in char areas are trapped in floodwater. They are suffering due to lack of drinking water, food and baby food. They do not have fodder for their livestock either.
In Sariakandi upazila no less than 52,000 people have become victims of flood.
Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reports: Over 1 lakh people in five upazilas of Lalmonirhat are going through untold sufferings. Incessant rain during the last four days coupled with rise of the water levels of the Teesta and the Dharla complicated their situation.
Our Faridpur correspondent report: At least 300 families of Bhajandanga, Sadipur, Gadadhardangi, Bilgajaria have been flood affected as these areas under Aliabad, North Channel and Decreer Char unions of Sadar upazila were freshly inundated yesterday.
The water level of the Padma rose further and road link between Faridpur and Charvadrasan, Tepakhola and Goalunda, Faridpur and Sadarpur were snapped.
A correspondent from Munshiganj reports: The Padma devoured homes of at least 458 families in Tongibari upazila.
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