Death of Kibria

Tahsin Hyder Maple Leaf International School, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. PHOTO: AFP

Yet, he stood firmly for his beliefs, while pricking and prodding the nation's conscience and consciousness in a forthright manner. In the process he apparently made himself an unwitting target…of hate, intolerance, and petty partisanship.

What is this nation coming to? Is a different perspective no longer allowable? Is dissidence no longer tolerable? Is a voice of opposition destined to an abrupt, brutal, and premature end?

If the record of political misdeeds and growing atrocity is any indication, this nation is beginning to forget its blood-soaked history of emergence that is rooted in "emancipation from oppression." In SAMS Kibria and all others who similarly fell victim to their untimely, horrific and unnatural demise, that hard-won emancipation, today, stands despondently on the sacrificial altar.

I was shocked to read about the death of the former finance minister SAMS Kibria in a grenade attack. It seems to be a repeat of the incident that killed Awami League's Ivy Rahman. The government of Khaleda Zia has once again failed in its duty to uphold the bare minimum level of law and order necessary to provide a sense of security in the country.

Your newspaper quoted the PM as declaring, "Legal action will be taken against those engaged in terrorism" at a recent rally in Munshiganj. May I ask what legal action has been taken against those who attacked the British High Commissioner in Sylhet? What legal action has been taken against those who hurled grenades at the main opposition rally last August? What legal action has been taken against Bangla Bhai? Or is this just another one of those "tall on rhetoric, short on action" statements designed only to draw applause?

When a senior and well-respected opposition leader like Mr. Kibria has to die at the hands of cowardly killers whom the government has repeatedly failed to keep under control, the government has no choice but to take the responsibility for the gross incompetence. Who is in charge of the country? The elected government or pompous civil servants who have all the authority to rule but neither the responsibility nor the mandate and who have quite deliberately and successfully meddled in delaying separation of the judiciary? The parallel administration within the BNP that we hear about? The anarchists that are going around hurling grenades at will?

This is indeed a very sad day for democracy in Bangladesh. I pray for the departed souls of SAMS Kibria and others who were killed with him. I pray that the government has the sense to realize how grave the situation has become and that both the nation and the world are expecting it to take some kind of decisive and sincere action, instead of the usual whitewash as in previous cases of this nature.

Shabbir A. Bashar San Francisco Bay Area, California, US

The former finance minister SAMS Kibria and four other Awami League (AL) activists were killed in a grenade attack on an AL rally at Baidyer Bazar in Habiganj. Only Awami League leaders and the progressive minded people have been targeted in the series of attacks. How long this kind of killings will continue? Can anyone tell us? The killing had been started with the assassination of Bangabandhu and four national leaders by the anti-liberation forces. The same forces are now killing our leaders. They want to destroy democracy. They preach Islam and use it in politics to gain support of people. How a true believer in Islam can commit murders or even support such activities. They should know that though they may escape mundane justice, they would not be able to escape the justice of Allah.

The founders of the BNP were the beneficiaries of the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975. The party was formed with many who were anti-liberation. The recent killings have been taking place while the BNP is in power. Both the BNP and the AL are responsible for the rise of fundamentalist forces in the country. The AL fought against the BNP with fundamentalists in 1996 and the BNP has inducted them into power. I think more blood will spill until the BNP and the AL give up support for the fundamentalists.

Now the AL leaders are being killed. That day is not far away when the BNP will fall prey to the fanatic forces. For the sake of democracy and for the people, I urge all to unite against this evil force.

Mallik Akram Hossain The University of Hong Kong

Again a grenade attack? It has never happened in any Jamaat or BNP rally-- but always in rallies organised by progressive elements!

What is happening in our country? Do we have to think that there is a rise of anti-liberation elements and that they are in power?

Will the government again say that the AL is bombing its own rallies? The democratic forces across the world do know the facts.

Kazi Firoz Slovak Academy of Sciences, Kosice, Slovakia

Who said that? There was never any Kibria in Bangladesh and there will never be one. These are all propaganda to damage the "Bhabmurti"!! Let's pray to God that Kibria is heavily punished in the posthumous world for carrying a bomb in his pocket and thereby causing unrest and embarrassment to all of us.

I know I sound like a cynic. But it is exactly that sort of ostrich like attitude of the people whose voices matter has led to the growth of these monsters. We crossed the stage of "wishing away" problems a long time back.

I only hope it is not too late to start "acting".

Subrata Sarker Ph.D. Student, Department of Economics, University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada

I'm shocked. SAMS Kibria was one of the few brilliant political leaders of the country. These grenade attacks are taking place because of the indifference of the government. Our government could not do anything after the gruesome 21st August attack. Recently, Ahsanullah MP was killed. A question pops up in mind, does the government really want to see the opposition party?

My heart bleeds. Sometimes it seems to me that the lives of the people in our country have become valueless.

CWR (An unhappy citizen) On e-mail

We are deeply shocked and feeling outraged by the incident of grenade attack on an Awami League meeting in Habiganj which killed the former finance minister SAMS Kibria and three other people and injured many. A number of them are now in critical condition.

We are very frightened and upset, not knowing who are behind this heinous Act. It is quite clear that these are being done to destabilise the country. The government must unearth the mystery, it cannot go on like this. The opposition leader Sheikh Hasina pointed her fingers at the government, accusing it for the grenade attacks but it seems most illogical because this sort of incidents harms the image of the government and puts it in a difficult position.

We think that a conspiracy is being hatched to destroy our country. The government and the opposition must join hands to unravel it and save the country from falling apart. They must stop blaming each other which is giving the culprits the chance to commit such crimes.

Nur Jahan Chittagong

We are shocked and appalled at the killing of elderly politician and former finance minister Shah A M S Kibria and four other Awami League (AL) activists in a grenade attack on an AL rally in Habiganj on the evening of 27 January 2005.

We are deeply concerned at the lack of security of the opposition leaders, activists and the public in general.

Sabbir Khan Sweden branch of Resisting Killers & Collaborators of Bangladesh War of 1971

We are greatly shocked to hear the news of SAMS Kibria's demise. May his soul rest in peace. I wonder who's next. What are these guys up to? They are planning to assassinate all the intellectuals, one by one. I don't care who is doing it but this must be stopped immediately and at any cost. If necessary, we should take up arms again. A simple hartal and demonstration by the people will not suffice. On the contrary, hartals cause inconvenience to the general public mainly laborers, rickshaw-pullers, peddlers and so on. Lots of other people have died too leaving behind several orphans and widows. What's their fault and why should they suffer? Is this what Tagore had dreamt of in his " Where the mind is without fear"?

We have been harboring the terrorists and saluting people having a proven criminal record. It's about time we come to our senses and turn the table on terrorism. You are basically destroying a country if you are killing the intellectuals. They are our assets and we look up to them. December 14, 1971 was not only a traumatic experience but it was also devastating with respect to the effect it had on the development of the country. We are probably heading for a similar experience and it seems no one like Dr. Kamal Hossain, Prof. Yunus, Poet Shamsur Rahman and other progressive intellectuals will be spared.

Right now, we need a mass awakening to stop this slow poisoning & we need to invoke our conscience that has been inhibited and lying dormant for quite a while. A boomerang will come back and hit you if it's too heavy !

Soumen Sengupta On e-mail