Tale of Bangladesh

Just as a preface, I am not a fan of any of the two parties that have assumed power over the last decade and do not have any preference for any particular political party. I really think the country would be better off without the two that have assumed power recently, and certainly deserves better.

When Dr. Badruddoza Chow-dhury, a former founder/ leader of the BNP and an ex-president of the country was attacked by goons in March 2004, not a single voice of regret was heard from anyone in the party that he had spent the last thirty years of his life building. His 'crime' was that he had attempted to start a new political party. In fact, one of the ministers had the gall to say that the event was after all playing out in the ''Muktamancha' and the goons had as much right to express their dissent as did Dr. Badruddoza. Talk about being "unclear on the concept!"

With the grenade attacks on the British High Commissioner, assassination of Ms. Ivy Rahman and recently Mr. Kibria, promises of finding out the perpetrators were made. At the same time, "conspiracy theories" have been floating to the effect that the Awami League itself has been behind these events. Mr. Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan could not have been more direct in this "allegation." Only from very fertile minds would such a theory evolve- that the Awami League is planning for a "rebirth" by eliminating the very talented and influential core of its party. The fact that a foreign diplomat was attacked and two elected parliamentarians were eliminated by assassins remain unsolved is not the big issue. One of these days, the government assures us, the criminals will be caught!

People wonder why India backed out of the Saaarc summit at the last moment. If I may ask- "If you were in an Indian diplomat's shoes- would you like to be very conspicuous in Bangladesh today?" I wouldn't.

The sad state in Bangladesh is that the leadership is bankrupt. The present government has been absolutely impotent in solving these real and attempted "murder" cases. Not withstanding the Rab, which has apparently been successful in "eliminating" miscreants in continual episodes of "crossfires", the country today is worse than "Moghher mulluk"- since the Moghs would conceivably give at least a minimal code of ethics. In Bangladesh today, dissent is not just disliked- but the dissenter has to be 'squashed like a bug'. The police with the backing of the party in power do not hesitate to raise batons on women-- an uncivilised practice that possibly exists only in our country. The opposition party is no better. Because it did not like the outcome of the elections, it elects to stay away from the parliament and calls "hartal" every chance it gets.

May God help the country and its people!