Are we playing our due role in nation-building activities?
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Shamsher Chowdhury
WOULD you prefer to have three square meals a day now or wait for a sumptuous meal not knowing when?
Would you rather see the rapes and suicides by young girls to continue or let your children go out of the house to schools and colleges or elsewhere?
Would you rather see our RMG industries get destroyed or put an end to blaming some imaginary external forces for the growing unrest and violent protest marches by workers and resolve the debacle once for all?
Would you like to raise a storm of hopes and aspirations of cooperative efforts and promises to do anything and everything under the sun for the people of the region instead do what make a beginning by opening up vistas of free flow of citizens between the SAARC countries through easing of visa regulations etc?
Would you like to see the government continues nurturing its volatile student wing which is marching ahead with its mayhem of vandalising the sacred premises of our educational institutions, snatching of tender boxes, raping of women or rather outright dismantle the outfit?
Would you rather prefer to be lax about spending Taka 70 billion (7000 crore) by allowing the contracting of some power agencies without going through the regular process of tendering or await the time needed and follow the due process of tendering adding to your sufferings a little more than what you are undergoing now?
Would you rather stand by the Chief Justice's decision not to conduct the oath of the two nominated additional judges of the High Court or see them inducted and put the judiciary on the dock for all time to come?
Would you like to see the growing onslaught on the media on slightest pretexts to continue or put an end to it before it becomes too wide?
Would you rather see your children be with you in the country and not "escape" to some other promised land or, instead, put an end to this devastating state of our law and order situation?
What would you prefer the country to be, full of honest matriculates and graduates rather than a bunch of so-called intellectuals who are morally bankrupt?
These are difficult questions to answer but not so difficult that we should simply fold our hands and do nothing and keep silent. It is time that we too start taking "active" interest in the affairs of the government and the state. We should put our acts together rising above all partisan interests. We should make our voices of concerns and dissent heard by appropriate authorities.
We simply cannot continue to ask in our past glories and legacies. We must act as patriots more than playing politics. We must come out of this mad consumerist culture of the West. We must come out of this senseless race for acquisition of money and riches. We must inculcate the spirit of living frugally through honest earnings.
We must not hold briefs for individuals who are dishonest and whose activities may put the country's good name at stake. We should resist in no uncertain terms the acts of rapists and violators of women's honour and dignity, no matter what.
We must prevail upon the judiciary and the judges to refrain from indulging in selective justice. Justice must be even-handed for a beggar on the street and a billionaire or the mighty and the powerful.
Let us not be befooled by high propaganda exercises by any quarters. Let us be truthful and honest and demand the same from others.
No state, democratic or otherwise, can be governed without involving politics and politicians. The truth, however, remains that we do have a hand in their making for good or for bad. We, the people, must, therefore, rise to the occasion and choose our leaders after due process of enquiry into their antecedents including track record of their moral and ethical calling and professional acumen. Let us face it, we have been deceived too many times and too often. Let us remember that we, the people, and not any of the political parties are the owners of the state. The parties are mere custodians on our behalf for limited durations.
Resorting to lies has reached an unprecedented height at different levels. This is indeed eating through the vitals of the nation's moral content. We, the people, must pull all our efforts to bring about a reversal of the debilitating culture. Have we played our due role in the nation-building activities?
The writer can be reached at e-mail: chowdhury.shamsher@yahoo.com
WOULD you prefer to have three square meals a day now or wait for a sumptuous meal not knowing when?
Would you rather see the rapes and suicides by young girls to continue or let your children go out of the house to schools and colleges or elsewhere?
Would you rather see our RMG industries get destroyed or put an end to blaming some imaginary external forces for the growing unrest and violent protest marches by workers and resolve the debacle once for all?
Would you like to raise a storm of hopes and aspirations of cooperative efforts and promises to do anything and everything under the sun for the people of the region instead do what make a beginning by opening up vistas of free flow of citizens between the SAARC countries through easing of visa regulations etc?
Would you like to see the government continues nurturing its volatile student wing which is marching ahead with its mayhem of vandalising the sacred premises of our educational institutions, snatching of tender boxes, raping of women or rather outright dismantle the outfit?
Would you rather prefer to be lax about spending Taka 70 billion (7000 crore) by allowing the contracting of some power agencies without going through the regular process of tendering or await the time needed and follow the due process of tendering adding to your sufferings a little more than what you are undergoing now?
Would you rather stand by the Chief Justice's decision not to conduct the oath of the two nominated additional judges of the High Court or see them inducted and put the judiciary on the dock for all time to come?
Would you like to see the growing onslaught on the media on slightest pretexts to continue or put an end to it before it becomes too wide?
Would you rather see your children be with you in the country and not "escape" to some other promised land or, instead, put an end to this devastating state of our law and order situation?
What would you prefer the country to be, full of honest matriculates and graduates rather than a bunch of so-called intellectuals who are morally bankrupt?
These are difficult questions to answer but not so difficult that we should simply fold our hands and do nothing and keep silent. It is time that we too start taking "active" interest in the affairs of the government and the state. We should put our acts together rising above all partisan interests. We should make our voices of concerns and dissent heard by appropriate authorities.
We simply cannot continue to ask in our past glories and legacies. We must act as patriots more than playing politics. We must come out of this mad consumerist culture of the West. We must come out of this senseless race for acquisition of money and riches. We must inculcate the spirit of living frugally through honest earnings.
We must not hold briefs for individuals who are dishonest and whose activities may put the country's good name at stake. We should resist in no uncertain terms the acts of rapists and violators of women's honour and dignity, no matter what.
We must prevail upon the judiciary and the judges to refrain from indulging in selective justice. Justice must be even-handed for a beggar on the street and a billionaire or the mighty and the powerful.
Let us not be befooled by high propaganda exercises by any quarters. Let us be truthful and honest and demand the same from others.
No state, democratic or otherwise, can be governed without involving politics and politicians. The truth, however, remains that we do have a hand in their making for good or for bad. We, the people, must, therefore, rise to the occasion and choose our leaders after due process of enquiry into their antecedents including track record of their moral and ethical calling and professional acumen. Let us face it, we have been deceived too many times and too often. Let us remember that we, the people, and not any of the political parties are the owners of the state. The parties are mere custodians on our behalf for limited durations.
Resorting to lies has reached an unprecedented height at different levels. This is indeed eating through the vitals of the nation's moral content. We, the people, must pull all our efforts to bring about a reversal of the debilitating culture. Have we played our due role in the nation-building activities?
The writer can be reached at e-mail: chowdhury.shamsher@yahoo.com