Best time for people to decide
Monday, 2 July 2007
Atia Akter Ava
COMMENTS and opinions of political leaders and politically-oriented intellectuals, as reported in newspapers and other news media, about the role of Sheikh Hasina of Awami League (AL) and that of Begum Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)in reorganising their respective party has given birth to so many questions in public mind. The peace-loving ordinary citizens of the country who were forced to become silent spectators to the advantage of miscreants for loot and misappropriation of public property. The supporters and workers of both the parties also did the same while they were in power in the past. Some people have openly started discussion regarding the real intention of the political leaders and intellectuals toeing their line who want reorganisation of the two parties keeping the two ladies as their respective party chiefs.
If development and prosperity of the nation had been in the mind of political leaders and related intellectuals, then they would have demanded the expulsion of corrupt ministers, MPs etc., belonging to the two parties while they were in power in the past. But they did not do that. Rather, they had beaten the drum in praise of such corrupt Ministers, MPs etc. Do these political leaders and intellectuals want to say that corruption of the ministers and MPs of the two main parties were no foul practice?
The prime minister (PM) and, in some cases, ministers need not require to ask any person or business concern for money as loan, bribe etc. They can collect billions and billions of takas as bribe simply by expressing their desire to their friends, relatives, personal secretaries, ministers etc. As a result, the concerned government officials/ministers become scapegoats. So it is very difficult to prove, in black and white, the taking of bribe by any PM. Besides, the bank accounts of any PM may not be inflated by the money, if any taken by them as bribe as it is not difficult, nowadays, for any PM to take billions and billions of Taka/USD etc., out of the country. So corruptions of ministers, MPs etc. which have been reported in newspapers, may be also considered as the corruption of the PM for his/her failure to take appropriate action against the corrupt members of his/her party or ministries.
One group of political intellectuals remained silent about killing of people by JMB, Rakkhi Bahini etc., and the other group didn't condemn the killing of people during blockade, anti-blockade, hartals etc. Why are all such killings not condemned by all political intellectuals?
What we feel, Sk Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia will not and never take serious actions against their corrupt party members. Even if they take any action against the present corrupt members now, how can we believe that if they come to power again they would then not create another group of corrupt members for misappropriation of public and private money and property? Both AL and BNP are well organised and old party. They know that in a poor country like Bangladesh, it is very difficult to be in power for them through pro-people development activities. As in such case, the quality, skill, dedication, technical knowledge, mindsets etc. of their party members and leadership may be questioned and some may have to leave the high positions of the party. So they may prefer their past practice of politics for election. Some times it is said that corruption in politics started after August-1975. If it is so then why did the most beloved leaders say:-
l For 70 million people came 90 blankets; where is my one?
l Many countries have got gold mine but we have got the mine of those thieves.
l Thieves on my left, thieves on my right, all around me are thieves, what can I do? They all are my men!
l I will make politics difficult for politicians.
l Money is no problem!
Have we ever thought why our beloved leaders had said those things? Want of money and resources was not the main problem for development and prosperity of people and the country.
If newspaper reports for the period from 1974 to 2006 relating to corruption of MPs, ministers, political leaders and others are consolidated, summarised and published in the form of a book for analysis and information of general people, then it will prove that corrupt politicians are the main problem for Bangladesh.
The people of Bangladesh have seen many eye-catching party manifestoes and promise of the AL and the BNP before each and every election but they did not fulfil their promise to the people. The people of Bangladesh have given enough time to the AL and the BNP -- almost 35 years, but neither the AL nor the BNP did rectify themselves. Do the past performances of the AL and the BNP suggest for us to believe that if either of the two comes to power after the next election then they will not change constitution and other rules and regulations, framed by the present caretaker government, to meet their undisclosed desire? So now is the best time for the people to decide their role for next election.
The writer is in the Dept. of English, Jahangirnagar University
COMMENTS and opinions of political leaders and politically-oriented intellectuals, as reported in newspapers and other news media, about the role of Sheikh Hasina of Awami League (AL) and that of Begum Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)in reorganising their respective party has given birth to so many questions in public mind. The peace-loving ordinary citizens of the country who were forced to become silent spectators to the advantage of miscreants for loot and misappropriation of public property. The supporters and workers of both the parties also did the same while they were in power in the past. Some people have openly started discussion regarding the real intention of the political leaders and intellectuals toeing their line who want reorganisation of the two parties keeping the two ladies as their respective party chiefs.
If development and prosperity of the nation had been in the mind of political leaders and related intellectuals, then they would have demanded the expulsion of corrupt ministers, MPs etc., belonging to the two parties while they were in power in the past. But they did not do that. Rather, they had beaten the drum in praise of such corrupt Ministers, MPs etc. Do these political leaders and intellectuals want to say that corruption of the ministers and MPs of the two main parties were no foul practice?
The prime minister (PM) and, in some cases, ministers need not require to ask any person or business concern for money as loan, bribe etc. They can collect billions and billions of takas as bribe simply by expressing their desire to their friends, relatives, personal secretaries, ministers etc. As a result, the concerned government officials/ministers become scapegoats. So it is very difficult to prove, in black and white, the taking of bribe by any PM. Besides, the bank accounts of any PM may not be inflated by the money, if any taken by them as bribe as it is not difficult, nowadays, for any PM to take billions and billions of Taka/USD etc., out of the country. So corruptions of ministers, MPs etc. which have been reported in newspapers, may be also considered as the corruption of the PM for his/her failure to take appropriate action against the corrupt members of his/her party or ministries.
One group of political intellectuals remained silent about killing of people by JMB, Rakkhi Bahini etc., and the other group didn't condemn the killing of people during blockade, anti-blockade, hartals etc. Why are all such killings not condemned by all political intellectuals?
What we feel, Sk Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia will not and never take serious actions against their corrupt party members. Even if they take any action against the present corrupt members now, how can we believe that if they come to power again they would then not create another group of corrupt members for misappropriation of public and private money and property? Both AL and BNP are well organised and old party. They know that in a poor country like Bangladesh, it is very difficult to be in power for them through pro-people development activities. As in such case, the quality, skill, dedication, technical knowledge, mindsets etc. of their party members and leadership may be questioned and some may have to leave the high positions of the party. So they may prefer their past practice of politics for election. Some times it is said that corruption in politics started after August-1975. If it is so then why did the most beloved leaders say:-
l For 70 million people came 90 blankets; where is my one?
l Many countries have got gold mine but we have got the mine of those thieves.
l Thieves on my left, thieves on my right, all around me are thieves, what can I do? They all are my men!
l I will make politics difficult for politicians.
l Money is no problem!
Have we ever thought why our beloved leaders had said those things? Want of money and resources was not the main problem for development and prosperity of people and the country.
If newspaper reports for the period from 1974 to 2006 relating to corruption of MPs, ministers, political leaders and others are consolidated, summarised and published in the form of a book for analysis and information of general people, then it will prove that corrupt politicians are the main problem for Bangladesh.
The people of Bangladesh have seen many eye-catching party manifestoes and promise of the AL and the BNP before each and every election but they did not fulfil their promise to the people. The people of Bangladesh have given enough time to the AL and the BNP -- almost 35 years, but neither the AL nor the BNP did rectify themselves. Do the past performances of the AL and the BNP suggest for us to believe that if either of the two comes to power after the next election then they will not change constitution and other rules and regulations, framed by the present caretaker government, to meet their undisclosed desire? So now is the best time for the people to decide their role for next election.
The writer is in the Dept. of English, Jahangirnagar University