Physician, heal thyself
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
N.M. Harun
Six muggers were arrested on the Dhaka University campus in the early hours of Saturday. They were identified as members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student organisation affiliated with the ruling Awami League. This news did find a place in Sunday's newspapers but got virtually lost in the big news of the clash of the garment workers with the police in Tongi the same day, in which three persons were killed.
The criminal misdeeds of the wayward BCL, Jubo League (the youth front of the Awami League) and Awami League members have been continuing unabated since the present government came into power. Incidents of crime by the ruling party people have become so endemic and commonplace that these have lost news value, so to say.
Almost from day one of her oath-taking as prime minister of the country for a second term ten months ago in January, Sheikh Hasina has been issuing stern warnings to her party people, particularly to the BCL members, to mend their ways, but to no avail.
The beginning was quite encouraging -- but on hindsight, misleading. Hasina, as president of the Awami League, instructed her people, the Chhatra Leaguers especially, not to celebrate the landslide victory of her Grand Alliance in the December 29 general elections. She wanted to avert the kind of lawlessness that accompanied the victory celebrations of the BNP-Jamaat in the 2001 general elections. The instructions of Hasina, the political leader, were obeyed in letter and spirit.
But soon, even before Hasina took oath as prime minister on January 06, the BCL started creating disturbances on university and college campuses. And when the government was installed, the virus of unruly behaviour spread to the Jubo League and Awami League all across the country. State power of the Awami League seems to have empowered them so much so that they have developed some kind of impunity for law and temerity to ignore the warnings of Prime Minister Hasina herself. They are since involved in, and are fighting among themselves over extortions, tender snatching and manipulation, toll collection, land grabbing etc.
The Prime Minister and her ministers have been publicly condemning the rowdiness of their own people:
l The BCL observed its 61st founding anniversary on February 18. At the Paltan Maidan function held on the occasion, Hasina said: "Any student, whoever he is or whatever his political ideology, would be awarded exemplary punishment if found involved in terrorism, extortion or violence in educational institutions across the country."
l The Awami League presidium in its April 4 meeting discussed the situation arising out of campus violence, tender-snatching and extortion. Briefing the press after the meeting ended, then party spokesman, Syed Ashraful Islam, said, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the law enforcement agencies to take stern actions against the criminals. It doesn't matter what party he belongs to."
l Addressing a discussion meeting organised by the BCL at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on August 31, Hasina said: "I am upset and disturbed when I see the name of Chhatra League associated with tender-snatching in the newspapers."
l The Awami League parliamentary party held a meeting at the Sangsad Bhavan on September 15. Hasina warned all against tender manipulation and extortions.
l The first meeting of the central executive committee of the Awami League after the election of the new committees of the party was held on October 3. Hasina talked about taking stern action against party-men involved in extortion, tender manipulation and other unlawful activities.
lA meeting of the cabinet committee on law and order was held on October 29. At the end of the meeting, local government minister, Syed Ashraful Islam, who is also the general secretary of the Awami League, told the press that they would "take action against ruling Awami League men involved with tender terrorism, extortion and grabbing of property."
Going by the number and frequency of such warnings issued by the Prime Minister and other ministers, the government does recognise an unsavoury fact. That fact is: the roughnecks within the ranks of the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League pose a grave threat to the law and order situation, affecting the functioning of the administration, development work and economic activities. Unless checked, this may overshadow all the good work that the government may accomplish in other fields.
The failure of the Prime Minister to rein in lawlessness indulged in by her own party people is baffling as well as disturbing. Baffling, because it is difficult to believe that the all-powerful Prime Minister, who is running the government unencumbered by any challenge from the opposition, is really unable to control the members of the Awami League, Jubo League and the Chhatra League who are dependent on her political blessings. Disturbing, because if her own people can afford to defy her, she may soon be in danger of forfeiting people's confidence in her pledge of implementing her election pledges, including the establishment of the rule of law.
The fact that Prime Minister Hasina has not yet been able to curb the abuse and misuse of power by the ruling party people exposes the soft underbelly of her government. Does the government suffer from a deficit of political will to discipline its own people?
harun1943@gmail.com
Six muggers were arrested on the Dhaka University campus in the early hours of Saturday. They were identified as members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student organisation affiliated with the ruling Awami League. This news did find a place in Sunday's newspapers but got virtually lost in the big news of the clash of the garment workers with the police in Tongi the same day, in which three persons were killed.
The criminal misdeeds of the wayward BCL, Jubo League (the youth front of the Awami League) and Awami League members have been continuing unabated since the present government came into power. Incidents of crime by the ruling party people have become so endemic and commonplace that these have lost news value, so to say.
Almost from day one of her oath-taking as prime minister of the country for a second term ten months ago in January, Sheikh Hasina has been issuing stern warnings to her party people, particularly to the BCL members, to mend their ways, but to no avail.
The beginning was quite encouraging -- but on hindsight, misleading. Hasina, as president of the Awami League, instructed her people, the Chhatra Leaguers especially, not to celebrate the landslide victory of her Grand Alliance in the December 29 general elections. She wanted to avert the kind of lawlessness that accompanied the victory celebrations of the BNP-Jamaat in the 2001 general elections. The instructions of Hasina, the political leader, were obeyed in letter and spirit.
But soon, even before Hasina took oath as prime minister on January 06, the BCL started creating disturbances on university and college campuses. And when the government was installed, the virus of unruly behaviour spread to the Jubo League and Awami League all across the country. State power of the Awami League seems to have empowered them so much so that they have developed some kind of impunity for law and temerity to ignore the warnings of Prime Minister Hasina herself. They are since involved in, and are fighting among themselves over extortions, tender snatching and manipulation, toll collection, land grabbing etc.
The Prime Minister and her ministers have been publicly condemning the rowdiness of their own people:
l The BCL observed its 61st founding anniversary on February 18. At the Paltan Maidan function held on the occasion, Hasina said: "Any student, whoever he is or whatever his political ideology, would be awarded exemplary punishment if found involved in terrorism, extortion or violence in educational institutions across the country."
l The Awami League presidium in its April 4 meeting discussed the situation arising out of campus violence, tender-snatching and extortion. Briefing the press after the meeting ended, then party spokesman, Syed Ashraful Islam, said, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the law enforcement agencies to take stern actions against the criminals. It doesn't matter what party he belongs to."
l Addressing a discussion meeting organised by the BCL at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on August 31, Hasina said: "I am upset and disturbed when I see the name of Chhatra League associated with tender-snatching in the newspapers."
l The Awami League parliamentary party held a meeting at the Sangsad Bhavan on September 15. Hasina warned all against tender manipulation and extortions.
l The first meeting of the central executive committee of the Awami League after the election of the new committees of the party was held on October 3. Hasina talked about taking stern action against party-men involved in extortion, tender manipulation and other unlawful activities.
lA meeting of the cabinet committee on law and order was held on October 29. At the end of the meeting, local government minister, Syed Ashraful Islam, who is also the general secretary of the Awami League, told the press that they would "take action against ruling Awami League men involved with tender terrorism, extortion and grabbing of property."
Going by the number and frequency of such warnings issued by the Prime Minister and other ministers, the government does recognise an unsavoury fact. That fact is: the roughnecks within the ranks of the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League pose a grave threat to the law and order situation, affecting the functioning of the administration, development work and economic activities. Unless checked, this may overshadow all the good work that the government may accomplish in other fields.
The failure of the Prime Minister to rein in lawlessness indulged in by her own party people is baffling as well as disturbing. Baffling, because it is difficult to believe that the all-powerful Prime Minister, who is running the government unencumbered by any challenge from the opposition, is really unable to control the members of the Awami League, Jubo League and the Chhatra League who are dependent on her political blessings. Disturbing, because if her own people can afford to defy her, she may soon be in danger of forfeiting people's confidence in her pledge of implementing her election pledges, including the establishment of the rule of law.
The fact that Prime Minister Hasina has not yet been able to curb the abuse and misuse of power by the ruling party people exposes the soft underbelly of her government. Does the government suffer from a deficit of political will to discipline its own people?
harun1943@gmail.com