hy wasn't Musa Ibrahim given a plot of land?
November 07, 2010 00:00:00
If I were Musa Ibrahim, I would not be a very happy man just now. In fact, I would be seething with anger, annoyed, and feeling I'm a victim of enormous injustice. My spouse Ariful feels likewise.
Musa, as you are aware, brought incalculable honour to Bangladesh by becoming the first Bangladeshi to scale Mount Everest. A remarkable achievement for any person, but a man from a country that doesn't even have snow, ice, or mountains on which he could practise, it's simply phenomenal. He risked his limbs and life every second in the blistering cold in pursuit of accomplishing his dream and in bringing honour and glory to Bangladesh.
His exceptional achievement was rightfully recognized and praised by Sir Frank Peters who branded him "national and world hero", and campaigned to have a postage stamp issued in his honour for the world to see and respect. He said a national stamp was befitting a hero of Musa's stature. We are all hoping and wishing success for Sir Frank's campaign, eventually.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina honoured the smiling young hero by welcoming him home with a bouquet of flowers, a huge smile, and the best wishes of the nation. Great, but!
Then the Bangladesh Cricket team scored an historic win over New Zealand and the PM not only gave them flowers and huge smiles, but plots of land, which created a great imbalance. Why wasn't Musa Ibrahim given a plot of land?
With no disrespect to the cricket team, cricket heroes will come and go but unique achievers like Musa Ibrahim will always be rare.
Sabina Kabir
Uttara, Dhaka