With the detention of former President Carles Puidgemont, the Catalan independence movement has taken another turn remarkably similar to Bangladesh's moment of truth. That he was detained crossing from Denmark to Germany is astonishing given the man is a European Union (EU) citizen, yet accused of sedition. Depending on which point of view is taken, he is a hero in Catalonia; a villain for Spain. And it's all about the economic disparity, so familiar to us Bangalis. The then East Pakistan's exportable accounted for the bulk of Pakistan's earnings, yet development spend and prices of essentials were in a horrible balance. Catalonia, with the world's richest football club Barcelona, generates much of Spain's revenues with major businesses headquartered there. But development spend, jobs and prosperity is in an equilibrium crisis.
The factor different between Bangladesh and Catalonia is that in the popular vote of 1970, an all but complete majority voted for the Awami League and by default the Six-Point movement. For the Catalans, the majority voted for independence but, and it is a big but, voter turn-out wasn't anywhere near to conclusive. The charges of sedition against Puidgemont are similar to the Agartala Conspiracy case against Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and others. However, as clarified recently by the Prime Minister, Bangabandhu did in fact travel to Agartala but failed to get "much response" from Jawaharlal Nehru for independent Bangladesh. That Nehru didn't quite agree is a fact and a factor that could be the case for further probe. What it suggests is, from a Pakistan perspective it was sedition; from Bangali perspective it was a step forward in the struggle for emancipation.
The bone of contention in the Catalan saga is the promptness with which the EU dismissed the referendum. That is as per the EU rules that do not, cannot support apparently unilateral claims of independence. That's where the rules of democracy stumble. If Czechoslovakia could be broken into two countries on the basis of popular demand, if the post-war split of Germany could be rescinded on a majority view, why not Catalonia? Thankfully, the Spanish saga is being overseen by politicians, unlike Pakistan in 1971 ruled by egomaniac military despots that could barely think beyond their inebriated stupor. That too was vindicated by the fact that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's post-1971 government's initial budget had a special budgetary allocation for East Pakistan, an egotistical denial of reality that actually supported everything Bangabandhu had argued about -addressing crass unfairness.
Whatever the Catalans do next, armed conflict is unlikely. The Basque separatists caused annoyance, bother and terror but were unable to sustain. The fallout of conflict isn't palatable anymore as it disrupts the very flow of life and living standards. Iraq, Syria, Libya are examples of how not to force regime change. Puidgemont isn't defenceless. The votes are his capital as is the parliamentary process post the referendum. The courts will judge constitutional propriety. If it rules against, the question that will beg is: whatever happened to the popular vote?
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