The main opposition BNP yesterday lambasted the government for awarding a controversial deputy commissioner of police (DC) a medal, saying the ruling Awami League was “patronising state terrorism” using the police force.
“The ruling party has turned the police force into one of its wings by awarding the President Police Medal to DC Harun who had assaulted the opposition chief whip during hartal hours,” BNP coordinator Tariqul Islam said.
The BNP leader was talking to journalists while leafleting the capital’s Dholaikhal as part of the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance’s countrywide mass-contact programme.
Harun-ur-Rashid, DC of Lalbagh division in the capital, and 66 other police personnel were awarded Bangladesh Police Medal and President Police Medal on Tuesday for their “outstanding” role in maintaining law and order in 2012.
Harun, then additional deputy commissioner of Tejgaon division, beat up
Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque on Manik Mia Avenue in the capital on July 6, 2011. Farroque was leading a group of opposition lawmakers marching towards parliament during a 48-hour hartal enforced by the opposition.
In reply to a query on Tuesday, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir said the beating of Farroque had been taken into consideration in awarding the medal to Harun.
“He [Harun] did the right thing by obstructing the opposition chief whip. His job was to prevent anarchy and he did it successfully,” the minister added.
Referring to MK Alamgir’s comment, Tariqul said, “With such remarks, he has exposed his autocratic attitude, and it will not do the nation any good.”
Asked about the mass-contact programme, the BNP standing committee member said, “This is part of our preparations to blow the final whistle on the fall of the present government.”
Meanwhile, leaders of Gonotantrik Bam Morcha, an alliance of seven leftist parties, yesterday said the home minister had lost the right to remain in office.
His (MKA’s) remarks after awarding the President Police Medal to someone known for “aggressive and violent behaviour” were irresponsible and reckless, said the speakers at a meeting at combine’s office.
With such statements, the minister was in fact encouraging the law enforcers to harass opposition leaders, they said.
Moshrefa Mishu, general secretary of Gonotantrik Biplobi Party, Jonayed Saki, convener of Gono Sanghati, among others, spoke at the meeting.
Source: The Daily STar
This is exactly the nature of, an autocratic and in a more generalized term, a totalitarian regime. I hate to think that only four years ago, this regime came to power under the cover of democracy. Have they changed over time, or concealed their real character!
Each party in this failed democracy relies heavily on arm twisting and amassing massive wealth. A prominent party stalwart is a Minister, MP or Advisor who can take a good percentage of government contract money without getting detected. And the Home Minister’s main job is to protect his party’s crooks and catch the suspects in the other party. This is all the administration does throughout their 5 year period before they get kicked out. People get roasted in hell to be dumped into the fire and then fire to the Roasting hell. Same old; same old. One article in Bangladesh constitution allows the party Chief to retain the dictatorial power. Neither leader would ever propose deleting that clause because both are afraid; they will lose control of their party if it becomes democratic from within. No one talks about it; lest people find it out. The military government wanted to change that under the “minus two” program. Indian high command arm twisted our military Chief into submission and let AL win an easy victory in the last election. AL owes it to India and therefore allowed RAW to infiltrate every walk of life in Bangladesh. RAW dictated Bangladeshi Hindus are placed in critical and mid-level positions of the government. The Indian companies are given priority within Bangladesh over our own Bangladeshi companies. Even Hasina has lost control of her country. We are partially owned by India already.
Since its inception especially from the time “democracy” has become the tool of change of government in Bangladesh almost every succeeding government has taken turns to flout the rule of law, loot and plunder the exchequer, diminish human rights and push the country deeper and deeper into the moral abyss that we are all in now.
Against this depressing backdrop there was still hope that one day change would come – no one knew how and when it would come but people kept on hoping, perhaps no more.
Degraded nations can hope for change when their people remain independent so that when time comes they can unite, demand and create change from within without the fear or deterrence of an external entity. But when a nation loses its opportunity to resist predatory governments independently and face adversaries both within and outside espectally from an external powerful of a government that they wish to change, the task of change from within becomes much more daunting.
For all practical purposes and thanks to the current Awami League government’s known and unknown concessions that it has given to India, Bangladesh can hardly be called indepedent anymore. These days the only thing independent about the country is probably its flag. As Khaled Hasan has mentioned above India’s tentacles and its control of our economy, politics and military is so complete and this includes parts of so-called civil society as well that the country has become virtually a vassal state of India.
In order to fulfil its hegemonic intents, India would always make sure that Bangladesh has a weak, predatory and an obliging government. Current patron/agent political equation provided by the Awami League and Hasina & Co fits well this arrangement as this guarantees on the one hand, Awami League’s monopoly to rule and the plunder, unchallenged and on the other, allows India to suppress all independent dissenting voices in the region that challenge its hegemonic advances.
Sadly for us, with an equally morally degraded opposition and a pathetically partisan boot-licking civil society this coalition of self-seeking political arrangement which is also mutually self-sustaining is likely to be with us for a very long time.
The bad news is that short of a miracle, we are in more sufferings and further loss of national pride but the good news is that miracles are not particularly alien to the political history of Bangladesh!