NOBEL PRIZE – Is there any honour or glory more than that?

by F R Chowdhury

We were young students when we came to know that people can obtain master’s degree from a university as the highest academic qualification. Then we came to know that one could pursue further research work to obtain a doctorate i.e. Ph D. Much later we came to know that in Norway and Sweden there is a committee that decides on award of Nobel Prize in recognition of extra ordinary contributions made by any individual or institution to the world community. Professor Dr. Yunus of Bangladesh has been awarded Nobel Peace Prize for his concept of small scale loan to village people to make them more self reliant and thereby remove poverty. Poverty causes lot of unrest. Removal of poverty is a step forward to peaceful coexistence. That was the basis of the decision of the Committee. This year Professor Yunus has also been honoured with the US Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his good work. Another person whose vision eventually created perhaps the biggest NGO with network in different countries is Mr. Fazle Hassan Abed, the founder of BRAC. He has been honoured with a knighthood by the Queen. He is now Sir Fazle Hassan Abed. In Bangladesh when there is so much doom and gloom, we eventually found something to celebrate. Long live Yunus and Abed. However, time has changed. We now come across a few who changed the fate of entire nations (for good or bad) and they deserve to be remembered with something more than Nobel Prize.

I am sure most readers will agree with me to name Dada Idi Amin of Uganda on top of the list. His misrule turned Uganda into a country of total chaos which drove thousands out of the country. Then we have to consider the name of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. This resourceful country was pushed to total bankruptcy. Even printing million dollar notes could not keep pace with inflation. Thanks God, it is now turning around because of a political settlement.

On 10-January-1972, when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned to Bangladesh from Pakistan, he was just next to God. His popularity was unprecedented, probably more than what any political leader can even dream of. It was a time and opportunity for him to do everything good for the country. Instead what he did will remain in history as another period of total mismanagement and misrule. His first priority was to remove all opposition to consolidate his position. He nationalised all industries and appointed his own men as administrators. After struggling all his life for the cause of democracy, he killed democracy in matter of minutes. He created a Rakhi Bahini that killed thousands of young men. He introduced the extra-judicial killing by killing Shiraz Shikdar in custody and even announcing the same with pride in the House of Parliament. He gagged all press-media. The TV, radio and the four news-papers allowed to publish were all in praise of his political ideology. He created the lone political party BAKSHAL and retained all powers to himself. He could appoint regional administrators with absolute powers. His party thugs made money and fortune when anjuman-e-mufedein were busy burying bodies of those dying on the street without any food or shelter. Then on 15^th August 1975 he met his tragic death and thereby liberated the people of Bangladesh.

Over 30 years later his daughter Ms. Hasina Wajed, with tacit support of the 1/11 Administration, came to power with more than 2/3 majority in the house. She was gifted with an opportunity to do everything good that she wanted to do. Instead she chose to follow the foot-steps of her late father. For her it was most important to ensure eternal power. So she amended the constitution to remove the need for a non-party care-taker government so that she can again be elected to power. It was also very important to evict Khaleda Zia, the leader of the opposition from the house given to her by a previous government. She changed the name of the Dhaka Airport only to remove the name of the late President Ziaur Rahman. Even after getting a high court order and giving posthumous award to Hannan for declaration of independence of Bangladesh on behalf of Sheikh Mujib, she could not stop people from speaking the truth that it was the then Major Ziaur Rahman who made the declaration of independence. For quite some time she embarked on a programme of defaming Professor Yunus in every possible way only because why the Nobel Committee selected Professor Yunus instead of her. In the political field she was determined to teach Jamat a lesson for withdrawing their support in 2001 election. She started with a war crime tribunal whereby most of the Jamat leaders are now under trial. The BDR mutiny and killing of officers was either a conspiracy or a total mismanagement. The Prime Minister sitting with armed rebel groups for negotiation, with total disregard to the chain of command, is something never heard of and then declaring amnesty to the rebels could only be possible by this prime minister. It was like another revenge of her father’s killing by some army officers.

The law and order situation in the country has gone to the lowest ebb. People are being killed at random by police and other law enforcement agencies in the name of cross-fire and anti-strike action. The Government has no answer to killing of garment worker Aminul Islam, journalist Sagar-Runi and disappearance of BNP leader Ilyas Ali. The Government tried to blame Jamat for killing of Biswajit in broad day light by Chatra League elements. The Government arrested journalist Mahmudur Rahman only because he published the news about skype conversation by a tribunal judge. Political opponents have been arrested to such a scale that there is no room left in jails. Now they will have to release criminals to accommodate political opponents.

Financial corruption has gone to a level never heard of before. By market manipulation people made money out of the share market and sent it abroad. “Hallmark” and “Destiny” matters are known to all. One state-owned bank gave loan against inflated value of shares as security which is now not even 1/10^th of the original value. The latest that has come to light is the bungling of millions of rupees from telecommunication revenue from over-seas calls. A mortgaged ship is sold off without reference to the bank. However, the most sensational is the case where a car load of cash money was caught on way to minister’s house. The black cat minister still remains a minister. Finally we come across the WB case on Padma Bridge project where the WB withdrew from the project only because the Government refused to prosecute the corrupt minister and other officials. Meantime the Prime Minister introduced to the nation both corrupt ministers as greatest patriots. With just a few months left of the present tenure, the Government is desperate to sign new deals. They are mostly on credit agreements. The need for purchase of £3bn worth of military equipment from Russia is a debatable issue. Everybody looks too eager to get a share of the commission from the supplier with least consideration of the fact that one day Bangladesh will have to repay every penny of this agreement. Similarly the agreement for coal based power plant has been concluded without proper feasibility study.

With the opposition away from the parliament, the Government does not have to answer for their failures, corruption, mismanagement and bungling. Besides the prime minister has very cleverly divided the country in the name of so-called trial of war criminals and kept them engaged against each other. As if that was not enough, she supported and instigated a bunch of thugs and bloggers in the name of nutan projanmo. This resulted into bringing another Islamist group called Hifazat to the streets. The nation is on the verge of civil war. In the meantime she is busy naming every road, bridge, building and military bases in the name of Banga-bandhu.

It is very difficult to find another crafty politician like Sheikh Hasina who knows how to cover all failures, corruption and mismanagement. Open the pages of the newspapers – you will not find any solution to disappearance of Ilyas Ali or murder of Sagar-Runi or even about the Padma Bridge corruption or black cat’s car full of money. Nobody talks about purchase of £3bn of military hard-wares. They are all safe under cover of new issues. The only news you will come across is about strike, hartal, street fighting etc. What a manipulation! She deserves all credit for it. Here comes my question – is there any glory or honour beyond a Nobel Prize? If there is one then it must go to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

I would like to conclude the article by suggesting some simple solution to the present problems. The liberation of Bangladesh was not the achievement of any individual or any party. The whole nation fought and achieved this independence. Everybody is equally patriotic Bangladeshi. Please stop creating division on this issue 42 years after our independence. Instead solve all cases of political killing, disappearance and corruption. Release all political prisoners. Finally please agree for all general elections for the parliament to be held under non-party care-taker government. We can then look forward to a happy and prosperous Bangladesh.

London, 22^nd April, 2013.