With the exception of the government of the so-called “largest democracy in the world”, India, where the most hated Modi, instrumental in the murder of many Muslims, is being hyped as the future prime minister; but the hybrid government of Sheikh Hasina — who was not elected by anybody nor even she herself cast her vote and yet made herself the Prime Minister — is being disparaged across the world, while an overwhelming majority of Bangladeshis sneer at her as to how come without a single voter 153 persons became MPs overnight, thus forming “majority” with doting poodle JP as opposition-cum-ruling partner and get legitimacy!
In an article entitled “Hasina heading for one-party rule” Liberal Democrat Peer of UK House of Lords, Lord Avebury said: “The January 5 election was a sham. More than half the seats were uncontested. The result is that today Sheikh Hasina leads a clearly illegitimate executive, heading towards one-party rule. This democratic deficit has now been challenged by Bangladesh’s international partners. The US Ambassador has expressed his dissatisfaction, noting the elections “do not appear to credibly express the will of the Bangladeshi people”. Clearly, there is a simmering wave of discontent and injustice across the country after millions were disenfranchised. This anger cannot simply be wished away”.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Sheiklh Hasina’s government through her extremely politicised administration, police, RAB, other disciplined forces and front organisations like Chhatra League, Juba League etc launched countless brutal attacks on political rallies of the main opposition BNP which won five parliamentary polls and formed government, now headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. True, she and her party leaders have suffered enormously, while thousands of her party workers were persecuted and imprisoned. But her party Âwhich can rightly boast an advisory council of enlightened intellectuals — now seems directionless at a time when the nation badly suffers from political crisis that is destined to bury democracy.
It is incontrovertible that Major Zia did declare the independence over the radio when no other military officer ventured to take such a risky step from Chittagong, which has been respectfully recognised by writers like AMA Muhith and many other eminent people at home and abroad. President Ziaur Rahman was responsible for the rebirth of the Awami League (AL) which was formally banned, along with all other parties, by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman himself with a view to floating BKSAL’s one-party rule. What is more, subsequently President Zia helped Hasina and her family to honourably return home from India, for which act of empathy she should have been grateful to him. But his son Tarique Zia is arousing one controversy after another by his immature utterances.
Proved to be uncompromising till today since the autocrat Ershad’s regime, Khaleda along with other opposition parties should now launch a peaceful movement to confront Neofascism and defeat it in collaboration with the democratic forces at home and abroad. Her party was rather inert at the time of stock market scam, price spiral of essentials, Hallmark scam, Destiny plunder alongside other matters of public interest. A huge majority of people support Khaleda because they like her principled stand in favour of real democracy, human rights, universal adult franchise, polite temperance as opposed to Hasina’s rude, uncouth and foul-mouthed words. Khaleda should lead and embark upon her democratic movement to fight Neofascism once and for all.
Hasina should understand that India is never a good model as her mentor and guide. Secular writers like M J Akbar, author of Riots after Riots, have without success cautioned the Indian politicos to stop religious riots which have recurred for countless times. In 1947 in the weeks that followed partition, millions of people were displaced and more than 500,000 were killed in riots. A New York Times timeline of anti-Muslim violence in secular India shows how the virulently communal Hindu political leaders win landslide wins. [See www.nytimes. com/ interactive /2014/04/06/ world/ asia/modi-gujarat-riots 287_8514]. Reuters reported on Mar 23, 2007, “Rights groups accuse Modi of doing nothing to stop the religious rioting in which they say about 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, were killed, while officials say about 1,000 people died”.
Eminent author Upton Sinclair said: “The fascists cannot argue, so they kill” which explains the nature of fascism. The country is on the verge of fascism, an autocratic political system that controls the politics and economy, in which individual rights are curtailed under totalitarian, authoritarian system that encourages dictatorship, as we see in Bangladesh. Fascists consider national pride and security above all and superiority of a state is of prime importance; but astonishingly, Awami League is devoid of this in that when two human rights activists, the chief of MASUM, Kiriti Roy, accompanied by retired Justice Moloy Sengupta, were ready in 2013 to visit Bangladesh to talk with Felani Khatun’s parents and others to collect evidence and requisite papers required for the public interest litigation. For reasons best known to the Bangladesh government, it refused to grant them visa as Dhaka apparently does not want to pursue the matter.
In sum, Khaleda should lead and undertake people’s democratic movement to fight cold-blooded, brutal Neofascism once and for all and restore democracy.
Source: Weekly Holiday
Who is the opposition? Ex Dictator Ershad? Mrs. Zia does not count. She has screwed up the opposition and cannot be considered as a viable option unless a fresh new political force challenges the Fascist Hasina government.