M. Shawkat Ali (Headmaster Rtd)
Friends ask me if I’m ok. I would be happy if I could say, ‘I’m fine.’ But in fact I’m not ‘fine’. The current situation perplexes me and makes me feel whether I’m in a dream or not. What’s happening in the name of ‘muktijuddher chetona’ (the spirit of liberation war) is really enigmatic to me. We who had the fortune to get directly involved in the functioning of more than one wing of the exiled govt of Bangladesh saw and observed many things. But now everything seems confusing. The trial of the war criminals should have been held four decades ago when they had completely lost their each & every root; but when after forty years they have been able to gain at least 5%-6% voter support, several of their leaders are being tried and most likely to be hanged. (Just a few days ago we watched on the TV that Moulana Saidee had been awarded death sentence by the ICT.) Of the 80/85 million voters 5% means 4 million at least and it seems they are going to be antagonized and what will happen in the coming 10/12 months is a matter of great concern because in the past week after the verdict, more than a hundred people including several members of the police have lost their lives. It’s also because the few thousand ‘new generation’ at several ‘chattars’ – who hardly know what actually happened during the liberation war are rending the sky with a war-cry. They don’t seem to have respect for the court verdict or they would have waited to see the last stage of the legal process. In the circumstances, sensible and reasonable people may ask a few questions, such as:
1. There was no Jamat-e-Islami, notorious for killing, raping, looting, arson etc till 1976. But who killed thousands of young people including Siraj Sikder , burned hundreds of houses during the 4/5 years after liberation? Were not those crimes against humanity? Who did those heinous crimes?
2. We most often hear that Shaheed President Zia was the chief conspirator behind the most tragic murder of Bangabandhu and members of his family. But we know that the cabinet formed by the Khonndakar Mushtaq govt comprised only Awami League MPs. Besides, the first civilian Martial Law was introduced by Justice President Ahsanuddin. How did Zia come into the scene and all the blame has been laden on his shoulder?
3. No explanation from the big parties has been given to the people why soon after liberation Bangabandhu, who fought with his life for parliamentary system of government, shifted to the presidential form and sooner to one party ‘BAKSAL’ gagging ‘freedom of speech’ (which our so-called torch-bearers of ‘the spirit of liberation war’ vow to upheld now) by banning all the print media except four newspapers. What kind of ‘democracy’ was it? Did our people fought for such kind of ‘democracy’?
4. The present govt claims to have brought back the 1972 constitution by passing 15th amendment in the parliament. Still there is Islam as state religion though this concept was absent in 1972 constitution. The idea of socialism has almost faded out even in China and the present economy of Bangladesh is a global economy which is to the core a capitalist economy. The why is there ‘socialism’ as one of the four pillars of the 1972 constitution?
5. We know that Heads of those countries such as the UK, the USA where democracy bears its true meaning take oath keeping their hands on the Bible – the Holy Book of their religion. Yet they are never called fundamentalist or bigots. But in our country, Ministers, MPs, Judges/Justices and other chiefs of the constitutional bodies are not seen to take oath placing their hand on our Holy Book – the Qur’an, the Bible, the Geeta etc. And we observe with respect and awe that they never make false promises nor break the pledges pronounced during the election campaign; but just the opposite happens in our country. Is it because they know from the very beginning that they will lie to the people after they are in power?
6. No religion dictates its followers to commit crime, harm others, tell lies, ill-treat others, plunder public money and property and so on. The Muslims acknowledge Islam as a ‘complete code of life’. Yet none wants religion, especially Islam, to regulate either our daily or our national life. Is it because both we and our politicians cannot do without telling lies, breaking promises, giving biased opinion and judgement, robbing others of their due rights and so on?
7. Many blame and indict General Zia and General Ershad for killing dozens officers of the armed forces. But what about the 57 brilliant army officers killed in one blast after the present govt assumed power? What were the causes behind all these killings and why could they not be saved? What about the reported rape and torture on the families of those killed? Who committed all those most heinous crimes? Were they non-Bengalis or ‘rajakars’?
8. Human Rights Watch, the TIB and other reports say that while less than ten thousand incidents of killing, rape etc took place during the last ten years, more than sixteen thousand such incidents have happened during the last four years of the present govt. What is the explanation for this terrible situation?
9. After liberation Islamist parties, not even the Jamaatis, were ever in power. Yet people know about rampant corruption, looting, robbing and defrauding banks of billions, siphoning billions of money out of the country, shutting down hundreds of mills and industries, paralyzing the railway, which is called the main artery of the economy in most of the developed countries, plundering Bangladesh Biman making it a white elephant, sinking the Padma Bridge project in the Padma herself, hundreds of events of tender-snatching, grabbing both land and water and so on. Why and how could all these happen when none but us Bangalis have been running our country? Who did all this?
10. There are reports that Bangladesh got more than ten thousand billion taka as aid, grant, loan etc from different countries. We are rich in many natural resources also. But Bangladesh stands in the queue of LDC even today. Why? Reports also say that only 25% of the allocated money reaches the target group or is spent in the particular development work. Why and how such monumental corruption could happen and still happens when no Islamist but secularist parties have ruled Bangladesh after the liberation? Who plundered the bulk of the allocation?
10. One last thing. The so-called ‘projonmo chattar’ has been occupied by a section of the new generation under the active participation and sponsoring of the power party and the govt as well. But no procession, rally etc of the opposition has been seen without the police action and even the wings of the power party in the guise of police. The police seem to have recently been instructed to crush whatever procession, rally etc with utmost severity. And as a result more than a hundred people have got killed and many more have been injured. Besides the two ladies have reached a point of no return throwing to the winds the future of the country and the nation. Is this democracy they cry hoarse of?
In fact all the above questions perplex me and make me overwhelmed with grief and shock. Is there anybody to give a credible explanation?
28.2.2013 —— M. Shawkat Ali (Headmaster Rtd); 9/19/11, Uttara; Dhaka-1230.